SAIL Panama Canal Zone Project 2008 : Biological Survey of Panama (1910-1912)

During the 18th Annual 2008 SAIL meeting at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, a suggestion was made for the need to digitize and make available through the Aquatic Commons some of the early documents related to the U.S. biological survey of Panama from 1910 to 1912. With SAIL’s endeavor, a new digital project was born and this presentation describes its process, beginning to final product. The main source consulted for determining copyright clear publications was: Heckadon-Moreno. 2004. Naturalists on the Isthmus of Panama: A hundred years of natural history on the biological bridge of the Americas. 1st English ed. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama. (Document contains 26 slides)

Bibliography of the SAIL Panama Canal Zone Project 2008 : a selected bibliography.

During the 18th Annual 2008 SAIL meeting at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, Vielka Chang-Yau, librarian, mentioned the need to digitize and make available through the Aquatic Commons some of the early documents related to the U.S. biological survey of Panama from 1910 to 1912. With the assistance of SAIL, a regional marine librarian’s group, a digital project developed and this select bibliography represents the sources used for the project. It will assist researchers and librarians in finding online open access documents written during the construction of the Panama Canal, specifically between 1910-1912. As the project progressed, other items covering the region and its biological diversity were discovered and included. The project team expects that the coverage will continue to expand over time. (PDF contains 9 pages)

First Biennial Ocean Climate Summit: Finding Solutions for San Francisco Bay Area’s Coast and Ocean. Proceedings of the Summit: April 29, 2008, Golden Gate Club, The Presidio San Francisco, California

Executive Summary: The marine environment plays a critical role in the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that remains within Earth’s atmosphere, but has not received as much attention as the terrestrial environment when it comes to climate change discussions, programs, and plans for action. It is now apparent that the oceans have begun to reach a state of CO2 saturation, no longer maintaining the “steady-state” carbon cycle that existed prior to the Industrial Revolution. The increasing amount of CO2 present within the oceans and the atmosphere has an effect on climate and a cascading effect on the marine environment. Potential physical effects of climate change within the marine environment, including ocean acidification, changes in wind and upwelling regimes, increasing global sea surface temperatures, and sea level rise, can lead to dramatic, fundamental changes within marine and coastal ecosystems. Altered ecosystems can result in changing coastal economies through a reduction in marine ecosystem services such as commercial fish stocks and coastal tourism. Local impacts from climate change should be a front line issue for natural resource managers, but they often feel too overwhelmed by the magnitude of this issue to begin to take action. They may not feel they have the time, funding, or staff to take on a challenge as large as climate change and continue to not act as a result. Already, natural resource managers work to balance the needs of humans and the economy with ecosystem biodiversity and resilience. Responsible decisions are made each day that consider a wide variety of stakeholders, including community members, agencies, non-profit organizations, and business/industry. The issue of climate change must be approached as a collaborative effort, one that natural resource managers can facilitate by balancing human demands with healthy ecosystem function through research and monitoring, education and outreach, and policy reform. The Scientific Expert Group on Climate Change in their 2007 report titled, “Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable” charged governments around the world with developing strategies to “adapt to ongoing and future changes in climate change by integrating the implications of climate change into resource management and infrastructure development”. Resource managers must make future management decisions within an uncertain and changing climate based on both physical and biological ecosystem response to climate change and human perception of and response to the issue. Climate change is the biggest threat facing any protected area today and resource managers must lead the charge in addressing this threat. (PDF has 59 pages.)

A scientific forum on the Gulf of Mexico: The Islands in the Stream Concept. Proceedings of the Forum: 23 January 2008, Keating Education Center, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida

The Scientific Forum on the Gulf of Mexico: The Islands in the Stream Concept took place in January 2008 in Sarasota, Florida. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together scientists and managers from around the Gulf of Mexico to discuss a range of topics on our knowledge of the Gulf of Mexico, from its geology to larger-scale connectivity to the Caribbean region, and their applications to the concept of a more integrated approach to area-based management. The forum included six panels of invited experts who spoke on the oceanographic and biological features in the Gulf of Mexico, including connections with Mexico and the Mesoamerican barrier reef system, and the legal and regulatory structure currently in place. The charge to the group was to share information, identify gaps in our knowledge, identify additional potential areas for protection, and discuss available science about connectivity and the potential value of establishing a marine protected area network in the Gulf of Mexico. (PDF has 108 pages.)

