Bycatch associated with a horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) trawl survey: identifying species composition and distribution

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dc.contributor.authorGraham, Larissa Joyen
dc.contributor.committeechairMurphy, Brian R.en
dc.contributor.committeememberHata, Daviden
dc.contributor.committeememberBerkson, James M.en
dc.contributor.departmentFisheries and Wildlife Sciencesen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:43:50Zen
dc.date.adate2007-09-04en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:43:50Zen
dc.date.issued2007-08-02en
dc.date.rdate2007-09-04en
dc.date.sdate2007-08-20en
dc.description.abstractHorseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) have been harvested along the east coast of the United States since the 1800s, however a Fishery Management Plan (FMP) was only recently created for this species. To date, there have not been any studies that have attempted to identify or quantify bycatch in the horseshoe crab trawl fishery. A horseshoe crab trawl survey was started in 2001 to collect data on the relative abundance, distribution, and population demographics of horseshoe crabs along the Atlantic coast of the United States. In the present study, species composition data were collected at sites sampled by the horseshoe crab trawl survey in 2005 and 2006. Seventy-six different taxa were identified as potential bycatch in the horseshoe crab trawl fishery. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) was used to cluster sites and identify the spatial distribution of taxa. Sites strongly clustered into distinct groups, suggesting that species composition changes spatially and seasonally. Species composition shifted between northern and southern sites. Location and bottom water temperature explain most of the variation in species composition. These results provide a list of species that are susceptible to this specific trawl gear and describe their distribution during fall months throughout the study area. Identifying these species and describing their distribution is a first step to understanding the ecosystem-level effects of the horseshoe crab trawl fishery.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.identifier.otheretd-08202007-171122en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08202007-171122/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/34660en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartThesis_Graham_Final.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjecttrawl surveyen
dc.subjectfisheries managementen
dc.subjectwidth-weight relationshipen
dc.subjecthorseshoe craben
dc.subjectbycatchen
dc.subjectMiddle Atlantic Bighten
dc.subjectspecies compositionen
dc.subjectMultidimensional Scalingen
dc.titleBycatch associated with a horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) trawl survey: identifying species composition and distributionen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineFisheries and Wildlife Sciencesen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen
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