American Horseshoe Crab Research Paper

The purpose of this lab was to answer the question, “Of the saline solutions of 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% sodium chloride (NaCl), which solution will yield the highest hatching viability for the brine shrimp?” The hypothesis was that the saline solution most precise to the concentration of NaCl in seawater, which is approximately 3.5%, will yield the highest hatching viability. Therefore, the 2% NaCl solution will yield the highest hatching viability.

Ray McClain). The ‘farmed’ and the wild crawfish are both composed of the same species, the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the white river crawfish (P. zonangulus). The more popular of the two crustaceans the red swamp crawfish, as it is caught more often is purchased more at the market. There are other crustaceans that are important to the basin besides crawfish, however. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are a vital resource in Louisiana’s seafood industry. The crabs are harvested by way of traps. In the case that the traps are lost or abandoned, they will continue to catch crabs. This is leading to a downturn in the blue crab population. Fish are also affected by the traps, as they are also caught. Despite the risked to the crab population, , the Marine Stewardship Council recognized the Louisiana blue crab fishery as the only sustainable blue crab fishery in the world in March of

The Maryland Blue Crab, which is the most iconic creature of the Chesapeake, has decreased in population from 276 million in 1990 to 131 million in 2008. This dramatic decrease has caused a cumulative loss to both Maryland and Virginia of 640 million dollars. In an attempt to restore the blue crab population, Maryland and Virginia instituted a public policy to place restrictions on the crabbing of the Chesapeake. This is an example of a command and control policy because public authorities established direct controls on individual actions. This created harsh economic hardships for many crabbers, causing the Secretary of Commerce to decide that the blue crab fishery had undergone a commercial failure as it is defined under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is the primary authority for fishery management in the United States and it created regional fishery management councils that attempt to establish limits on total catches and regulations. This failure

Lyme disease has emerged as the most common vector borne infectious disease in the United States and has presented a growing challenge to public health officials over the past three decades. The infection represents a significant disease burden to the population of the United States with nearly 30,000 new cases diagnosed per year and an estimated additional 270,000 annual incident cases that go unreported. The disease results from a bacterial infection with the spirochete bacteria B. burgdorferi. This bacterial agent is transmitted to humans from the bite of a tick and is most commonly associated Ixodes species blacklegged ticks. These ticks represent the largest genus of the family Ixodidae and mainly inhabit temperate forest or grassland

One of the most damaging algae species known to Florida along the south-west coast is the Karenia brevis, also known as Florida red tide. These microscopic algae bloom all year around in the Gulf of Mexico producing brevetoxins, which contains a suite of neurotoxic polyether compound. These blooms can last as long as 18 months fluctuating between insignificant blooms to critical, impacting both the marine ecosystems and humans health (Pierce and Henry, 2008). The Florida red tide will continue to be the cause of unexplained fish and other animal deaths, along with human illnesses unless more research and observations is done to find a way of controlling these algae blooms.

This perspective often distorts the view of large crabbing businesses on their harvesting methods which, although are seemingly humane, are actually very detrimental to the crab population. For instance, when Hal Herzog, a Professor of Psychology at Western California University, ventured to Florida’s Gulf coast, the crabbers there explained to him the two varieties of crabs which they harvested; the “lucky” stone crabs and the “unlucky” blue crabs (Herzog). The blue crabs were considered unlucky because they were killed on the spot; however, the stone crabs were considered lucky because of their ability to regenerate their claws, and so crabbers would simply rip their claws off and then throw them back into the sea (Herzog). However,

Studies have repeatedly shown that as oxygen concentrations decrease, the abundance and diversity of fish decrease (Breitburg). Fish kills, in which large numbers of dead and dying fish float to the surface or wash onto shore, are probably the most dramatic and publicly visible manifestation of hypoxia and nutrient over-enrichment of coastal waters(Breitburg). In addition to mass mortalities that are easily observed, high mortality of fish lacking a swim bladder can occur leaving little or no visible evidence of fish at the surface or littering beaches (Breitburg). With no fish, shrimp, or crabs the Louisiana fishing market takes a huge hit that the economy feels in a major way. The gulf accounts for almost one-fifth of the countries fishing landings, which total to be three billion dollars (Petrolia). Fishing is not only a major part of Louisiana’s economy but also its culture. Without wildlife in our waters microorganism are given more opportunity to grow leading to bacteria infected waters. These bacteria infected waters could cause major health risks for those who come in contact with

The native oyster of the Chesapeake Bay is the Eastern oyster; also known as the Crassostrea Virginica. One of the many diseases found in the Eastern oysters are: Dermo disease and multinucleated sphere X disease (Graczyk, et al, 2006). Fayer, et al (2010) found that even if frozen oysters were contaminated with feces they could still survive. As stated by Graczyk, et al (2006), the oysters contain human enteric pathogens. Oysters contain a bacterium that can clean the bay naturally by itself. Since the oyster’s population decreased dramatically it takes longer for the bay to be cleaned. Strickland (2009) stated “the oysters used to be able to clean the water in the bay with in three days but now it takes up to an entire year to get the job done”. Graczyk, et al (2006) stated that “due to over harvesting in the Chesapeake Bay Eastern oysters are becoming at a point of