Channel Islands Deep Water Monitoring Plan Development Workshop Report April 26-27, 2005 University of California, Santa Barbara

In 2003, twelve marine protected areas were established in state waters (0-3 nmi) surrounding the Channel Islands. NOAA is considering extending this network (3-6 nmi) into deeper waters of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS). In order for effective long-term management of the deep water reserves to occur, a well-structured monitoring program is required to assess effectiveness. The CINMS and the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) hosted a 2-day workshop in April 2005 to develop a monitoring plan for the proposed federal marine reserves in that sanctuary. Conducted at the University of California at Santa Barbara, participants included scientists from academic, state, federal, and private research institutions. Workshop participants developed project ideas that could answer priority questions posed by the NMSP. This workshop report will be used to develop a monitoring plan for the reserves. (PDF contains 47 pages.)

“El Niño” study based on analysis of ocean surface temperatures 1935-57

ENGLISH: The following report describes the findings of an "El Niño" project carried out at the Department of Meteorology of the University of California, Los Angeles, at the request of, and with funds provided from, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. The project was, in its early stages, supervised by Professor M. Neiburger, but was in June 1959 transferred to Professor J. Bjerknes, who thereby became the sole author of this final report. Readers who may be interested in the general background of knowledge of the maritime meteorology of the Eastern Pacific are herewith referred to Professor Neiburger's final report of the "Subtropical Pacific Meteorology Project." That report, submitted in September 1958 to the Office of Naval Research, summarizes the results of all the meteorological soundings released at sea since 1949 from California in the north to Peru in the south. The soundings off Ecuador and Peru were all taken by the "Shellback" expedition during July 1952. Important as this first exploration of the atmosphere over the Eastern Equatorial Pacific was, it did not even begin to explore " El Niño " itself, which is confined to the southern summer season and, moreover, only reaches catastrophic proportions in a few exceptional years. SPANISH: Este estudio da a conocer los resultados de una investigación que, bajo el nombre de Proyecto "El Niño", ha sido efectuada en el Departamento de Meteorología de la Universidad de California, Los Angeles, a solicitud de la Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical y con fondos provistos por ésta. En sus primeras etapas, el proyecto fué supervisado por el Profesor M. Neiburger, pero en junio de 1959 fué transferido al Profesor J. Bjerknes, quien de este modo vino a ser el solo autor de este informe final. A los lectores interesados en los conocimientos de fondo de la meteorología marítima del Pacífico Oriental se les recomienda consultar el informe final del Profesor Neiburger intitulado "Subtropical Pacific Meteorology Project". Este informe, sometido a la "Office of Naval Research" en septiembre de 1958 sumariza los resultados de todos los sondeos meteorológicos efectuados en el mar desde 1949 en el área entre California en el norte y Perú en el sur. Todos los sondeos frente al Ecuador y el Perú fueron hechos por la Expedición "Shellback" durante el mes de julio de 1952. Importante como fué esta primera exploración de la atmósfera sobre el Pacífico Ecuatorial del Este, ni siquiera comenzó a explorar "El Niño" en sí, que se confina a la estación de verano en el sur y, más aún, sólo alcanza proporciones catastróficas en unos pocos años excepcionales.

