BIOTIC, ABIOTIC AND ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON AQUATIC LIVING RESOURCES

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1007944
• Project Start Date: Oct 30, 2015
• Project End Date: Jan 28, 2019
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV
(N/A)
RALEIGH,NC 27695

Performing Department
Applied Ecology

Non Technical Summary
Anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems have major effects on our aquatic resources, from the quality and quantity of water available for human use (e.g., drinking water, agriculture), to the sustainability of fisheries and other ecosystem services provided by these ecosystems. These anthropogenic impacts (e.g., nutrient loading, endocrine-disrupting compounds, habitat modification, invasive species introductions, climate change) interact with physical and biological processes in complex ways. In this project we seek to enhance our understanding of these impacts and interactions, how they affect the distribution, growth, survival and population dynamics of fishes, and what their implications are for aquatic ecosystem function, sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. Plant and animal production practices are a source of some of these impacts, and are affected, both directly and indirectly, by others. Maintaining agricultural productivity, profitability and sustainability requires that we understand and reduce both the negative effects on agriculture and the negative effects of agriculture on natural resources or other issues of concern to society. Our ability to respond to each of these issues requires that we consider their impacts at multiple levels from the individual to populations and communities, in the context of their direct and indirect interactions with biotic and abiotic factors, in order to understand their consequences for fish, aquatic ecosystems, agriculture and people. To address these issues we use a combination of field sampling, laboratory experiments and simulation modeling. We seek to understand how these processes and interactions work so that we can identify ways that their negative impacts can be prevented or minimized. Our ultimate goal is to convey that understanding to the individuals and agencies responsible for managing our fisheries and aquatic resources, to Cooperative Extension Service agents who work with agricultural producers, and with producers themselves, so they can optimize their management strategies to sustain benefits to society from both agriculture and our aquatic resources.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
135	0810	1060	20%
135	0810	1070	30%
135	0810	1150	10%
135	0812	1070	20%
136	0810	1070	10%
306	0810	1070	10%

Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife; 136 - Conservation of Biological Diversity; 306 - Environmental Stress in Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
0810 - Finfish; 0812 - Fish habitats;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems); 1070 - Ecology; 1150 - Toxicology;

Keywords

fisheries management

population dynamics

mortality rates

invasive species

endocrine disruptors

intersex fish

food webs

tilapia

striped bass

southern flounder

environmental sex determination

anthropogenic impacts

climate change

fish habitat

Goals / Objectives
Agriculture (including aquaculture) depends directly on availability of sufficient quantity and quality of water, as well as other services provided by aquatic ecosystems. Agriculture can also have impacts (e.g., nutrient loading, endocrine-disrupting compounds, habitat modification, invasive species introductions) on aquatic systems that can negatively affect other services important to society (e.g., safe drinking water, fish production). Unless adequately addressed, these negative effects can result in limitations on agricultural productivity, profitability and sustainability. The overall goal of this project is to elucidate how agricultural and other anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems interact with physical and biological processes to affect the distribution, growth, survival and population dynamics of fishes and the associated consequences for aquatic ecosystems, people, agriculture and management. Specific objectives are as follows:1. Determine the relationship between frequency of intersex in fishes and the types and concentrations of endocrine-disrupting compounds in waters across North Carolina, and the extent to which those compounds and their effects are associated with the presence of confined animal feedlots and other plant and animal production enterprises in affected watersheds.2. Evaluate the potential impacts of invasive tilapia species on native aquatic communities and quantify their cold tolerance to determine if winter temperatures are sufficiently cold to limit their establishment and spread in NC while allowing their use for specific agricultural purposes (e.g., algal control in irrigation and aquaculture ponds, pond food fish production).3. Quantify the effects of environmental stressors on the sex ratio of Southern Flounder and the associated implications for fisheries management and aquaculture of this species, in which females grow faster and reach much larger sizes than males (in Southern Flounder, XY individuals all become phenotypic males, but XX individuals can also become phenotypic males if temperatures are not ideal or other stressors occur during the juvenile sex-determination period; maximizing the production of phenotypic females requires optimal conditions).4. Quantify mortality rates, dispersal and habitat use of fishes stocked for fisheries and population enhancement.5. Provide up-to-date information to farm owners and NC Cooperative Extension Service agents regarding managing farm ponds for fish production and recreational fishing, to provide an additional source of healthy fish protein and opportunities to diversify farm income.

