The large gastropod queen conch, Strombus gigas, is a valuable food source throughout the Caribbean and the Florida region. The markets for S. gigas are adult meat for chowders and fritters, and shells for decoration. Excessive over-fishing of S. gigas has led to its listing on Appendix II of CITES and mandated a statewide fishing moratorium in the Florida waters. To help preserve the species, biologists are successfully culturing queen conch from egg stage to market. However, the cycle is not closed. Egg masses are collected from reproductively active adult populations in the field. This means that the aquaculturist is heavily reliant upon spawning aggregations for continued culturing success of this threatened species.

In response to the need for specimens for aquaculture, we began a captive breeding program for Strombus species in June 2000 at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft. Pierce, Florida. A breeding arena was built in a large round tank (4.5 m dia x 0.9 m height). The tank was divided into 4 equivalent sections (4.1m^2) and filled with water to 0.42 m above the substrate. This recirculating tank system is equipped with an undergravel filter system, comprised of coarse Bahamian aragonite sand (1-3 mm) at a depth of 10 cm. The tank was located in a greenhouse structure, allowing for natural photoperiod during our experiment. The mean water temperature was 27°C and salinity 34 ppt.

There are seven species of Strombus in the Caribbean and Florida region. We chose 3 non-restricted species (Strombus costatus, milk conch; Strombus raninus, hawkwing; and Strombus alatus; Florida fighting conch) as well as S. gigas to begin our breeding program. These smaller, less threatened Strombus may also prove to be a premium food item and a successful aquarium animal. A total of 24 adult conch were collected: five S. costatus (3 female, 2 male), seven S. raninus (5 females, 2 males), eight S. alatus (4 females, 4 males), and four S. gigas (1 female, 3 males) from the Florida Keys and placed into their respective quadrants on June 16 and July 16 (for S. gigas).

The number of copulating pairs and spawning females were noted on a daily basis for the first 49 days (7 weeks). Collected egg masses were measured for size, number of eggs, and egg capsule and strand diameter. In 36 weeks we collected 401 egg masses. S. raninus began breeding on day 2 and continued to breed persistently through early November. S. raninus laid 336 egg masses. We also had success with S. alatus, 44 egg masses; S. costatus laid a total of 19 egg masses, and we were able to get S. gigas to lay two egg masses in mid-February. The viability of the eggs was confirmed as we successfully hatched several egg masses from all four species and raised them through juvenile stage. Based on breeding success of these species we hope to establish the commercial ability of a captive breeding program, and establish alternative aquarium and juvenile queen conch market.

I conducted a land-based theodolite study from June 27 through August 20,2001, to examine the response of dolphins to vessel traffic in Core Creek, NC. Groups of animals were displaced from the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) when transiting boats passed through the study site. Dolphins changed direction least when multiple boat activities occurred while animals reoriented most when no boats were present. Differences in the directness of groups' travel path were seen among various categories of vessel traffic. Pairs of mothers and calves were closely associated when vessels were present; pairs were farther apart when no boats were in the study site, although this difference was not significant.

I also conducted a social science survey to examine dolphin-watch activities, consumer education, and customer satisfaction on these vessels. I compared customer satisfaction between three boats with varying customer interaction and levels of interactions. Forty-five percent of customers on the operation with highest educational content were satisfied with their trip. Most patrons on the other boats wished to see other activities incorporated into their experiences. Therefore, my study suggests that dolphin-watch patrons to the Beaufort/Morehead City, NC, area value educational content.

From these two studies, I developed policy recommendations to reduce impact of vessel traffic on bottlenose dolphins in Core Creek and to enhance the dolphin-watch .industry in the area. My suggestions include: 1.) Establishment of a regional ecotour operators' association, 2.) Development of a dolphin-watch certification program, 3.) Promotion of land-based operations, and 4.) Integration of naturalists and researchers into daily operations of dolphin-watches.

Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a valuable commercial and recreational fishery on the Gulf of Mexico continental shelf. In recent years red snapper stocks have drastically declined presumably due to a combination of directed overfishing on adults and high mortality of juveniles taken as bycatch in the shrimp trawl fishery. The presence of large-scale hypoxia (1520,000 km2) on the Louisiana shelf that results from nutrient inputs from the Mississippi River system may modify vital rates (growth and mortality) of red snapper via direct effects of low dissolved oxygen or indirect effects mediated by shifts in spatial distribution. This study addresses the hypothesis that hypoxia modifies the distribution of red snapper and their association with shrimpers on the Louisiana continental shelf. Depending on the direction (inshore vs. offshore) and magnitude of shifts in spatial distribution, overlap between snapper and shrimpers and thus, the potential for bycatch interactions, may increase, decrease, or remain the same.

The primary objectives of this study were to examine: (1) annual variation in the spatial distribution of shrimping effort on the Louisiana shelf during the period of most severe hypoxia (July), (2) the spatial distribution of red snapper during the same time period, and (3) annual variation in overlap of shrimping effort and red snapper. I used spatial and statistical ArcViewlInfo Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and analysis techniques to address the above three objectives. The first dataset that I used for these objectives comes from longterm SEAMAP (Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program) groundfish surveys in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Secondly, I used spatial distribution of shrimping effort on a monthly time scale throughout the Gulf to address objective (1) and (3).

Shrimping effort on the Louisiana shelf shifted offshore during periods of extensive hypoxia, and this shift offshore was greater for the western than eastern Louisiana shelf. Red snapper were distributed primarily offshore during periods of extensive hypoxia and appeared more abundant on the western than eastern Louisiana shelf. The greatest overlap of shrimping effort and juvenile red snapper occurred primarily on the western Louisiana shelf between depths of 15-25 fathoms. I interpret these results in terms of their utility to fishery managers formulating fishery management plans (FMPs) for the Gulf of Mexico red snapper and shrimp fisheries.