0251 AES Behavior & Ecology, 552 AB, Friday 9 July 2010 Jeff Kneebone1, Gregory Skomal2, John Chisholm2 1University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; School for Marine Science and Technology, New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, 2Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States Spatial and Temporal Habitat Use and Movement Patterns of Neonatal and Juvenile Sand Tiger Sharks, Carcharias taurus, in a Massachusetts Estuary In recent years, an increasing number of neonate and juvenile sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) have been incidentally taken by fishermen in Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury (PKD) Bay, a 10,200 acre tidal estuary located on the south shore of Massachusetts. There are indications that the strong seasonal presence (late spring to early fall) of sand tigers in this area is a relatively new phenomenon as local fishermen claim that they had never seen this species in large numbers until recently. We utilized passive acoustic telemetry to monitor seasonal residency, habitat use, site fidelity, and fine scale movements of 35 sand tigers (79 – 120 cm fork length; age 0 - 1) in PKD Bay. Sharks were tracked within PKD Bay for periods of 5 – 88 days during September – October, 2008 and June – October, 2009. All movement data are currently being analyzed to quantify spatial and temporal habitat use, however, preliminary analyses suggest that sharks display a high degree of site fidelity to several areas of PKD Bay. Outside PKD Bay, we documented broader regional movements throughout New England. Collectively, these data demonstrate the that both PKD Bay and New England coastal waters serve as nursery and essential fish habitat (EFH) for neonatal and juvenile sand tiger sharks. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0175 AES GRUBER AWARD, 551 AB, Friday 9 July 2010 Danielle Knip1, Michelle Heupel2, Colin Simpfendorfer1, James Moloney2, Andrew Tobin1 1Fishing and Fisheries Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 2School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Site Fidelity and Habitat Use of Spottail Sharks (Carcharhinus sorrah) in a Tropical Nearshore Environment Tropical nearshore environments contain regions of high productivity and often provide key habitat for many shark populations. This project examines the presence and movements of shark species in a nearshore region to define their use of space and dependence on coastal habitats. An array of fifty-six acoustic receivers deployed in Cleveland Bay, north Queensland was used to monitor sharks within a tropical nearshore environment. Thirty spottail sharks (Carcharhinus sorrah) fitted with acoustic transmitters were monitored in 2009 and 2010. Spottail sharks displayed long-term use of this nearshore environment with some individuals continually present for more than 100 days. Individuals that remained within Cleveland Bay showed high levels of site fidelity to specific regions and consistent patterns were found in their use of space. Location of home ranges and distribution of spottail sharks within Cleveland Bay revealed segregation among individuals with some differences in behaviour between sexes. Spottail sharks are an important component of the commercial fishery in Queensland. Long-term presence and consistent use of nearshore regions suggests that Marine Protected Areas employed in these areas may provide some shelter from exploitation for spottail sharks. This research gives new insight into habitat use of spottail sharks and provides advice for potential management of these populations. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0198 Fish Genetics & Biogeography, 556 AB, Friday 9 July 2010 Jason Knouft1, Lawrence Page2 1Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 2Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida, United States Assessing the Relationships Between Climate, Landscape, and Species Richness in North American Freshwater Fishes Variation in species richness across broad geographic areas has been attributed to both historical effects (i.e., evolutionary history) and contemporary climate and landscape factors. We examined the relationship between contemporary climate and landscape variables and species richness among all species of North American freshwater fishes as well as within the seven most diverse families (Catostomidae, Centrarchidae, Cottidae, Cyprinidae, Ictaluridae, Percidae, and Salmonidae). Results indicate that contemporary climate, elevation, and variation in elevation are significant predictors of species richness to varying degrees in the total species data set as well as within families. However, total stream length and the diversity of stream order segments within a region do not explain significant components of the variation in species richness in any group. Results will be discussed in the context of predicted changes in climate as well as the regional conservation of freshwater taxa. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0227 Poster Session II, Exhibit Hall D, Saturday 10 July 2010 Brooks Kohli, Matthew White Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States Lack of Differentiation Suggests a Recent Range-wide Expansion of Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) The muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) is an important recreational species found in the Mississippi, Great Lakes, and Hudson drainages. Three subspecies have been recognized, Ohio, Great lakes, and Northern, corresponding to differences in color pattern. Although these are no longer considered valid, genetic differences have been observed among Ohio River, Great Lakes, and Upper Mississippi River populations. Considerable stocking has occurred from a number of local broodstock sources. We conducted a phylogeographic study of muskellunge from samples throughout its range. A preliminary analysis of 450bp of the mitochondrial control region has identified little variation. Two haplotypes are widely distributed; several rare haplotypes have local distributions. The three subspecies designations are not supported nor are the allozyme based clusters. Although stocking from multiple hatchery strains could result in some regional homogeneity, it would not explain the range-wide pattern observed. Our data suggest that the current muskellunge distribution reflects a recent expansion from a single refugium. The paucity of mtDNA sequence variation also suggests a bottleneck. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0133 Poster Session I, Exhibit Hall D, Friday 9 July 2010 Matthew Kolmann1, Daniel Huber2, Mason Dean3, R. Dean Grubbs4 1Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States, 2University of Tampa, Tampa, FL, United States, 3University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States, 4Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, St. Teresa, FL, United States Ecomorphological Consequences of the Feeding Mechanism in the Cownose Ray Controversy has arisen over the implication of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in hindering commercial shellfish recovery projects. Because of support for shellfish projects, a fishery was started for R. bonasus under the guise of predator control. Questions about the necessity of such a fishery were not adequately resolved and other investigations into the matter have been contradictory. Bite-force calculation will allow this researcher to accurately reconstruct the capabilities of this animal as a durophagous predator. Preliminary examination of the feeding mechanism in R. bonasus has discovered formidable jaw musculature, but one possibly limited by gape size. Investigations into gape limitation, meaning the ability of the ray to manipulate, crush, and then engulf bivalve prey items will allow researchers to accurately diagnose whether the cownose is capable of consuming commercial bivalve species. An ontogenetic series of representative bivalve prey (oysters, scallops, and quahogs) will be obtained for use in determining the forces necessary to cause shell failure in each species. Forces at which the bivalve shells exhibited catastrophic failure will be compared to measured and theoretical bite force data gathered from the cownose rays. If cownose rays are not capable of consuming bivalves, this could potentially indicate that once a bivalve has reached a certain adult size, it is functionally beyond the predator’s ability to ingest. A directed fishery for Rhinoptera could then be diverting resources from identifying and addressing real threats to bivalve abundances and endangering another species concurrently. ______________________________________________________________________________ 0688 Fish Ecology, Morphology & Physiology, 556 AB, Saturday 10 July 2010 Peter Konstantinidis The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom Osteology of the Ragfish, Icosteus aenigmaticus (Lockington) The ragfish was first described by Lockington in 1880 as a possible member of the Blenniidae. It is now placed, as the sole member, in its own family, Icosteidae. The species occurs only in the North Pacific Ocean from California to Japan, where adults inhabit the bathypelagic zone while juveniles are frequently caught near the surface. There is a great difference in shape and anatomy between juveniles and adults, which can reach a maximum length of up to two meters. The species is characterized by more than