Survey of shark fisheries and preparation of a National Plan of Action (NPOA) for conservation and management of shark resources in Bangladesh

The report presents; terms of reference; work progress; surveys of shark fishers and traders; shark biodiversity survey; and a National Plan of Action (NPOA) for conservation and management of shark resources in Bangladesh.

Report of the survey of shark fisheries for conservation and management of shark resources, Sri Lanka

A shark survey was conducted between October, 2012 and December, 2013 in order to strengthen the existing data collection and research thus improving conservation and management of sharks in Sri Lanka.

Final report of the targeted research on Indian mackerel and sharks and national plan of action for conservation and management of shark resources, Thailand

Research included: population structure of Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta); a National Plan of Action for the conservation and management of sharks; levels of heavy metals in shark products; and a database on rays.

Small-scale fishing in Central American indigenous people: governance, tenure and sustainable management of marine resources

This research develops four case studies on small-scale fisheries in Central America located within indigenous territories. The ngöbe Bugle Conte Burica Territory in the south of Costa Rica, the Garífuna territory in nueva Armenia Honduras, the Rama territory in Nicaragua and the ngöbe Bugle territory in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. This is one of the first studies focusing on indigenous territories, artisanal fisheries and SSF guidelines. The cases are a first approach to discussing and analyzing relevant social and human rights issues related to conservation of marine resources and fisheries management in these territories. The cases discussed between other issues of interest, the relationships between marine protected areas under different governance models and issues related to the strengthening of the small-scale fisheries of these indigenous populations and marine fishing territories. They highlight sustainability, governance, land tenure and access to fishing resources, gender, traditional knowledge importance and new challenges as climate change.

Ground-water resources data of Charlotte, DeSoto, and Hardee Counties, Florida

Charlotte, De Soto, and Hardee counties are east-southeast of Tampa in west-central peninsular Florida, figure 1. In order to plan the future water-resource development of the area, information about the water resources is needed. To meet this need, the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Peace River Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District as part of the statewide cooperative program with the Division of Geology, Florida Board of Conservation, began a continuing hydrologic data collection program in July, 1963, as an initial step in the investigation and evaluation of the groundwater resources of Hardee and De Soto counties. A similar hydrologic data program commenced in Charlotte County in July, 1964. Previous work in Hardee and De Soto counties included a one year reconnaissance by the Division of Water Resources and Conservation, Florida Board of Conservation, which concluded in June, 1963, and resulted in a hydrologic report (Woodard, 1964). As an outgrowth of the hydrologic data program, a Map Series report portraying the chemical character of water in the Floridan aquifer in the southern Peace River basin was prepared in 1967 (Kaufman and Dion). The data contained herein constitute the basis for the Map Series report. Additional selected data, including records of wells and chemical analyses,, on the ground-water resources of the three county area are also included and are published to make the data available. (Document has 28 pages.)

Resource management of dynamic coastal environments using synoptic measures from remote sensing

In addition to providing vital ecological services, coastal areas of North Carolina provide prized areas for habitation, recreation, and commercial fisheries. However, from a management perspective, the coasts of North Carolina are highly variable and complex. In-water constituents such as nutrients, suspended sediments, and chlorophyll a concentration can vary significantly over a broad spectrum of time and space scales. Rapid growth and land-use change continue to exert pressure on coastal lands. Coastal environments are also very vulnerable to short-term (e.g., hurricanes) and long-term (e.g., sea-level rise) natural changes that can result in significant loss of life, economic loss, or changes in coastal ecosystem functioning. Hence, the dynamic nature, effects of human-induced change over time, and vulnerability of coastal areas make it difficult to effectively monitor and manage these important state and national resources using traditional data collection technologies such as discrete monitoring stations and field surveys. In general, these approaches provide only a sparse network of data over limited time and space scales and generally are expensive and labor-intensive. Products derived from spectral images obtained by remote sensing instruments provide a unique vantage point from which to examine the dynamic nature of coastal environments. A primary advantage of remote sensing is that the altitude of observation provides a large-scale synoptic view relative to traditional field measurements. Equally important, the use of remote sensing for a broad range of research and environmental applications is now common due to major advances in data availability, data transfer, and computer technologies. To facilitate the widespread use of remote sensing products in North Carolina, the UNC Coastal Studies Institute (UNC-CSI) is developing the capability to acquire, process, and analyze remotely sensed data from several remote sensing instruments. In particular, UNC-CSI is developing regional remote sensing algorithms to examine the mobilization, transport, transformation, and fate of materials between coupled terrestrial and coastal ocean systems. To illustrate this work, we present the basic principles of remote sensing of coastal waters in the context of deriving information that supports efficient and effective management of coastal resources. (PDF contains 4 pages)

