Biological surveys of five southern artificial reefs: Oceanside #1, Oceanside #2, Carlsbad, Pacific Beach, and Mission Bay

(Document pdf contains 19 pages)

A report of biological observations at Oceanside #1 and #2 artificial reefs, Carlsbad artificial reef, Pacific Beach artificial reef, and Mission Bay Park artificial reef

(Document pdf contains 22 pages)

Ecosystem science capabilities required to support NOAA’s mission in the year 2020

The mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation’s economic, social and environmental needs (NOAA, 2004). In meeting its marine stewardship responsibilities, NOAA seeks to ensure the sustainable use of resources and balance competing uses of coastal and marine ecosystems, recognizing both their human and natural components (NOAA, 2004). Authorities for executing these responsibilities come from over 90 separate pieces of Federal legislation, each with unique requirements and responsibilities. Few of these laws explicitly mandate an ecosystem approach to management (EAM) or supporting science. However, resource managers, the science community, and increasingly, the public, are recognizing that significantly greater connectedness among the scientific disciplines is needed to support management and stewardship responsibilities (Browman and Stergiou, 2004; 2005). Neither NOAA nor any other science agency can meet the increasing demand for ecosystem science products addressing each of its mandates individually. Even if it was possible, doing so would not provide the integration necessary to solve the increasingly complex array of management issues. This focus on the integration of science and management responsibilities into an ecosystem view is one of the centerpieces of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy’s report (USCOP, 2004), and the Administration’s response to that report in the U.S. Ocean Action Plan (CEQ, 2004). (PDF contains 100 pages)

Inland fisheries and aquaculture mission Myanmar

Results of an inland fisheries and aquaculture mission in Myanmar carried out by the Department of Fisheries of Myanmar together with STREAM and NACA to evaluate and plan in the field of inland fisheries from the point of view of livelihoods from freshwater fisheries and aquaculture. (Pdf contains 22 pages)

Uganda aquaculture value chains: strategic planning mission: summary report

This report presents the findings and recommendations of a strategic planning mission to reevaluate the feasibility of WorldFish implementing a fish value chain research program in Uganda under the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish (L&F). The over-arching goal of L&F is to increase productivity of small-scale livestock and fish systems so as to increase availability and affordability of meat, milk and fish for poor consumers and, in doing so, to reduce poverty through greater participation by the poor along animal source food value chains. This will be achieved by making a small number of carefully selected animal source food value chains function better, for example by identifying and addressing key constraints and opportunities (from production to consumption), improving institutional arrangements and capacities, and supporting the establishment of enabling pro-poor policy and institutional environments.

Uganda aquaculture value chains: strategic planning mission report

This report presents the findings and recommendations of a strategic planning mission to reevaluate the feasibility of WorldFish implementing a fish value chain research program in Uganda under the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish (L&F). The over-arching goal of L&F is to increase productivity of small-scale livestock and fish systems so as to increase availability and affordability of meat, milk and fish for poor consumers and, in doing so, to reduce poverty through greater participation by the poor along animal source food value chains. This will be achieved by making a small number of carefully selected animal source food value chains function better, for example by identifying and addressing key constraints and opportunities (from production to consumption), improving institutional arrangements and capacities, and supporting the establishment of enabling pro-poor policy and institutional environments.

St. John, USVI mission report: a strategy to inventory, characterize, and monitor the marine region within and around the National Park and Monument boundaries of St. John, USVI

The intent of this field mission was to continue ongoing efforts: (1) to spatially characterize and monitor the distribution, abundance and size of both reef fishes and conch within and around the waters of the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) and newly established Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICR), (2) to correlate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters, (3) to use this information to establish the knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions in a spatial setting and to establish the efficacy of those management decisions. This work is supported by the National Park Service and NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program’s Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Project.