Sexual Reproduction and Early Development in the Estuarine Sea Anemone, Nematostella vectensis Stephenson, 1935

This dissertation: 1) determines the factor(s) responsible for spawning induction in NematosteJla vectensis; 2) isolates, describes, and documents the source of jelly from egg masses of N. vectensis; and 3) describes N. vectensis' early development. Namatostella vectensis were maintained on a 7-day mussel feeding/water change regime over 159 days. Within 36 hours of mussel feeding/water change. 69.1% of females and 78.5% of males spawned reliably. Through manipulation of feeding, water change, oxygen and nitrogenous waste concentrations, spawning induction was found to be triggered by the oxygen concentration associated with water change, and not by feeding. Ammonia, anemones' major waste product, inhibited this induction in a concentration-dependent manner. Female N. vectensis release eggs in a persistent jellied egg mass which is unique among the Actiniaria. The major component of this egg mass jelly was a positive periodic acid-Schiffs staining, 39.5-40.5 kD glycoprotein. Antibodies developed in rabbits against this glycoprotein bound to jelly of intact egg masses and to granules (~ 2.8 IJm in diameter) present in female anemone mesenteries and their associated filaments. Antibodies did not label male tissues. Nematostella vecfensis embryos underwent first karyokinesis -60 minutes following the addition of sperm to eggs. Second nuclear division took place, followed by first cleavage, 90-120 minutes later. Each of the 4 blastomeres that resulted from first cleavage contained a single nucleus. Arrangement of these blastomeres ranged from radial to pseudospiral. Embryonic development was both asynchronous and holoblastic. Following formation of the 4-cell stage, 71% of embryos proceeded to cleave again to form an 8-cell stage. In each of the remaining 29% of embryos, a fusion of from 2-4 blastomeres resulted in 4 possible patterns which had no affect on either cleavage interval timing or subsequent development. The fusion event was not due to ooplasmic segregation. Blastomeres isolated from 4-celled embryos were regulative and developed into normal planula larvae and juvenile anemones that were 1/4 the size of those that developed from intact 4-celled embryos. Embryos exhibiting the fusion phenomenon were examined at the fine structural level. The fusion phenomenon resulted in formation of a secondary syncytium and was not a mere compaction of blastomeres.

PICES Press, Vol. 16, No. 2, July 2008

The 2008 Inter-Sessional Science Board Meeting (pp.1-2, pdf, 0.1 Mb) FUTURE – From Science Plan to Implementation Plan (pp. 3-4, pdf, 0.1 Mb) CFAME Task Team Workshop – Linking and Visualising (p. 5, pdf, 0.1 Mb) PICES WG 21 Meets in Busan, Korea: The Database Meeting (pp. 6-7, pdf, 0.1 Mb) ICES-PICES-IOC Symposium on Climate Change (pp. 8-12, pdf, 1.2 Mb) Zooplankton and Climate: Response Modes and Linkages (pp. 13-15, pdf, 0.2 Mb) PICES Fishery Science Committee Workshop in Gijón (pp. 16-18, pdf, 0.1 Mb) The North Pacific Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey (pp. 19-21, pdf, 0.4 Mb) PICES Ecosystem Status Report Wins Design Award (p. 21, pdf, 0.4 Mb) Canada’s Three Oceans (C3O): A Canadian Contribution to the International Polar Year (pp. 22-25, pdf, 0.8 Mb) New Surface Mooring at Station Papa Monitors Climate (pp. 26-27, pdf, 0.2 Mb) The State of the Western North Pacific in the Second Half of 2007 (pp. 28-29, pdf, 0.4 Mb) The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 30-31, pdf, 0.4 Mb) Recent Trends in Waters of the Subarctic NE Pacific (pp.32-33, pdf, 0.3 Mb) 2009 Vintage of Fraser River Sockeye Salmon: A Complex Full Bodied Redd with Mysterious Bouquet (p. 34, pdf, 0.1 Mb) Pacific Biological Station Celebrates Centennial Anniversary, 1908–2008 (p. 35, pdf, 0.3 Mb) Marine and Coastal Fisheries: American Fisheries Society Open Access E-journal (p. 36, pdf, 0.1 Mb) Latest and Upcoming PICES Publications (p. 36, pdf, 0.1 Mb)

Technologies and Methodologies for the Detection of Harmful Algae and Their Toxins, St Petersburg, Florida, Oct 22-24 2008 : workshop proceedings

