Hi all! Welcome to my senior capstone webpage! My name is Victoria Scott and I'm a senior at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, and this year I decided to do a senior project. Growing up on an island has inspired me to explore the fields of marine biology and fishery sustainability, so for my project I have begun a study on the effects of tagging channeled whelk (Busycotypus canaliculatus) in our local waters with the help of my mentor, Shelley Edmundson, from the Martha's Vineyard Fishermen's Preservation Trust.
Channeled whelk are relatives of conch that are native to New England waters, and many Vineyard fishermen rely on the whelk fishery to make their living. The pay for each catch is based on weight, motivating the fishermen to catch and keep as many of the biggest whelks they can get. However, the populations of channeled whelk around the Vineyard and throughout Massachusetts waters have experienced a noticeable decline in recent years, causing concern for those who are involved in the fishery and for biologists who want to maintain biodiversity. In addition, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has recently proposed a new regulation which would increase the minimum gauge size (minimum legal size) of commercially caught whelk by 1/8 of an inch every year for the next ten years. If this were to be passed, even more pressure would be put on the larger individuals in the populations, and it would make it increasingly difficult for fishermen to bring in substantial catches.
So, what's the big deal with catching only large whelk? Well, female and male whelk are not equal in size. The females, which are the main contributors to the population because of their capacity to carry eggs, are noticeably bigger than the males. So much bigger, in fact, that if the gauge size were to continue to increase the proportion of caught females to males would be quite high. Additionally, many experts agree that the female whelks that are especially large are often the oldest and the most likely to be sexually mature, and that larger female whelks have a greater capacity to carry eggs than smaller ones. This means that by pressuring fishermen to catch the biggest whelk they can find, they'd essentially be forced to harvest the individuals that are the greatest contributors to the population.
My mentor and I decided to start a project that we thought could feasibly be put into practice around the island - something that could help to sustain the populations of whelk in our waters while also helping to maintain the fishery.
We wanted to see if drilling small holes in the outer shells of large female whelks would affect their regular behavior and survival. If we could determine that female whelks could survive with these drilled holes, then we could potentially get local fishermen to volunteer to drill a few of their larger catches on their trips and release them. Then, hopefully with the help of the state, we could work towards passing a regulation which would legally protect any whelks with holes in their shells. Conserving just a few female whelks that would have otherwise been killed could add to the total fertility of the population, increase the amount of sexually mature and active individuals, and overall help to restore and sustain the species.
My project involves using the support and participation of the fishermen in order to protect the fishery itself. Shelley and I began our work in October, and we plan to continue our research in the spring. Check out my blog to see what we've accomplished so far, updates, and pictures of our progress!
Channeled whelk are relatives of conch that are native to New England waters, and many Vineyard fishermen rely on the whelk fishery to make their living. The pay for each catch is based on weight, motivating the fishermen to catch and keep as many of the biggest whelks they can get. However, the populations of channeled whelk around the Vineyard and throughout Massachusetts waters have experienced a noticeable decline in recent years, causing concern for those who are involved in the fishery and for biologists who want to maintain biodiversity. In addition, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has recently proposed a new regulation which would increase the minimum gauge size (minimum legal size) of commercially caught whelk by 1/8 of an inch every year for the next ten years. If this were to be passed, even more pressure would be put on the larger individuals in the populations, and it would make it increasingly difficult for fishermen to bring in substantial catches.
So, what's the big deal with catching only large whelk? Well, female and male whelk are not equal in size. The females, which are the main contributors to the population because of their capacity to carry eggs, are noticeably bigger than the males. So much bigger, in fact, that if the gauge size were to continue to increase the proportion of caught females to males would be quite high. Additionally, many experts agree that the female whelks that are especially large are often the oldest and the most likely to be sexually mature, and that larger female whelks have a greater capacity to carry eggs than smaller ones. This means that by pressuring fishermen to catch the biggest whelk they can find, they'd essentially be forced to harvest the individuals that are the greatest contributors to the population.
My mentor and I decided to start a project that we thought could feasibly be put into practice around the island - something that could help to sustain the populations of whelk in our waters while also helping to maintain the fishery.
We wanted to see if drilling small holes in the outer shells of large female whelks would affect their regular behavior and survival. If we could determine that female whelks could survive with these drilled holes, then we could potentially get local fishermen to volunteer to drill a few of their larger catches on their trips and release them. Then, hopefully with the help of the state, we could work towards passing a regulation which would legally protect any whelks with holes in their shells. Conserving just a few female whelks that would have otherwise been killed could add to the total fertility of the population, increase the amount of sexually mature and active individuals, and overall help to restore and sustain the species.
My project involves using the support and participation of the fishermen in order to protect the fishery itself. Shelley and I began our work in October, and we plan to continue our research in the spring. Check out my blog to see what we've accomplished so far, updates, and pictures of our progress!