Project Methods
1. We will identify likely point sources of EDCs in the Pee Dee river and other NC waterbodies, use passive sampling devices to measure EDC concentrations, collect fish from multiple trophic levels at impacted and unimpacted sites and perform histological analysis of their gonads to determine the baseline occurrence of intersex at uncontaminated sites and the occurrence and extent of intersex at contaminated sites. We will examine these data for patterns associated with the presence of concentrated animal feedlot operations and other types of point or nonpoint sources in the watershed. Subsequent studies will be designed to evaluate actual effects on the fish, such has changes in reproductive behavior or success.2. We will use field sampling, diet analyses and stable isotope analyses to determine the degree of spatial overlap between blue tilapia and red tilapia with multiple sportfish species in an North Carolina Reservoir, as well as the extent of their overlap in diet composition and trophic position. Lab experiments will evaluate the reliability of winter temperatures to prevent the establishment of reproducing tilapia populations in NC waterbodies that do not receive heated effluent, and determine the effective growing season for using these fish as biological controls for nuisance algae in NC irrigation and fish production ponds, and for aquaculture purposes.3. We will use field sampling and lab analyses of gene expression to determine the effects of temperature and other environmental stressors on the sex ratio of juvenile Southern Flounder in nursery areas in NC estuaries. Controlled lab experiments will evaluate the extent to which differences in the pattern of spring warming account for the occurrence of normal (1:1) vs. male-biased sex ratios in various nursery areas. This information will be used to further optimize rearing conditions to maximize production of phenotypic females for aquaculture growout.4. We will use passive and active acoustic telemetry to track the locations of juvenile striped bass stocked in the Neuse River, as well as adult striped bass collected from the river and tracked in the field. Detection data will be analyzed using a combination of multi-state and Cormack-Jolly-Seber models to determine monthly and annual natural mortality of juveniles and adults, as well as harvest and catch-and-release mortality of adults. Seasonal distribution patterns will be examined in relation to data collected on temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration. Logistic and linear regression will be used to evaluate the effect of fish size on probability of upriver migration in the spring, and on distance migrated.5. We will collaborate with biologists from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to revise and update the NC Pond Management Guide, distribute the guide to pond owners and extension agents via print and online versions, and conduct workshops to provide updated pond fisheries management training pond owners, aquaculture producers and NC Cooperative Extension Service agents.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:NC Wildlife Resources Commission biologists; Biologists and Staff Scientists in the NC Divisions of Water Resources and Marine Fisheries; NC sportfishing groups; NC Marine Fisheries Commission Northern Regional Advisory Committee; NC Cooperative Extension agents; graduate and undergraduate students; K-12 students; general public. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided numerous professional development opportunities for the PI through conferences and workshops, for the graduate student involved in the project through mentoring by the PI, and training opportunities for undergraduate student employees and volunteers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through publications in the scientific literature, presentations at scientific conferences, discussions with state agency personnel and advisory committees, and presentations to anglers and the public. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I will continue analysis and writing to address project goals.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. Male fish are susceptible to developing intersex, a condition characterized by the presence of testicular oocytes. The relationship between intersex and exposure to estrogenic endocrine active contaminants (EACs) was assessed for two genera of sport fish, Micropterus and Lepomis, at 20 riverine sites. Intersex was identified in both genera, which was documented for the first time in wild-caught Lepomis. Intersex was more prevalent (59.8%) and more severe (1.6 mean rank) in Micropterus, which was highly correlated to EACs in sediment. In contrast, intersex was less common (9.9%) and less severe (0.2 mean rank) in Lepomis and was highly correlated to EACs in the water column. No source type variation was identified in the prevalence or