Safety Training and Oceanic Fishing

This paper reports on the cultural adaptation of Atlantic commercial fishermen to the danger of their occupation and efforts to ameliorate that danger through safety training programs. The research is directed towards measuring fishermen's patterns of subjective perceived danger and assessing the impact of safety training on these patterns of thinking. Safety training for commercial fishermen has unique problems owing to a culture that relies heavily on the trivialization or denial of the dangers associated with the work (Binkley, 1995; Poggie et al., 1995, 1996; Pollnac et al., 1995). Hence, understanding the efficacy of various approaches to safety training is important in promoting greater safety at sea, for this understanding will help create the most effective programs.

Training workshop proceedings: adaptive co-management of fisheries (January 21-25, Boyboison Lodge, Fijai, Ghana)

The Adaptive Collaborative Management of Fisheries Training workshop was held in Sekondi, Western Region of Ghana as part of the project “Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Governance Initiative” locally referred to as “H n Mpoano”. The aim of the project is to support the government of Ghana achieve its development objective of poverty reduction, food security, sustainable fisheries management and biodiversity conservation and contributes to its vision: Ghana’s coastal and marine ecosystems are sustainably managed to provide goods and services that generate long-term socioeconomic benefit to communities while sustaining biodiversity.

The use of agreement measures and latent class models to assess the reliability of classifying thermally marked otoliths

Otolith thermal marking is an efficient method for mass marking hatchery-reared salmon and can be used to estimate the proportion of hatchery fish captured in a mixed-stock fishery. Accuracy of the thermal pattern classification depends on the prominence of the pattern, the methods used to prepare and view the patterns, and the training and experience of the personnel who determine the presence or absence of a particular pattern. Estimating accuracy rates is problematic when no secondary marking is available and no error-free standards exist. Agreement measures, such as kappa (κ), provide a relative measure of the reliability of the determinations when independent readings by two readers are available, but the magnitude of κ can be influenced by the proportion of marked fish. If a third reader is used or if two or more groups of paired readings are examined, latent class models can provide estimates of the error rates of each reader. Applications of κ and latent class models are illustrated by a program providing contribution estimates of hatchery-reared chum and sockeye salmon in Southeast Alaska.

Management of waterlogged areas, island and coastal saline soils using fish based mixed farming system

Problems in India regarding the management of various coastal saline soil and waterlogged environments are discussed in detail, considering in particular the potential application of mixed fish farming systems. Various operational and cost requirements of such systems are examined.

Operatives training programmes in India

During the last few years great changes have taken place in the fishing industry as a result of which production of fish in the world has increased enormously. From an insignificant trade employing tools and methods of primitive nature, fishing in many countries has become an important industry utilizing complex modern vessels equipped with electronic equipment and operating in the high seas with highly mechanized fishing gear.

Seasonal variation of mixed layer depth in the north Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea is unique due to the extremes in atmospheric forcing that lead to the semi-annual seasonal changes. The reversing winds of summer and winter monsoon induce the variation in the characteristics of mixed layer depth. The importance of mixed layer depth is recognized in studying the biological productivity in the ocean. In this paper variability of mixed layer depth in the north Arabian Sea have been discussed. The study is based on the data collected under North Arabian Sea Environment and Ecosystem Research (NASEER) program. The results of the study indicate that there is a significant variation in the mixed layer depth from summer to winter monsoon as well as coast to offshore.