Thèse (Ph.D.)--Université du Québec à Rimouski, 2008. / Title from PDF title page. Available through UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in print.

The purpose of this research was to explore the impact of finfish bycatch on the ocean shrimp Pandalus jordani fishery using two methods. One method looked at the breakage of the shrimp by finfish bycatch in the nets. The other looked at the impact of bycatch on fishing decisions. At-sea research found that finfish bycatch contributes to the breakage of ocean shrimp. However, the impact is small relative to breakage caused by other handling procedures. Bycatch was measured from each net of a double-rigged shrimp vessel, where one side employed a Nordmore grate bycatch reduction device (BRD) and the other served as a control. Shrimp catch was controlled for BRD use and catch day, and sampled throughout processing to evaluate breakage. At greater than 50% bycatch there was a significantly higher percentage of broken shrimp in the control side than in the BRD side for samples taken at the first and third sampling point (p<0.05). After this point the differences became non-significant. The percent breakage increased from a mean 2.4% broken before placement in the hold to a mean 18.0% broken in the final product. The impact of bycatch on fishing decisions was evaluated by distributing an expanded logbook to volunteer Oregon shrimp vessels in 1998. Logbook questions addressed the reasons and time involved for running to initial fishing grounds, relocating overnight, relocating between tows, dumping tows, and modifying gear. Completed logbooks were collected from 20 vessels representing 263 trips, 1043 fishing days, and 4727 tows. A soft mesh BRD was used at some point by 25% of vessels on 8.7% of trips and 3.3% of tows. Bycatch did not figure prominently in reasons given for choice of initial fishing grounds, relocating between fishing days, or relocating between tows. Bycatch was the main reason cited for dumping tows. In total, 430 (9%) tows were dumped. The estimated weight of fish and shrimp dumped equaled 11.3% and 0.3%, respectively, of the landed shrimp catch. Pacific whiting Merluccius productus caused 81.4% of the tows dumped due to bycatch. Opportunity costs attributed to bycatch alone were equivalent to net revenue resulting from 12.3 tows or $3,203 per study vessel. At the fleet level, opportunity costs due to dumped tows totaled 1,227 effort hours, 32.4 trips, or $155,070. This equates to a 4.6% loss in gross ex-vessel revenue. / Graduation date: 2002

Theses (M.S.)--University of New Hampshire (Dept. of Zoology), 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (M.M.S.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2002. / Bibliography: leaves 83-90.

Mémoire (M.P.Aquat.)-- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1991. / Bibliogr. : f. 75-83. Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

The present study adopted an integrative approach to conduct a population comparison of vulnerability to environmental stress in a commercially important species of ectotherm. Specifically, I investigated how differing environmental conditions in native habitats may drive intra-species divergence and alter performance when conditions shift. This study used northern prawn (Pandalus borealis Krøyer 1838) populations with known morphological differences from two spatially proximate fjord sites differing in oxygen regime as a model system. The genetic population structure was analysed and whole organism, physiological, and metabolomic performance under hypoxia and thermal stress were assessed. Genetic analyses displayed no significant dissimilarities between P. borealis from the normoxic and the seasonally hypoxic site. It was hypothesised that phenotypic plasticity may act as mechanism by which P. borealis may persist in the seasonally hypoxic fjord. Subsequently, a common garden experiment, in which individuals from the two fjords were exposed to hypoxia and the additional stress of elevated temperature, was carried out. The populations did not show significantly different physiological performance as determined by metabolic rates and stamina. However, the experiment did confirm the negative impacts of hypoxia on this species. Finally, P. borealis were exposed to hypoxia in the field in a translocation experiment. As the laboratory methods used would not have been possible to replicate, performance was assessed by survivorship and metabolite regulation. P. borealis from the two fjords showed significantly different levels of survivorship and the metabolomic profiles demonstrated that both populations possess different levels or forms of phenotypic plasticity, as they responded differently to translocation. This thesis presents the first use of the mtDNA control region of this species being used to determine its genetic variation and emphasises the need for multidisciplinary, holistic and multi-population approaches to assessing species vulnerability.

Natural cycles of environmental variability and long-term deoxygenation in the ocean impose oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) on marine communities. My research exploits a naturally occurring hypoxia cycle in Saanich Inlet, British Columbia, Canada where I combined spatial surveys with remotely operated vehicles, ecological time-series from the subsea cabled observatory VENUS, and lab-based respirometry experiments to examine the influence of seasonally variable oxygen conditions on epibenthic communities. In situ oxygen thresholds established for dozens of fish and invertebrate species in this system show they naturally occur in lower oxygen levels than what general lethal and sublethal thresholds would predict. Expansion of hypoxic waters induced a loss of community structure which was previously characterized by disjunct distributions among species. Communities in variable hypoxia also have scale-dependent structure across a range of time scales but are primarily synchronized to a seasonal oscillation between two phases. Time-series revealed timing of diurnal movement in the slender sole Lyopsetta exilis and reproductive behavior of squat lobster Munida quadrispina in the hypoxia cycle. Hypoxia-induced mortality of sessile species slowed the rate of community recovery after deoxygenation. The 10-year oxygen time-series from VENUS, revealed a significant increase in the annual low-oxygen period in Saanich Inlet and that deoxygenation has occurred in this system since 2006. Differences in the critical oxygen thresholds (O2crit) and standard metabolic rates of key species (spot prawn Pandalus platyceros, slender sole, and squat lobster) determined the lowest in situ oxygen at which populations occurred and explained disproportionate shifts in distributions and community respiration. Finally, a meta-analysis on global O2crit reported for crustaceans showed that hypoxia tolerance differs among major ocean basins. Long-term trends of deoxygenation suggest a future regime shift may occur when the duration at which a system remains below critical oxygen levels exceeds the time needed for communities to recover. Species-specific traits will determine the critical threshold and the nature of the community response in systems influenced by variable states of oxygen deficiency. However, oceanographic and evolutionary history provides context when determining the regional response of benthic communities influenced by rapidly changing environments. / Graduate / 0329 / 0416 / 0433 / jwfchu@gmail.com