severity of intersex, nor were there seasonal trends in intersex or EAC concentrations. We assessed reproductive capacity in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) after exposure to two concentrations of 17β−estradiol (E2β; 2 ng/L and 50 ng/L) during four distinct stages of development: gonad development, gonad differentiation, development of secondary sex characteristics (SSC) and gametogenesis. Exposure to E2β did not adversely impact survival, hatch success, growth, or genotypic ratios. In contrast, exposure to 50 ng/L E2β during SSC development altered phenotypic ratios and SSC. Exposure to both E2β treatments reduced reproductive capacity (fertility, fecundity) by 7.3−57.4% in adult medaka breeding pairs, with hindrance of SSC development resulting in the largest disruption in breeding capacity (51.6−57.4% decrease) in the high concentration. 2. Redbelly Tilapia Tilapia zilli and Blue Tilapia Oreochromus aureus are indigenous to Africa and the Middle East, but now occur throughout the southeastern United States. Conflicting empirical information about the influence of tilapia on native sport fish species leaves natural resource managers unable to anticipate and prevent further introductions and potential associated risks to native sport fishes. We assessed relative abundances of the tilapias and native sport species (Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, black basses Micropterus spp., and Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus) in two lakes receiving heated effluent and examined their trophic interactions via diet and stable isotope analyses. These analyses indicated little evidence of tilapias influencing the relative abundances of the sport species and suggest that tilapia are exploiting trophic niches that are not used by the sport fishes of interest in these two very different reservoir systems and that their direct impact on sport species is not substantial. The invasive nature of these species at a global scale and the lack of recent and applicably tested thermal tolerance methodology require research to assess the current potential for invasion risk in North Carolina and elsewhere. In this thermal tolerance experiment we focused on a moderate declination rate (1°C per 3 d) and a slow declination rate (1°C per week) in water temperature to assess the thermal minima of Blue Tilapia, common Nile Tilapia, and a "white" strain of Nile Tilapia. The moderate rate was used to compare results to previous literature, and the slow rate was used to mimic natural seasonal water temperature decline in North Carolina. As lineage and breeding history may vary by supplier, fish from multiple suppliers within each species group were tested. Our results indicate that in general, these tilapias cannot survive below 8°C. 3. We continued laboratory experiments and field sampling to document the effects of environmental temperatures during juvenile development on sex determination in Southern Flounder Paralychthys lethostigma. Field results confirmed earlier findings showing wide variability in sex ratio (50-90%) of juvenile flounders in various nursery areas along the NC coast, with a higher percentage of male fish at sites that were warmer than average. Laboratory results support the hypothesis that these male-biased sex ratios are in fact caused by exposure to higher temperatures during juvenile development. 4.Striped Bass Morone saxatilis fisheries have been important in the eastern United States since the 1700s, but many populations have declined from historic levels. Recovery efforts have not been successful for the Striped Bass population in the Neuse River of North Carolina. To gain insight regarding why, we estimated mortality and distribution of the population. Specifically, we tagged 100 hatchery-reared juveniles (202-227 mm TL) and 111 resident adults (349-923 mm TL) with acoustic transmitters (a subset of 50 adults was also tagged with external high-reward tags). We used telemetry to monitor movement and seasonal distribution from December 2013 until September 2015. Telemetry and tag reporting data informed mortality models, and we estimated that annual discrete total mortality of phase II stocked juveniles was 66.3% (95% credible interval [CI] = 47.4-82.4%). Annual discrete total mortality of adults was 54.0% (95% CI = 41.5-65.4%). Adult discrete natural mortality was 20.1% (95% CI = 8.7-39.1%), and neither juvenile nor adult natural mortality was correlated with seasonal variation in dissolved oxygen, temperature, or salinity. These results show that poststocking mortality is significant and that juvenile mortality should be considered when establishing stocking goals. Additionally, adult natural mortality is within the range predicted by maximum age and by previous studies; however, adult total mortality is higher than targeted rates. To gain insight into the effectiveness of potential restoration programs and identify