No evidence that the introduced parasite Orthione griffenis markham, 2004 causes sex change or differential mortality in the native mud shrimp, Upogebia pugettensis (Dana, 1852)

Dramatic, rapid, population declines of the native North American burrowing shrimp Upogebia pugettensis (Dana, 1852) are associated with intense infestations by the introduced Asian bopyrid isopod parasite, Orthione griffenis Markham, 2004. However, expected host weight losses with increasing parasite weights do not occur, even among apparently castrated females. The prevailing assumption that energetic losses cause host castration have thus remained open to question, and the mechanism(s) resulting in castration and consequent population declines of U. pugettensis have remained unclear. Proposed alternative explanations for these declines, which have been based on a dramatically greater prevalence of O. griffenis among U. pugettensis females, include parasite induced sex change, increased male mortality, and differential tidal exposure of sexes to settling O. griffenis larvae. We examined 508 O. griffenis infestations from 2,014 shrimp collected from 26 stations in 5 Oregon estuaries to test these alternative hypotheses. We expected greater infestation frequencies among females than among males and a close association of O. griffenis infestations with intersex shrimp in the overall population if feminization occurs. We also expected covariation in sex ratio with tide exposure if O. griffenis settlement is sex linked. Instead, we found an overall 1:1.07 sex ratio, a lack of association of intersex U. pugettensis with O. griffenis infestations, and an unchanging sex ratio with tidal exposure, precluding parasite induced sex change, male mortality, or tidal immersion effects on infestations. The most likely mechanism driving U. pugettensis declines thus remains castration due to host energetic losses. This energetic interaction is likely to be resolved quantitatively through controlled experiments and increasingly detailed field surveys over time

Association of Juvenile Salmon and Estuarine Fish with Intertidal Seagrass and Oyster Aquaculture Habitats in a Northeast Pacific Estuary

Structured estuarine habitats, such as salt marshes, seagrass beds, and oyster reefs, are recognized as critical nurseries for juvenile fish and crustaceans. Estuarine habitat usage by fish, including juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., was characterized by sampling with a modified tow net in Willapa Bay, Washington, where 20% of the intertidal area is utilized for shellfish aquaculture and thus is difficult to sample with conventional gear. Our goal was to compare fish use of relatively undisturbed habitats (open mudflat, seagrass, and channel habitats) with the use of nearby oyster culture habitat. Although many species showed significant temporal and spatial trends within the estuary, only Shiner Perch Cymatogaster aggregata exhibited a significant association with habitat. Juveniles of three salmonid species exhibited few associations with the low intertidal habitats over which they were captured or in the prey types they consumed there. Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha, likely hatchery-released ocean-type fish, were the most common salmonid captured, and they utilized low intertidal areas throughout the summer as their mean size increased from 85 to 100 mm FL. Diets consumed by these larger juvenile Chinook Salmon were not associated with benthic habitat but instead consisted primarily of (1) insects from nearby marsh or terrestrial habitats and (2) planktonic prey, like decapod larvae and tunicate larvaceans. Juvenile Coho Salmon O. kisutch and Chum Salmon O. keta were captured earlier (April and May) and fed on a slightly different suite of prey taxa, which were also primarily pelagic rather than associated with the intertidal benthos. Our findings suggest that in this relatively shallow coastal estuary, the role of benthic habitat is not closely linked to its value as a source of food for large juvenile salmon out-migrants utilizing the low intertidal areas where aquaculture occurs

An introduced Asian parasite threatens northeastern Pacific estuarine ecosystems

The introduced Asian parasitic bopyrid isopod, Orthione griffenis, was first discovered on the Pacific coast of North America in Washington in 1988 and next in California in 1992. The range of Orthione presently extends from British Columbia to Baja California, where it infests at least two species of the native estuary mud shrimp, Upogebia. Intense Orthione infestations are associated with the apparent demise of many local populations of Upogebia pugettensis yet nonindigenous origins of Orthione in North America and thus the ecological significance of its impacts have remained in doubt. Six criteria reveal that Orthione is introduced to North America: its conspecificity with disjunct Asian populations, its earliest (1950s) collections in Asia, its late discovery among symbiotic species associated with Upogebia, its historical absence, and its appearance in North America coincident with extensive new ballast water traffic from Asia. Orthione is the first recognized bopyrid isopod invasion globally. Coexistence of U. pugettensis, which are ecosystem engineers, with its newly acquired parasite cannot be assumed. Orthione threatens eastern Pacific estuary ecosystems where Upogebia were previously abundant.Keywords: Isopod, Invasion, Extinction, Parasite, Estuary, Upogebia pugettensis, Orthione griffenisKeywords: Isopod, Invasion, Extinction, Parasite, Estuary, Upogebia pugettensis, Orthione griffeni

Potential mitigation of juvenile Dungeness crab loss during dredging through enhancement of intertidal shell habitat in Grays Harbor, WA

USAC

Distribution and abundance of Dungeness crab, Cancer magister in Grays Harbor, WA, and in the adjacent nearshore during fall/winter 1985/1986

US

Impact of dredging and spoils disposal during October 1985 on Dungeness crab in Grays Harbor, WA

USAC

Comparison of carbaryl pesticide impacts on Dungeness crab versus benefits of habitat derived from oyster culture in Willapa Bay, WA

