scholarly journals Philometra rubra (Nematoda: Philometridae) — first description of the male from striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and implications for re-introduction of an extirpated population

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 345-352
Author(s):  
L.N. Measures ◽  
F. Moravec ◽  
S. Douglas ◽  
S. Lair
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Parasitic Nematode ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Body Cavity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Tissue Response ◽  
Swim Bladder ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Young Of The Year ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Philometra rubra (Leidy, 1856) is a pathogenic parasitic nematode infecting striped bass (Morone saxatilis (Walbaum, 1792)) in eastern North America. Identification of philometrids is difficult, male P. rubra have never been found, and transmission is poorly understood. To re-establish the “Extirpated” striped bass population in the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE), Quebec, young-of-the-year (YOY) striped bass from the Miramichi River, New Brunswick, were collected and released into the SLE. The present study was undertaken to find Philometra in striped bass from the Miramichi River, for identification, description, and examine transmission and lesions. Philometra rubra was identified in 100% of 32 YOY (intensity = 26–125) and 100% of nine 1-year-old (intensity = 4–25 in five striped bass) striped bass collected in summer 2011. The swim bladder and body cavity were sites of infection in YOY with no tissue response observed histopathologically. Gravid P. rubra females occurred in the body cavity and swim bladder, with males predominately in the latter site. Males were short-lived, being absent in 1-year-old bass. Adult male and adult female P. rubra are described. Males of P. rubra can be distinguished from other described species based on spicule, gubernaculum, and body-length measurements. This parasite may have implications for the re-introduction program and conservation of striped bass in the SLE and in other populations.

Early growth, mortality, and partial migration of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) larvae and juveniles in the St. Lawrence estuary, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 2235-2246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucie Vanalderweireldt ◽  
Gesche Winkler ◽  
Marc Mingelbier ◽  
Pascal Sirois
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Larvae And Juveniles ◽  
Nursery Habitats ◽  
Species Recruitment ◽  
And Migration ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Freshwater Resident

Abstract After being extirpated from the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE), striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were reintroduced in 2002, and by 2008 they were naturally reproducing. The increase of this reintroduced population prompted the need to document its nursery habitats utilization, which contribute to species recruitment. We analysed mortality-dispersion rates and the growth of larvae and juveniles in relation to their occurrence and migration patterns. From June to September 2014, we collected striped bass distributed in four estuarine habitats: the upstream freshwater section (UP), the oligohaline (O-ETM) and the mesohaline (M-ETM) estuarine turbidity maximum zone, and the downstream polyhaline section (DOWN). Based on otolith microstructure and microchemistry, 305 back-calculated growth and 36 migration trajectories have been reconstructed. The UP and the O-ETM provided optimal conditions wherein which larvae and juveniles exhibited fastest growth. In the SLE, we emphasized the co-existence of a freshwater resident contingent and two migrant contingents to the M-ETM and DOWN. We propose that migrants adopt an adaptive migration behaviour to avoid suboptimal conditions and strong intraspecific competition from resident in the upstream habitats. The potential advantage of a downstream migration later in the season might be an adaptative strategy to promote their survival during the early life stages.

Feeding ecology of early life stages of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) along an estuarine salinity-turbidity gradient, St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Vanalderweireldt ◽  
P Sirois ◽  
M Mingelbier ◽  
G Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Feeding Niche

Abstract After being extirpated from the St. Lawrence River in the 1960s, striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were reintroduced to the estuary in 2002 and by 2008, they were naturally reproducing. To document the habitat use and feeding ecology of this reintroduced population, we examined the gut contents of 333 larvae and juveniles. Samples were collected in four estuarine habitats in 2014: the upstream freshwater section (UP), the oligohaline (O-ETM) and the mesohaline (M-ETM) estuarine turbidity maximum zones, and the downstream polyhaline section (DOWN). In June, pelagic larvae developed in the UP and the O-ETM, feeding mainly on copepods such as Eurytemora affinis. The O-ETM exhibited better suitable feeding conditions compared to the UP, likely due to the presence of Bosmina sp. as a primary prey. After July, striped bass shifted to larger prey items, consuming mainly dipteran pupa in upstream littoral habitats and gammarids and mysids in downstream habitats. In the early summer, the UP provided a high-quality nursery habitat and as the season progressed, the smallest juveniles dispersed downstream and improved their feeding success by exploiting a new feeding niche. This observation suggests that being distributed throughout the estuary may increase the potential survival of striped bass early life stages.