Pollution and water quality control of the River Tejo. Report on a visit to Portugal, Sep 27th - October 10th, 1987

Fundamental changes in the management of water resources in Portugal are now evolving. Five regional organisations termed Administracaos de Regiao Hidrographic (ARH), will be created to manage water resources within their respective geographical areas. These areas will be catchment based. As a fore-runner to the implementation of the five ARH's a foundation project has been established within the Direcao-Geral do Recursos Naturais to examine the practical implications of the new system. This project has been divided into a number of sub-projects and complementary projects to include the Tejo complementary project. The Tejo complementary project is the focus of this report. The report is to advise on the role of biology in the proposed ARH, to establish priorities for biological studies within the present Projecto de Gestao Integrada dos Recursos Hidricos da Bacia Hidrografica do Rio Tejo (PGIRH/T) and to assist with the planning of laboratory facilities for biology at the new PGIRH/T laboratory at Alges, Lisboa.

Preparation of environmental monitoring plan pattern for surface water quality in Iran (Case study: Gharehsou River)

Using water quality management programs is a necessary and inevitable way for preservation and sustainable use of water resources. One of the important issues in determining the quality of water in rivers is designing effective quality control networks, so that the measured quality variables in these stations are, as far as possible, indicative of overall changes in water quality. One of the methods to achieve this goal is increasing the number of quality monitoring stations and sampling instances. Since this will dramatically increase the annual cost of monitoring, deciding on which stations and parameters are the most important ones, along with increasing the instances of sampling, in a way that shows maximum change in the system under study can affect the future decision-making processes for optimizing the efficacy of extant monitoring network, removing or adding new stations or parameters and decreasing or increasing sampling instances. This end, the efficiency of multivariate statistical procedures was studied in this thesis. Multivariate statistical procedure, with regard to its features, can be used as a practical and useful method in recognizing and analyzing rivers’ pollution and consequently in understanding, reasoning, controlling, and correct decision-making in water quality management. This research was carried out using multivariate statistical techniques for analyzing the quality of water and monitoring the variables affecting its quality in Gharasou river, in Ardabil province in northwest of Iran. During a year, 28 physical and chemical parameters were sampled in 11 stations. The results of these measurements were analyzed by multivariate procedures such as: Cluster Analysis (CA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Factor Analysis (FA), and Discriminant Analysis (DA). Based on the findings from cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and factor analysis the stations were divided into three groups of highly polluted (HP), moderately polluted (MP), and less polluted (LP) stations Thus, this study illustrates the usefulness of multivariate statistical techniques for analysis and interpretation of complex data sets, and in water quality assessment, identification of pollution sources/factors and understanding spatial variations in water quality for effective river water quality management. This study also shows the effectiveness of these techniques for getting better information about the water quality and design of monitoring network for effective management of water resources. Therefore, based on the results, Gharasou river water quality monitoring program was developed and presented.

Eutrophication and the management of planktonic algae: What Vollenweider couldn't tell us

The ”Vollenweider model” is a sophisticated mathematical statement about the long-range behaviour of (mainly temperate) lakes and their ability to support phytoplankton chlorophyll. Misapplication of the model, against which Vollenweider himself warned, has led to many misconceptions about the dynamics of plankton in lakes and reservoirs and about how best to manage systems subject to eutrophication. This contribution intends to frame the most important issues in context of the phosphorus- loading and phosphorus-limitation concepts. Emphasis is placed on the need to distinguish rate-limitation from capacity-limitation, to understand which is more manageable and why, to discern the mechanisms of internal recycling and their importance, and to appreciate the respective roles of physical and biotic components in local control of algal dynamics. Some general approaches to the management of water quality in lakes and reservoirs to eutrophication are outlined.

