Winter Flounder Pseudopleuronectes Americanus Stock Enhancement in New Hampshire: Developing Optimal Release Strategies

University of New Hampshire <a href="/goto?url=https://scholars.unh.edu/" target="_blank">University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository </a><a href="/goto?url=https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation" target="_blank">Doctoral Dissertations </a>Spring 2002 <a href="/goto?url=https://scholars.unh.edu/student" target="_blank">Student Scholarship </a>Winter ﬂounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus stock enhancement in New Hampshire: Developing optimal release strategies Elizabeth Alden Fairchild University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: <a href="/goto?url=https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation?utm_source=scholars.unh.edu%2Fdissertation%2F62&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages" target="_blank">https:</a><a href="/goto?url=https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation?utm_source=scholars.unh.edu%2Fdissertation%2F62&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages" target="_blank">/</a><a href="/goto?url=https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation?utm_source=scholars.unh.edu%2Fdissertation%2F62&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages" target="_blank">/</a><a href="/goto?url=https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation?utm_source=scholars.unh.edu%2Fdissertation%2F62&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages" target="_blank">scholars.unh.edu/dissertation </a>Recommended Citation Fairchild, Elizabeth Alden, "Winter ﬂounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus stock enhancement in New Hampshire: Developing optimal release strategies" (2002). 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It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. 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WINTER FLOUNDER Pseudopleuronectes americanus STOCK ENHANCEMENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: DEVELOPING OPTIMAL RELEASE STRATEGIES BY ELIZABETH ALDEN FAIRCHILD B.A., University of New Hampshire, 1991 M.S., University of New Hampshire, 1998 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology May, 2002 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 3045322 UMI* UMI Microform3045322 Copyright 2002 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation has been examined and approved. Dissertation Director, Dr. W. fiuntting Howell, Professor of Zoology, University of New Hampshire Dr. Harr^ V. Daniels, Associate Professor of Zoology, North Carolina State University <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Dr. Richard Langan, </li><li style="flex:1">"</li></ul>Adjunct Associate Professor of Zoology, University of New Hampshire Dr. Kenneth M. Leber, Director of Center for Fisheries Enhancement, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida Dr. Winsor H. Watson HI, Professor of Zoology University of New Hampshire Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to Glenn C. Walker, my husband and best friend. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people who I am indebted to for their help in this research. First, I would like to thank Captains Eric Anderson, Carl Bouchard, David Goethel, and Joe Jurek who collected the winter flounder broodstock for me each spring. Many students worked on this project and without their help, these studies never would have been completed so rapidly. I am extraordinarily grateful to Sarah Abramson, Christopher Benton, Elizabeth Carver, Jennifer Fleck, Katie Reynolds, Glen Rice, Paula Rodgers, Garrison Smith, Kevin Sullivan, Marta Toran, and John Wiedenmann. Additionally, I would like to thank all current and former graduate students in the Howell and Watson labs who have lent a hand, especially Deborah Bidwell, Dr. Steve Jury, Nick King, Jennie Mandeville, Mike Morin, Dan O’Grady, James Sulikowski, and Jenna Wanat. Thank you to the Coastal Marine Laboratory and Jackson Estuarine Laboratory staff, in particular Noel Carlson, Deb Lamson, and Dave Shay, for their assistance in the lab and with the research vessels. Thank you to Dr. Ray Grizzle for help in implementing the benthic core sampling protocol, and to Amy Harmon and Dr. Larry Ward for their tutelage and assistance in analyzing sediment samples. Thank you to the Marine Program and Zoology Department staff, especially Meriel Bunker, Becky Crawshaw, Diane Lavalliere, Tammy McGlone, Barbara Millman, Nancy Richmond, and Nancy Wallingford, who made my life easier by taking care of all the critical paperwork and financial details. Various equipment and supplies used in these studies were generously loaned from other agencies. Thank you to Drs. Tony Calabrese and Ronald Goldberg of the iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. National Marine Fisheries Service, Milford, Connecticut Laboratory who donated the fish cages, and to Lee Blankenship who taught me how to use coded wire tags and then loaned me the tagging equipment. Thank you to Charlie Sleeper who constructed the beam trawl and to Glenn Walker who designed and built the bird pens. I am grateful to Great Bay Aquafarms, who supplied me with many last minute microalgae, rotifer, and artemia orders when my cultures were in peril and there were many hungry mouths to feed. I am fortunate to have a large, caring group of family and friends that have been integrally involved in my life. I am eternally thankful for their encouragement, love, and camaraderie during these years. Finally, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my mentor, Dr. Hunt Howell, and to the rest of my doctoral committee, Drs. Harry Daniels, Rich Langan, Ken Leber, and Win Watson. My doctoral program was enriched due to their excellent guidance and advice. I thank them all for the time they spent on this project, and for allowing me to set my own schedule and pace. Funding for this research was provided by the UNH/UME College SeaGrant program under grant number R/FMD-158. Additional support was provided by the Center for Marine Biology, the Zoology Department, and the Graduate School. vReproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION........................