Activity-related constraints on overwintering young-of-the-year striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P Hurst ◽  
David O Conover
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Striped Bass ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Swimming Velocity ◽  
Thermal Dependence ◽  
Young Of The Year

The importance of activity to overwintering fishes has received little attention. Activity imposes two constraints: maximum swimming speed limits habitats that can be occupied for short periods of time, while the metabolic cost of swimming limits the habitats that are suitable for long-term residence. We measured the energetic consequences of activity and maximum swimming speeds of young-of-the-year striped bass (Morone saxatilis), a species that overwinters in tidal estuaries. The energetic cost of swimming was determined from energy changes in unfed fish forced to swim at various speeds, while energy changes in fed fish provided a measure of their ability to offset swimming costs through feeding. In high-velocity treatments, mortality was size-dependent and appeared to be related to fatigue rather than to depletion of energy reserves. The energetic cost of swimming increased with swimming velocity, but fish increased food consumption and thereby met their metabolic needs. In a second experiment the thermal dependence of swimming capacity in winter-acclimated striped bass was measured. Swimming speeds increased with temperature, from 2.7 body lengths (BL)/s at 2°C to 4.8 BL/s at 8 and 11°C, but were considerably below observed flow velocities in the Hudson River, suggesting a need for behavioral or physical refuge from tidal currents. These results indicate the flexibility of energy budgets of overwintering fishes, allowing energetic stress to be minimized by reducing activity or elevating food-consumption rates when sufficient prey are available.

Effects of temperature and salinity on survival of young-of-the-year Hudson River striped bass (Morone saxatilis): implications for optimal overwintering habitats

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 787-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P Hurst ◽  
David O Conover
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Striped Bass ◽  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Temperature Tolerance ◽  
Low Temperature Tolerance ◽  
Energetic State ◽  
Young Of The Year

We examined the role of salinity, body size, and energetic state in determining low temperature tolerance of young-of-the-year (YOY) striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and used this information to map optimal overwintering habitat in the Hudson River estuary. A long-term experiment compared survival at 15 ppt and 30 ppt. In additional experiments, winter-acclimated fish were exposed to temperature declines (2.3°C·day–1 to 1°C·week–1) at salinities from 0 ppt to 35 ppt. Highest survival at low temperatures was consistently observed at intermediate salinities. These results suggest that the observed distribution of overwintering striped bass is related to physiological constraints on osmo regulatory ability at low temperatures. Low temperature tolerance appeared unrelated to body size and energetic state. Salinity profiles were used to describe the location and extent of optimal wintering habitats under various hydrographic regimes. The location of optimal habitats was displaced by over 27 km along the river axis because of variation in salinity regime. Changes in the availability of optimal habitat may be responsible for variation in recruitment to the Hudson River population. These results demonstrate the need to consider a holistic approach encompassing all seasons of the year in assessing habitat requirements of fishes.

Winter mortality of young-of-the-year Hudson River striped bass (Morone saxatilis): size-dependent patterns and effects on recruitment

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 1122-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P Hurst ◽  
David O Conover
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Progressive Increase ◽  
Winter Mortality ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Class Strength ◽  
Young Of The Year

Winter mortality plays a significant role in the dynamics of some temperate fish populations and has been shown to be size-dependent for some species, but not for others. Our objective was to determine how winter mortality affects the recruitment dynamics of Hudson River striped bass (Morone saxatilis). We used catch-per-unit-effort data from three separate surveys targeting young-of-the-year (YOY), overwintering, and age 1 striped bass. Age 1 abundance was negatively correlated with the severity of winter. In contrast, the abundance of age 0 fish was not correlated with age 1 abundance, suggesting that winter mortality greatly modifies year-class strength. A progressive increase in the mean length of YOY fish, coupled with a decrease in the coefficient of variation in length, occurred during some winters. Laboratory experiments showed that growth in length requires temperatures in excess of 10°C; hence, these changes likely result from selective mortality of smaller fish. Direct evidence of size-dependent mortality was obtained from a laboratory experiment that exposed fish to ambient conditions throughout the winter. Accounting for interannual differences in the severity and size dependency of winter mortality may improve our ability to evaluate striped bass year-class strength in the Hudson River.

Habitat use by early life stages of the re-established striped bass and conspecific fish species along the St. Lawrence estuary

2020 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 106696
Author(s):  
L. Vanalderweireldt ◽  
G. Winkler ◽  
E.L. Forget-Lacoursière ◽  
M. Mingelbier ◽  
P. Sirois
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Striped Bass ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Optimum Exercise Conditioning Velocity for Growth, Muscular Development, and Swimming Performance in Young-of-the-Year Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 1519-1527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paciencia S. Young ◽  
Joseph J. Cech Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
White Muscle ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Swimming Velocity ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Muscular Development ◽  
Conditioning Period ◽  
Young Of The Year

Young-of-the-year striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were exercise conditioned for 60 d at four different water velocities: <0.02 (control), 0.5–1.2 (slow), 1.5–2.4 (moderate), and 2.4–3.6 body lengths∙s−1 (fast). Sampling for growth (body weight change), muscular development (red and white muscle cross-sectional areas), and swimming performance (critical swimming velocity) was done at 50 and 60 d of the exercise conditioning period and at 14, 28, 42, and 56 d post-conditioning. Optimum conditioning velocities for growth and swimming performance were the moderate and fast velocities, respectively, with both effects persisting 56 d post-conditioning. Fish exercised at the moderate and fast velocities showed significant increases in red muscle areas (at 0 and 14 d post-conditioning, respectively) and in white muscle areas (at 0–28 and 14–28 d post-conditioning, respectively). Exercise-conditioned fish at any velocity showed a significant increase in the red to white muscle ratio at the end of 60 d of conditioning. Our data suggest that exercise-conditioned young-of-the-year striped bass would have size and swimming advantages consistent with higher survival than unexercised fish when stocked in natural ecosystems.

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