Indicators for management of coral reefs and their applications to marine protected areas

Informed planning and decision-making in the management of natural resources requires an ability to integrate complex interactions in ecosystems and communicate these effectively to stakeholders. This involves coping with three fundamental dilemmas. The first comes from the irregular pulse of nature. The second is the recognition that there are no strictly objective criteria for judging the well-being of an ecosystem. The third is posed by the quest for indicators with some integrative properties that may be used to analyze an ecosystem and impart the information to the relevant resource users. This paper presents some examples of indicators used to: 1) assess the status of a coral reef and, in particular, the state of its fisheries resources; 2) identify reefs that are most threatened by human activities; and 3) evaluate the likelihood of success of management interventions. These indicators are not exhaustive, but illustrate the range of options available for the management of coral reef ecosystems.

Indicators for management of coral reefs and their applications to marine protected areas

Informed planning and decision-making in the management of natural resources requires an ability to integrate complex interactions in ecosystems and communicate these effectively to stakeholders. This involves coping with three fundamental dilemmas. The first comes from the irregular pulse of nature. The second is the recognition that there are no strictly objective criteria for judging the “well-being” of an ecosystem. The third is posed by the quest for indicators with some integrative properties that may be used to analyze an ecosystem and impart the information to the relevant resource users. This paper presents some examples of indicators used to: 1) assess the status of a coral reef and, in particular, the state of its fisheries resources; 2) identify reefs that are most threatened by human activities; and 3) evaluate the likelihood of success of management interventions. These indicators are not exhaustive, but illustrate the range of options available for the management of coral reef ecosystems.

Satellite passive microwave observations of the upper Colorado River snowpack

Seasonal snow cover in the mountains of the Upper Colorado River Basin is a major source of water for a large portion of the southwestern United States. The extent and amount of this snowpack not only reflects changes in weather patterns and climate but also influences the general circulation through modification of the energy exchange between land and atmosphere. ... Satellite observations and remote sensing techniques can enhance the standard snowpack observations to provide the temporal and spatial measurements required for understanding the role of snow in the surface energy balance and improving the management of water resources.

Sustainable utilization of inland water resources: an integrated program for research and management

In both developed and developing countries, there is increased competition for water resources, resulting in deficiencies in supply and in various forms of pollution. In developing countries, the nutritional potential of aquatic resources is very important. To realize this potential, integrated research and management for sustainable water resource use are needed. This requires a sound understanding of the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. A programme is presented which stresses the interrelationships of the physical, chemical and biological components of aquatic systems and their catchments. The programme consists of 16 stages in 5 phases, which are as follows: System description; System functioning and modelling; Resource assessment/dynamics; Resource potential; and, Resource utilization for sustainability. This programme enables workers within different disciplines to identify how their expertise contributes to the overall research requirements to support resource development.

Reconnaissance of the ground-water resources of Baker County, Florida

Ground-water is not widely used in Baker County, but the presence of a high equipotential area in the artesian system beneath the County made it necessary that the resource be understood insofar as this high affected the ground-water resources of Nassau and Duval counties which were being intensively studied and mapped. The method and rates of movement of ground-water from one point to another in the artesian aquifer are understood more fully by use of the data in this report. (PDF contains 30 pages)

Evaluation of the quantity and quality of the water resources of Volusia County, Florida

This report amplifies and refines some of the data already issued covering the water resources of Volusia County, which were published as Report of Investigations No. 21. The work in the report was accomplished as a cooperative program between the Department of Natural Resources, the U. S. Geological Survey and the Board of County Commissioners of Volusia County. Volusia County is almost totally dependent upon the water which falls upon the county and has a recharge area contained along the western portion and the central portions of the county. Excellent water is produced in the areal recharge and it is anticipated that this data will expand the existing knowledge of the water resources to permit the development of a great capacity for existing utilities and to offset and solve some of the problems now in the area. (PDF has 71 pages.)