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................................iv LIST OF TABLES..................................................................................................................ix LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................xi ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................xiv <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">CHAPTER </li><li style="flex:1">PAGE </li></ul><a href="#0_0">INTRODUCTION</a><a href="#0_0">................................................................................................................... </a><a href="#0_0">1</a> I. PREDATOR-PREY SIZE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN Pseudopleuronectes americanus AND Carcinus maenas..................................................................................... 11 <a href="#20_0">Introduction</a><a href="#20_0">............................................................................................................................ </a><a href="#20_0">1</a><a href="#20_0">1 </a><a href="#0_1">Materials and Methods</a><a href="#0_1">.......................................................................................................... </a><a href="#0_1">14 </a>Results.................................................................................................................................... 17 Discussion..............................................................................................................................24 <a href="#0_2">Summary</a><a href="#0_2">...............................................................................................................................</a><a href="#0_2">.</a><a href="#0_2">30 </a>0. DETERMINING AN OPTIMAL RELEASE SITE FOR JUVENILE Pseudopleuronectes americanus IN THE GREAT BAY ESTUARY, NEW HAMPSHIRE........................................................................................................................32 <a href="#30_0">Introduction</a><a href="#30_0">........................................................................................................................... </a><a href="#30_0">32 </a>vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">34 </li><li style="flex:1">Materials and Methods </li></ul>Results....................................................................................................................................40 Discussion..............................................................................................................................48 Summary................................................................................................................................ 54 III. DETERMINING AN OPTIMAL RELEASE SEASON FOR JUVENILE Pseudopleuronectes americanus IN THE GREAT BAY ESTUARY, NEW HAMPSHIRE........................................................................................................................55 <a href="#0_3">Introduction</a><a href="#0_3">............................................................................................................................</a><a href="#0_3">55 </a><a href="#0_4">Materials and Methods</a><a href="#0_4">.........................................................................................................</a><a href="#0_4">.</a><a href="#0_4">57 </a>Results.................................................................................................................................... 58 Discussion.............................................................................................................................. 76 <a href="#0_5">Summary</a><a href="#0_5">................................................................................................................................ </a><a href="#0_5">82 </a>IV. CONDITION OF CULTURED JUVENILE Pseudopleuronectes americanus FOR RELEASE IN THE GREAT BAY ESTUARY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.............................. 84 <a href="#0_6">Introduction</a><a href="#0_6">............................................................................................................................</a><a href="#0_6">84 </a><a href="#0_7">Materials and Methods</a><a href="#0_7">.......................................................................................................... </a><a href="#0_7">87 </a>Results.................................................................................................................................... 93 Discussion............................................................................................................................ 104 <a href="#0_8">Summary</a><a href="#0_8">.............................................................................................................................. </a><a href="#0_8">109 </a><a href="#0_9">SYNTHESIS</a><a href="#0_9">........................................................................................................................ </a><a href="#0_9">110 </a>Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX A. PILOT-SCALE RELEASES OF CULTURED JUVENILE Pseudopleuronectes americanus IN THE GREAT BAY ESTUARY, NEW HAMPSHIRE IN 1999-2001.............................................................................................. 113 APPENDIX B. ANIMAL CARE AND USE APPROVAL DOCUMENTATION..........................................................................................................127 LIST OF REFERENCES.....................................................................................................128 viii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Title </li><li style="flex:1">Page </li></ul>Table 1.1 Mean number of cultured winter flounder killed per day by greencrabs............ 18 Mean number of wild winter flounder killed per day by green crabs................. 