- Samantha B. Alexander ORCID:orcid.org/0000-0003-0411-10931,
- CJ Carroll Schlick ORCID:orcid.org/0000-0001-8219-09921,2 &
- Kim de Mutsert ORCID:orcid.org/0000-0002-7902-37871
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Abstract
Geography and nursery-specific dynamics guide environmental drivers of growth for young-of-year (YOY; larval and juvenile) Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis), two species collectively termed river herring; of these factors, temperature is considered one of the most influential. To better understand future YOY growth relative to climate change, this study was designed to determine the site-specific growth rates of YOY river herring in Potomac River tributaries, and determine if temperature was a driving factor of growth. Daily ages were ascertained from YOY otoliths and used to calculate growth rates using nine growth models. Weighted Akaike information criterion (AICw) determined the best-fit model for both species was the von Bertalanffy growth model. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters differed between species (p < 0.0001), between years for both species (p < 0.0001), and between locations for Blueback Herring (p = 0.0002), emphasizing the need for species-specific assessments. Standard length and cumulative growing degree-days were highly correlated within each year for both species, but significantly different between species and years for each species (Pearson’sr = 0.740–0.913,p < 0.0001). Estimating site-specific growth rates and drivers of growth can help managers determine the potential of Potomac River tributaries as viable nurseries in future climates.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank R. C. Jones and D. Kelso who originated the monitoring program. We would also like to acknowledge M.B. Ogburn, C. Ahn, and K. Lewis for their expertise in this project. A special thanks goes to T. Tuckey for the use of known-aged juvenile scales to validate our aging techniques. We are grateful for the contributions by J. van der Ham, B. Bachman, A. Sills, C. Perhson, G. Marafino, O. Cosby, and J. Clark in specimen and data collection. Funding for this project was provided by Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, Alexandria Renew Enterprises, and the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research, Undergraduate Research Scholars Program at George Mason University.
Funding
This study was funded by (1) Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, (2) Alexandria Renew Enterprises, and (3) the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research, Undergraduate Research Scholars Program at George Mason University.
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Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA
Samantha B. Alexander, CJ Carroll Schlick & Kim de Mutsert
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, Morehead City, 28557, NC, USA
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Alexander, S., Schlick, C.C. & de Mutsert, K. Growth models and growing degree-days: assessment of young-of-year Alewife and Blueback Herring in Potomac River tributaries.Environ Biol Fish103, 1179–1195 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-01012-4
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