St. John, USVI mission report, NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/CCMA/Biogeography Branch, July 6 - July 17, 2009

The intent of this field mission was to continue ongoing efforts: (1) to spatially characterize and monitor the distribution, abundance and size of reef fishes, and the abundance of macroinvertebrates (conch, Diatema, lobster) within and around the waters of the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) and newly established Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICR), (2) to correlate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters, (3) to use this information to establish the knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions in a spatial setting and (4) to establish the efficacy of those management decisions. An additional focus this year, was to evaluate a new habitat data collection method for RHA sites (MSR and some Coral Bay sites). There are concerns that the cylinder habitat data are not reflective of the fish transect habitat. To address this, we collected habitat data at 5x4 m increments along the transect in addition to data collected using the cylinder method. We are currently assessing the potential differences between these methods and preliminary results indicate that the average difference of coral cover estimates between the two methods was 4.1% (range 0-11%) based on 16 sample sites. In addition, Erinn Muller, a Nancy Foster Fellowship recipient, collaborated with the Biogeography Branch to examine the spatial distribution of coral diseases, to provide baseline information on disease prevalence over varying spatial scales and to establish spatial distributions of coral diseases around St. John.

Mission report: a strategy to inventory, characterize, and monitor the marine region within and around the National Park and Monument boundaries of St. John, USVI, July 21- July 31, 2008

The intent of this field mission was to continue ongoing efforts: (1) to spatially characterize and monitor the distribution, abundance and size of both reef fishes and conch within and around the waters of the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) and newly established Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICR), (2) to correlate this information to in-situ data collected on associated habitat parameters, (3) to use this information to establish the knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions in a spatial setting and to establish the efficacy of those management decisions. This work is supported by the National Park Service and NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program’s Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Project. The report highlights the successes of this mission.

Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the Vidyalankara University of Ceylon, Kelaniya. Pt. 1. Preliminary report: introduction and description of the stations

The Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission of 1970 investigated and made collections from 36 flowing water systems (brooks, torrents, rivers); of these, 34 water systems were in the mountains regions of south-west and south-east of Sri Lanka. In the crystalline mountain region, the water systems are extremely poor in electrolytes, very soft and slightly acid; these torrential streams have strong falls, high flow velocities and boulder bottoms. The water temperatures increase from the sources and brooks at 2,000 m altitude to the mouths from 15°C to 28°C. The density of animal population (macro and meso-fauna) increases from the river bank regions (and pools) towards the sections with strong current and reaches on the rocks in the cascades a density of 500 to appr. 750 individuals/1/16m².

Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the Vidyalankara University of Ceylon, Kelaniya. Pt. 2. Hydrochemical studies on mountain rivers in Ceylon

The morphology, climate, geology and geochemistry of Sri Lanka is briefly described. The separation into a wet zone (the south-west and greater part of the central highland) and a dry zone with two very dry parts in the south-east and in the north-west, is obvious and has great influence on the hydrochemistry of the island. Geology is very homogenous (Precambrian crystalline series) and some Jurassic and Miocene limestones (only in the north).

Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the Vidyalankara University of Ceylon, Kelaniya. Pt. 3. Uber einige wassermilben aus Ceylon (Hydrachnellae, Acari)

In the study are described five species of watermites, collected by the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 in torrents of the highlands of south-west Sri Lanka. The species are: Torrenticola (Monatractides) pusta Cook, 1967, T.(M.) Oxystoma hamata (Lundbald, 1941), T.(M.) ceylonensis nov. spec., Atractides schwoerbeli Lundbald, 1969 and Arrenurus (Micruracarus) madaraszi Daday, 1898.

Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the Vidyalankara University of Ceylon, Kelaniya. Pt. 4. List of reptilia and amphibia collected in the mountains of south-west Ceylon, with notes on finding localities

Sri Lanka is a comparatively small island (65.584 km²) within the equatorial belt of calms. There are only slight seasonal variations in temperature, air humidity and day length. A description is given of the amphibian and reptile material brought back from the Austrian Indo-Pacific expedition, 1970-71. Some notes on the habitat of the animals are included.

Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the Vidyalankara University of Ceylon, Kelaniya. Pt. 5. Decapoda Caridea

The first comprehensive study on the freshwater Caridea of Sri Lanka was by Arudpragrasm and Costa in 1961. Although it was the intention of these authors to continue this study no opportunity was available to them. The present faunal survey however has afforded the present writer to make a detailed study of the distribution of these shrimps especially in the mountain streams of the south-west of Sri Lanka. Two species and two sub-species of Caridina, one species of Atya and four species of Macrobrachium were collected by the hydrobiological mission from the hill streams of Sri Lanka.

Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the Vidyalankara University of Ceylon, Kelaniya. Pt. 6. A new Drepanosticta from Ceylon (Order: Odonata; insecta)

The author describe a new species of Drepanosticta from Sri Lanka. This new species is named in honour of the collector, Professor Dr. F. Starmühlner.