effective management strategies, we used these estimated mortality rates to build an age-structured population model. We estimated that if vital rates remained constant the Neuse River adult Striped Bass population would be 18,457 (95% CI = 8,176-34,314) individuals. We further estimated that eliminating all fishing mortality would have the greatest impact on the population and would result in a 26-fold increase in abundance of adults ≥ age 6. Our results suggest that high mortality rates are preventing the development of a sufficient abundance of adult spawning stock. We recommend managers use this model to identify the most effective management scenario, given specific goals and constraints, to help increase Striped Bass abundance in the Neuse River. 5. Primary extension fisheries accomplishments were as follows: I extended results from my research to the NC Marine Fisheries Commission and the NC Division of Marine Fisheries staff through direct contacts and by serving as a scientific advisor on their Northern Regional Advisory Committee. In collaboration with Michael Fisk, a Research coordinator in the NC Wildlife Resources Commission Division of Inland Fisheries, I completed an extensive revision, update and expansion of the Pond Management Guide; this draft of the revised Guide is now in peer review. Other Accomplishments - Provided technical assistance via phone, email and/or site-visits for 165 inquiries from county agents, other agencies, nonprofit organizations and the public regarding pond management, fisheries management, aquatic resources and related topics. - Served on the Fisheries Management Advisory Committees for Lake Ellis Simon and First Fruits Farm. - Coordinated volunteers from the Student Fisheries Society to address various K-12 classes on aquatic biology, invasive species, water quality and careers in fisheries. - Oversaw the 4-H Fisheries & Aquatic Resources program and its State Presentations competition. - Assisted with a Fishing Derby for 75 youth and parents. - Continued an applied research project on control of Lyngbya, an invasive freshwater cyanobacteria. - Analyzed fishing derby catch data to help guide management of a community lake.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lee Pow, C., M. Law, T. Kwak, W.G. Cope, J.A. Rice, S. Kullman, and D.D. Aday. 2017. Endocrine Active Contaminants in Aquatic Systems and Intersex in Common Sport Fishes. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36(4):959968. DOI: 10.1002/etc.3607.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Owensby, D.P., J.A. Rice, and D.D. Aday. 2017. Mortality, Dispersal, and Habitat Use of Stocked Juvenile Muskellunge Esox masquinongy in Two Western North Carolina Rivers. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 37(1):108-121. DOI: 10.1080/02755947.2016.1245222.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lee Pow, C.S.D., K. Tilahun, K. Creech, J.M. Law, W.G. Cope, T.J. Kwak, J.A. Rice, D.D. Aday, and S. Kullman. 2017. Windows of Susceptibility and Consequences of Early Life Exposures to 17?estradiol on medaka (Oryzias latipes) Reproductive Success. Environmental Science & Technology. 51:5296-5305. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b01568.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Deslauriers, D., S.R. Chipps, J.E. Breck, J.A. Rice, and C.P. Madenjian. 2017. Fish Bioenergetics 4.0: An R-based modeling application. Fisheries 42:11, 586-596. DOI: 10.1080/03632415.2017.1377558.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Campbell, L.A. and J.A. Rice. 2017. Development and field application of a model predicting effects of episodic hypoxia on short-term growth of Spot Leiostomus xanthurus. Marine and Coastal Fisheries Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 9:504520. DOI: 10.1080/19425120.2017.1362492.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bradley, C.E., J.A. Rice, D.D. Aday, J.E. Hightower, J. Rock, and K.J. Lincoln. 2018. Juvenile and adult Striped Bass mortality and distribution in an unrecovered coastal population. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. In Press.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Henson, M.N., J.A. Rice, and D.D. Aday. 2018. Thermal tolerance and survival of Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and Blue Tilapia Oreochromis aureus under rapid and natural temperature declination rates. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Henson, M.N., D.D. Aday, J.A. Rice, and C.A. Layman. 2018. Assessing the influence of Tilapia on sport species in North Carolina reservoirs. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bradley, C.E. J.A. Rice, and D.D. Aday. 2018. Modeling the Effects of Vital Rate Manipulation and Management Scenarios to Predict Population Impact of Restoration Programs on an Unrecovered Coastal Population of Striped Bass. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