19 Effects of crab and fish size on amount of cultured and wild winter flounder killed........................................................................................................................20 Mean number of winter flounder killed per day by green crabs in relation to temperature..............................................................................................................21 Biomass and numerical abundance of primary prey available to winter flounder inside and outside of the pens................................................................................ 46 Species caught by beam and otter trawls in the three sites in Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire...................................................................................................... 60 Mean CPUE from beam trawls and benthic cores for 1999-2001........................61 Summary of predator cue experiment data.............................................................94 Summary of substrate preference observations of light colored, cultured winter flounder.....................................................................................................................99 Results of chi-square analysis at each sampling interval for substrate preference of light colored, cultured winter flounder.................................................................. 100 Summary of substrate preference observations of dark colored, cultured winter flounder................................................................................................................... 102 1.2 1.3 1.4 2.1 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 ix Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">4.5 </li><li style="flex:1">Results of chi-square analysis at each sampling interval for substrate preference of </li></ul>dark colored, cultured winter flounder..................................................................103 xReproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Title </li><li style="flex:1">Page </li><li style="flex:1">Figure </li></ul>Mean percentage of winter flounder killed by crabs per day, independent of predator size.............................................................................................................. 22 Size-related predation rate of green crabs on cultured and wild winter 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 flounder......................................................................................................................23 Mean percentage of winter flounder killed by crabs per day, independent of prey size.............................................................................................................................25 Mean percentage of cultured and wild winter flounder killed by crabs per day, independent of predator and prey size.....................................................................26 The three sites in Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire..........................................35 Flounder cages used for the experiment..................................................................37 Mean growth in length of cultured winter flounder in pens.................................. 41 Mean growth in weight of cultured winter flounder in pens................................. 42 Mean percent survival of cultured winter flounder in pens................................... 43 Mean bottom water temperature at the three sites during the experiment............ 45 Sediment composition of benthic cores taken at each of the three sites................47 Mean CPUE of araphipods, mysids, sand shrimp, green crabs, and winter flounder caught by beam trawl in all three sites during 1999-2001......................................59 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.1 xi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Bottom water temperature at the three sites during 1999-2001 sampling seasons.......................................................................................................................63 Mean CPUE of amphipods caught with beam trawl in Site 2 during 1999- 2001............................................................................................................................ 64 Mean CPUE of mysids caught with beam trawl in Site 2 during 1999- 2001............................................................................................................................ 65 Mean CPUE of sand shrimp caught with beam trawl in Site 2 during 1999- 2001............................................................................................................................ 67 Monthly length-frequency histograms of sand shrimp caught by beam trawl in Site 2 during 1999-2001............................................................................................68 Mean CPUE of green crabs caught with beam trawl in Site 2 during 1999- 2001............................................................................................................................ 69 Monthly length-frequency histograms of green crabs caught by beam trawl in Site 2 during 1999-2001................................................................................................... 70 Mean CPUE of winter flounder caught with beam trawl in Site 2 during 1999- 2001............................................................................................................................ 71 3.10 Monthly length-frequency histograms of winter flounder caught by beam trawl in Site 2 during 1999-2001............................................................................................72 3.11 Mean CPUE of sand shrimp caught with beam and otter trawls in Site 2 during 2001............................................................................................................................ 73 3.12 Mean CPUE of green crabs caught with beam and otter trawls in Site 2 during 2001............................................................................................................................ 74

Winter Flounder Pseudopleuronectes Americanus Stock Enhancement in New Hampshire: Developing Optimal Release Strategies

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