Green crabs are found in shallow ocean waters and they have a preference for sheltered areas. They are an aggressive and territorial crab species (CBC, 2012). Although this species is known as the “green crab”, they are not always green. In fact, this species of crab can range from a variety of colors such as red, orange, brown, blue and yellow; the colors often depend on when the crab last exuviated. Due to the fact that green crabs cannot be distinguished solely by color, they are often confused with other crab species such as the rock crab. A few ways to distinguish the European green crab from other crabs is by 5 pointy spines which are located on the front end of the carapace on either side of the eye as cited by GOV, (2013) and 3 rounded lobes located between the eyes. European green crabs are also distinguished by their claws of different sizes and the way the tips of its back legs are pointed, flattened and hairy. A European green crab generally doesn’t surpass 4 inches (appx. 100 mm) and an average green crab is approximately 2.5 inches (appx. 63 mm) (Peters et al. 2004). Male green crabs typically range from 40-70mm whereas female green crabs ranged from 40-65mm. If these crabs, male or female, surpassed their average size they were classified as old adults (Yamada and Gillespie, 2008). The adult green crab can survive out of the water for

Today’s eastern oysters range from 3 to 5 inches in length, sometimes as much as 8 inches, although the oysters present during the colonization of the New World were documented to grow much larger (“Oyster History”). Oysters have many great characteristics in regard to their utility for humans as well as wildlife. The build ups of oyster bars, reefs, and beds provide habitat for many aquatic lifeforms and the filtration capabilities they possess is quite remarkable; as filter feeders, oysters feed on phytoplankton and small organisms while removing nutrients from the waters the inhabit, leaving them clear and pristine; just one oyster can filter more than 50 gallons in a day (“Oyster History”). Alas, it was a palatable constitution that made the eastern oyster so popular, creating an extensive economy based on its harvest. Unfortunately, this considerable popularity would ultimately bring the oyster’s

Although the Easter Shore of Maryland is most well known for their shellfish, the abundance of shellfish barely scratches the surface of the marine life found in the Chesapeake Bay. From the shallows of the Bay to the bottom in one hundred feet of water, the life found in the Bay varies drastically. The different conditions foster an assortment of fish such as permanent residents, migrants, and occasional visitors. It is home to mature fish and is also an important nursery ground for millions of ocean fish (Blair and Ansel 111). About two hundred and two species have been recorded as permanent residents of the Chesapeake and there are four classes of migratory fish (“Chesapeake Wildlife”). Species such as shad, alewife, and striped bass leave the marine environment to spawn in fresh water. In the summer, hardhead, spot, and menhaden reside in the Bay. Bluefish are a common migrant found in the

Thesis Statement: “According to the Center of Disease Control, Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector borne illness in the United States”(Lyme Disease: Data and statistics, 2016).

After 3 days in the diluted seawater the crab’s haemolymph Sodium levels were significantly lower (p<0.001) than the crabs stored in full strength seawater as seen in figure 3. There was no significant difference between the mean haemolymph Sodium values of the three dilutions at 75%, 50% and 25%.

On Wednesday the 9th of March, Students from Sacred Heart College Travelled by Bus to Siren’s Rock’s which lies between Owhiro Bay and Island Bay. At Siren’s rocks we had to explore the rocks and collect data of all the different species we found at the rocky shore. The rocky shore is an intertidal place where solid rocks predominate. It is useful for the study of Organisms living on the rocky shore. The rocky shore consists of the low tide, mid tide, high tide and splash zones. We used quadrats to sample which species was located in these zones and we did this when the tide was low. Quadrats is a sampling method used to see which organisms are located in certain proportions. The species I have chosen to talk about in my report today is one type of Limpet and one type of Top Shell. The common name for the Limpet I found is the Golden/ Radiate Limpet of whose scientific name is Cellana Radians which was found in the lower intertidal zone. The Cellana Radians is predated by starfish, whelks and shore birds. The Limpet is an herbivore because it eats Algae and Angiosperm which both are types of growing plants located within the rocky shore. The common name for the species of Top shell I found was actually Scorched Monodont whose scientific name is Diloma (Melagaphia) Aesthiops which is also found in the Lower intertidal name zone. The Diloma (Melagraphia) Aesthiops is predated by starfish, shore crabs and coastal reef fish. The Diloma (Melagraphia) Aesthiops is also an

Two crab species, Plagusia and Cyclograpsus, were collected from a local estuary in the littoral and deep water zone for osmoregulation studies. To examine differences in osmoregulatory mechanisms among the species, haemolymph of the specimens was extracted once they were acclimated to varying concentrations of seawater. Using the comparative melting-point, capillary tubes were filled with small samples of seawater and blood then frozen and melted in a -15˚C ethanol bath. The melting time of each was observed thereafter. Subject’s time range fell over 17 minutes of which the majority of the most salinated samples melted