Progress 10/30/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:NC Wildlife Resources Commission biologists; Biologists and Staff Scientists in the NC Divisions of Water Resources Health, and Marine Fisheries; NC sportfishing groups; NC Marine Fisheries Commission Northern Regional Advisory Committee; NC Cooperative Extension agents; graduate and undergraduate students; K-12 students; general public. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided numerous professional development opportunities for the PI through conferences and workshops, for graduate students involved in the project through conferences and mentoring by the PI, and training opportunities for undergraduate student employees and volunteers, and non-student employees and volunteers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through publications in the scientific literature, presentations at scientific conferences, discussions with state agency personnel and advisory committees, and presentations to anglers and the public. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue field and lab data collection and analysis to address project goals.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. The prevalence of intersex and relationships to specific EACs were analyzed. Estrogenic EACs are ubiquitous in surface waters, yet little information links intersex to specific estrogen contaminants in wild fishes. To investigate this relationship we sampled 20 putative point source, nonpoint source, and reference sites for the prevalence of estrogenic EACs and intersex in two very common genera of sport fish, Micropterus and Lepomis. Through the survey, intersex was identified in both genera, with a higher prevalence in Micropterus, for which we found links to hydrophobic EACs. In contrast, intersex in Lepomis was highly correlated to EACs abundant in the water column. In this chapter, we identify specific classes of EACs contributing to the intersex condition in male fish and provide a framework for better understanding and managing factors contributing to intersex in wild sport fishes. We examined the occurrence and severity of the intersex condition in wild, adult black bass (Micropterus), sunfish (Lepomis), and catfish (Ictaluridae) species at 11 sites located on the Yadkin-Pee Dee River, North Carolina and South Carolina. Relationships among health parameters, intersex condition, and measured contaminants were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) and all subsets regression modeling. Fish intersex condition was most frequently observed in black basses (mean 40%, range 7-100%) and was less frequently detected in sunfishes (mean 7%, range 0-20%) and catfishes (mean 1%, range 0-7%). Among intersex fish, the among-site mean severity index was 2.7 for black bass, 1.8 for sunfish, and 1.0 for catfish, with the detected range spanning the entire index range of 1-4. The occurrence of the intersex condition in fish did not show any longitudinal trend in the river. PCA identified waterborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as the most correlated environmental variable for intersex occurrence and severity in black bass and sunfish. All subsets regression modeling and model selection procedures revealed that black bass intersex was associated with waterborne organochlorine pesticides and sediment-associated mercury. Sunfish intersex was related to waterborne PAHs in regression models. 2. Redbelly Tilapia Tilapia zilli, Blue Tilapia Oreochromus aureausand Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niltoicus are indigenous to Africaand the Middle East, but now are globally popular in aquaculture and for private and public stocking as a forage fish for sport species and as a biological control for nuisance vegetation. The invasive nature of these species at a global scale and the lack of recent and applicably tested thermal tolerance methodology requires research to assess the current potential for invasion risk in North Carolina and elsewhere. In addition, conflicting empirical information about the influence of tilapia on native sport species leaves natural resource managers unable to anticipate potential risks to native sport species associated with possible additional introductions. We investigated the thermal cold tolerance of popular tilapia species, and effects of tilapia on sport species in two NC reservoirs with extant tilapia populations. Our field analyses indicated little evidence of tilapia influencing the abundances of the sport species in Hyco Lake. In both lakes, however, we did find substantial diet overlap between the tilapia and Bluegill along with isotopic niche overlap between Blue Tilapia and Bluegill in Lake Julian and Redbelly Tilapia and Bluegill in Hyco Lake. Overall, our results suggest that tilapia are exploiting relatively open niches in these two very different reservoir systems and that their direct impact on sport species as competitors or prey is not substantial. In the thermal tolerance assessment we focused on a moderate declination rate (1°C/3d) and a slow declination rate (1°C/week) in water temperature to assess the thermal minima of Blue Tilapia and Nile Tilapia, and a 'White' strain of Nile Tilapia. This study determined that in general, tilapia cannot survive below 8°C. While there was some variation of temperature at death by supplier (0.0-0.6°C) within a species, all fish perished ≥ 8°C. Average temperature at death ranged from 0.5-1.6°C above the final lethal temperature of any species group. The minimum lethal temperature of 8°C may explain why these tilapia species have been restricted to these heated effluent reservoirs. 