Name: Laura Almodóvar Acevedo
Date: 10/31/2024
Time (EST/EDT): 9:00 am
Location: remote
Access: email: mees@umd.edu
Committee Chair: Dr. Eric May
Committee Members: Dr. Brad Stevens, UMES Dr. Howard Townsend, NOAA Dr. Elizabeth North, HPL Dr. Tom Miller, CBL Dr. Stephen Tomasetti, UMES
Dean’s Representative: -
Title: Assessing available habitat for juvenile black sea bass in the Chesapeake Bay
Abstract: Juvenile black sea bass (Centropristis striata) utilize the Chesapeake Bay from late spring to fall, but its importance for their populations has been scarcely studied. Abundance and distribution information is limited due to lack of fishery dependent data and reef surveys. A comprehensive study that incorporates field sampling, respirometry and ecosystem modeling was conducted to fill in some of the information gaps. A trapping field survey conducted in an area with oyster and sediment bottom captured black sea bass from August to November, ranging from 16 to 25 cm total length, with most of them caught in September. GAMs determined that depth and bottom type explained most of the variability in catch, with salinity also being an important factor. The respiration rates of juvenile black sea bass were measured at 15°, 20° and 25°C using intermittent-flow respirometry. Standard metabolic rate was statistically higher at 25°C, while maximum metabolic rate was statistically lower at 20°C. Finally, the available habitat in the Chesapeake Bay and the factors that influence were evaluated through a Habitat Suitability Model (HSM). Model showed that suitable habitat increased from May to October, with July and August having the most variability. Tangier Sound, the field survey site where black sea bass were found, had high suitability. Reefs around Pocomoke Sound, Blackwater National Refuge, and the mouths of the York and Rappahannock rivers were also suitable during most of the growing season and might be of importance for black sea bass. This study showed that black sea bass are using reefs and areas that are outside the trawling stations and that the bottom structure in the Chesapeake Bay may be of more importance to them- than previously thought. This can be used to help make management decisions, assess the possible impacts of climate change on available habitat and identify reefs where conservation and restoration efforts can be prioritized.
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Earlier Event: October 29
DISSERTATION (Ph.D.) DEFENSE - NEHEMIAH, SAMARA
Later Event: November 13
MASTERS (M.S.) THESIS DEFENSE - JALKOWSKI, SAMANTHA