WSG + a whole bunch of peopl

HosackGeoffreyFishWildlifeAssociationJuvenileSalmon(Supplement).pdf

Structured estuarine habitats, such as salt marshes, seagrass beds, and oyster reefs, are recognized as critical nurseries for juvenile fish and crustaceans. Estuarine habitat usage by fish, including juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., was characterized by sampling with a modified tow net in Willapa Bay, Washington, where 20% of the intertidal area is utilized for shellfish aquaculture and thus is difficult to sample with conventional gear. Our goal was to compare fish use of relatively undisturbed habitats (open mudflat, seagrass, and channel habitats) with the use of nearby oyster culture habitat. Although many species showed significant temporal and spatial trends within the estuary, only Shiner Perch Cymatogaster aggregata exhibited a significant association with habitat. Juveniles of three salmonid species exhibited few associations with the low intertidal habitats over which they were captured or in the prey types they consumed there. Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha, likely hatchery-released ocean-type fish, were the most common salmonid captured, and they utilized low intertidal areas throughout the summer as their mean size increased from 85 to 100 mm FL. Diets consumed by these larger juvenile Chinook Salmon were not associated with benthic habitat but instead consisted primarily of (1) insects from nearby marsh or terrestrial habitats and (2) planktonic prey, like decapod larvae and tunicate larvaceans. Juvenile Coho Salmon O. kisutch and Chum Salmon O. keta were captured earlier (April and May) and fed on a slightly different suite of prey taxa, which were also primarily pelagic rather than associated with the intertidal benthos. Our findings suggest that in this relatively shallow coastal estuary, the role of benthic habitat is not closely linked to its value as a source of food for large juvenile salmon out-migrants utilizing the low intertidal areas where aquaculture occurs

HosackGeoffreyFishWildlifeAssociationJuvenileSalmon.pdf

Structured estuarine habitats, such as salt marshes, seagrass beds, and oyster reefs, are recognized as critical nurseries for juvenile fish and crustaceans. Estuarine habitat usage by fish, including juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., was characterized by sampling with a modified tow net in Willapa Bay, Washington, where 20% of the intertidal area is utilized for shellfish aquaculture and thus is difficult to sample with conventional gear. Our goal was to compare fish use of relatively undisturbed habitats (open mudflat, seagrass, and channel habitats) with the use of nearby oyster culture habitat. Although many species showed significant temporal and spatial trends within the estuary, only Shiner Perch Cymatogaster aggregata exhibited a significant association with habitat. Juveniles of three salmonid species exhibited few associations with the low intertidal habitats over which they were captured or in the prey types they consumed there. Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha, likely hatchery-released ocean-type fish, were the most common salmonid captured, and they utilized low intertidal areas throughout the summer as their mean size increased from 85 to 100 mm FL. Diets consumed by these larger juvenile Chinook Salmon were not associated with benthic habitat but instead consisted primarily of (1) insects from nearby marsh or terrestrial habitats and (2) planktonic prey, like decapod larvae and tunicate larvaceans. Juvenile Coho Salmon O. kisutch and Chum Salmon O. keta were captured earlier (April and May) and fed on a slightly different suite of prey taxa, which were also primarily pelagic rather than associated with the intertidal benthos. Our findings suggest that in this relatively shallow coastal estuary, the role of benthic habitat is not closely linked to its value as a source of food for large juvenile salmon out-migrants utilizing the low intertidal areas where aquaculture occurs

On the edge: assessing fish habitat use across the boundary between Pacific oyster aquaculture and eelgrass in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA

Estuaries are subject to diverse anthropogenic stressors, such as shellfish aquaculture, which involve extensive use of estuarine tidelands. Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas aquaculture is a century-old practice in US West Coast estuaries that contributes significantly to the regional culture and economy. Native eelgrass Zostera marina also commonly occurs in intertidal areas where oyster aquaculture is practiced. Eelgrass is federally protected in the USA as ‘essential fish habitat’, restricting aquaculture activities within or near eelgrass. To contribute scientific information useful for management decisions, we sought to compare fish habitat use of oyster aquaculture and eelgrass, as well as the edges between these 2 habitats, in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA. Furthermore, given a recent shift towards off-bottom culture methods, in part to protect seagrasses, long-line and on-bottom oyster aquaculture habitats were compared. A combination of direct (underwater video, minnow traps) and indirect (predation tethering units, eelgrass surveys) methods were employed to characterize differences in fish habitat use. Eelgrass density declined within both aquaculture habitats but less so within long-line aquaculture. Most fish species in our study used long-line oyster aquaculture and eelgrass habitats similarly with minimal edge effects, and on-bottom aquaculture was used less than either of the other 2 habitat types. These results are consistent with previously observed positive relationships between fish abundance and vertical habitat structure, but also reveal species-specific behavior; larger mesopredators like Pacific staghorn sculpins were sighted more often in aquaculture than in interior eelgrass habitats.This work was funded in part by2 NOAA NMFS Saltonstall-Kennedy grants (2014/2015NOAA-NMFS-FHQ-2015-2004246 and 2016/2017 NA16NMF4270254), a 2016−2018 Oregon State University Agricultural Research Foundation grant to F.T., and projectfunds of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (CRIS Pro-ject 2072-63000-004-00D)