3. In 2016 we initiated a study funded by NC Sea Grant to evaluate the potential implications of environmental sex determination in southern flounder for management of this important commercial and recreational species. Preliminary results show wide variability in sex ratio (50-90%) of juvenile flounders in various nursery areas along the NC coast, and suggest that warmer conditions result in a higher percentage of male fish. Lab experiments are planned for 2017 to test this hypothesis. 4. Despite two decades of stocking, efforts to rebuild the Neuse River Striped Bass population have not been successful. We explored potential reasons for this failure by using acoustic telemetry to determine spatial distribution and natural mortality of juvenile Striped Bass over the first year of life as well as movement and fishing, catch-and-release and natural mortality of adult striped bass. Our results showed high mortality of juvenile Striped Bass (66%) over the first year after stocking, and 54% annual mortality of adults. Together these may limit spawner abundance enough to account for the lack of population recovery. Based in part on our finding the NCWRC is increasing the minimum length limit on striped bass in the Neuse River to 26 inches. 5. Primary extension fisheries accomplishments were as follows: - Conducted two pond management workshops for 31 participants including extension agents, NCWRC biologists, NCDOT personnel, commercial pond managers and pond owners). - Instructor for a full-day workshop on fish bioenergetics modeling for fisheries professionals and graduate students at the 2016 American Fisheries Society conference. - Conducted an electrofishing and pond fisheries assessment workshop for students in the Brunswick High School aquaculture program. - Provided technical assistance via phone, email and/or site-visits for 180 inquiries from county agents, other agencies, nonprofit organizations and the public regarding pond management, fisheries management, aquatic resources and related topics. - Advised the NC Marine Fisheries Commission on Management Plans and other fisheries issues as a member of their North Regional Advisory Committee. - Served on the Fisheries Management Advisory Committee for Lake Ellis Simon. - Coordinated volunteers from the Student Fisheries Society to address various K-12 classes on aquatic biology, invasive species, water quality and careers in fisheries, conduct youth fishing outreach activities, judge 4-H Presentations and assist with a pond fisheries assessment. - Oversaw the 4-H Fisheries & Aquatic Resources program and its State Presentations competition, and secured sponsorship funding for the program awards. - Assisted with a Fishing Derby for 65 youth and parents. - Initiated an applied research project on control of Lyngbya, an invasive freshwater cyanobacteria. - Through my applied research on reservoir and coastal river fisheries I provide the NCWRC Division of Inland Fisheries with science-based information that they use to modify their sportfish management. I extend results from my research to the NC Marine Fisheries Commission and the NC Division of Marine Fisheries staff through direct contacts and by serving as a scientific advisor on their Northern Regional Advisory Committee.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lee Pow, C., M. Law, T. Kwak, W.G. Cope, J.A. Rice, S. Kullman and D.D. Aday. 2016. Endocrine Active Contaminants in Aquatic Systems and Intersex in Common Sport Fishes. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Published online 1 September 2016, DOI: 10.1002/etc.3607.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lincoln, K.J., D.D. Aday and J.A. Rice. 2016. Potential Mechanisms Underlying a Perceived White Bass Morone chrysops Decline in a Southeastern Reservoir. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145:1035-1046. DOI: 10.1080/00028487.2016.1195444.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Owensby, D.P, J.A. Rice and D.D. Aday. 2017. Mortality, Dispersal, and Habitat Use of Stocked Juvenile Muskellunge Esox masquinongy in Two Western North Carolina Rivers. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 37(1):108-121, DOI: 10.1080/02755947.2016.1245222.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2017 Citation: Campbell, L.A. and J.A. Rice. 2016. Development and field application of a model predicting effects of episodic hypoxia on short-term growth of Spot Leiostomus xanthurus. Marine and Coastal Fisheries.