The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Workshop "Technologies and Methodologies for the Detection of Harmful Algae and their Toxins" convened in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 22- 24, 2008 and was co-sponsored by ACT (http://act-us.info); the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET, http://ciceet.unh.edu); and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC, http://www.myfwc.com). Participants from various sectors, including researchers, coastal decision makers, and technology vendors, collaborated to exchange information and build consensus. They focused on the status of currently available detection technologies and methodologies for harmful algae (HA) and their toxins, provided direction for developing operational use of existing technology, and addressed requirements for future technology developments in this area. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) in marine and freshwater systems are increasingly common worldwide and are known to cause extensive ecological, economic, and human health problems. In US waters, HABs are encountered in a growing number of locations and are also increasing in duration and severity. This expansion in HABs has led to elevated incidences of poisonous seafood, toxin-contaminated drinking water, mortality of fish and other animals dependent upon aquatic resources (including protected species), public health and economic impacts in coastal and lakeside communities, losses to aquaculture enterprises, and long-term aquatic ecosystem changes. This meeting represented the fourth ACT sponsored workshop that has addressed technology developments for improved monitoring of water-born pathogens and HA species in some form. A primary motivation was to assess the need and community support for an ACT-led Performance Demonstration of Harmful Algae Detection Technologies and Methodologies in order to facilitate their integration into regional ocean observing systems operations. The workshop focused on the identification of region-specific monitoring needs and available technologies and methodologies for detection/quantification of harmful algal species and their toxins along the US marine and freshwater coasts. To address this critical environmental issue, several technologies and methodologies have been, or are being, developed to detect and quantify various harmful algae and their associated toxins in coastal marine and freshwater environments. There are many challenges to nationwide adoption of HAB detection as part of a core monitoring infrastructure: the geographic uniqueness of primary algal species of concern around the country, the variety of HAB impacts, and the need for a clear vision of the operational requirements for monitoring the various species. Nonetheless, it was a consensus of the workshop participants that ACT should support the development of HA detection technology performance demonstrations but that these would need to be tuned regionally to algal species and toxins of concern in order to promote the adoption of state of the art technologies into HAR monitoring networks. [PDF contains 36 pages]

Hydrocarbon sensors for oil spill prevention and response, Seward, Alaska, April 8th-10th, 2008: workshop proceedings

During April 8th-10th, 2008, the Aliance for Coastal Technology (ACT) partner institutions, University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC), and the Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) hosted a workshop entitled: "Hydrocarbon sensors for oil spill prevention and response" in Seward, Alaska. The main focus was to bring together 29 workshop participants-representing workshop managers, scientists, and technology developers - together to discuss current and future hydrocarbon in-situ, laboratory, and remote sensors as they apply to oil spill prevention and response. [PDF contains 28 pages] Hydrocarbons and their derivatives still remain one of the most important energy sources in the world. To effectively manage these energy sources, proper protocol must be implemented to ensure prevention and responses to oil spills, as there are significant economic and environmental costs when oil spills occur. Hydrocarbon sensors provide the means to detect and monitor oil spills before, during, and after they occur. Capitalizing on the properties of oil, developers have designed in-situ, laboratory, and remote sensors that absorb or reflect the electromagnetic energy at different spectral bands. Workshop participants identified current hydrocarbon sensors (in-situ, laboratory, and remote sensors) and their overall performance. To achieve the most comprehensive understanding of oil spills, multiple sensors will be needed to gather oil spill extent, location, movement, thickness, condition, and classification. No single hydrocarbon sensor has the capability to collect all this information. Participants, therefore, suggested the development of means to combine sensor equipment to effectively and rapidly establish a spill response. As the exploration of oil continues at polar latitudes, sensor equipment must be developed to withstand harsh arctic climates, be able to detect oil under ice, and reduce the need for ground teams because ice extent is far too large of an area to cover. Participants also recognized the need for ground teams because ice extent is far too large of an area to cover. Participants also recognized the need for the U.S. to adopt a multi-agency cooperation for oil spill response, as the majority of issues surounding oil spill response focuses not on the hydrocarbon sensors but on an effective contingency plan adopted by all agencies. It is recommended that the U.S. could model contingency planning based on other nations such as Germany and Norway. Workshop participants were asked to make recommendations at the conclusion of the workshop and are summarized below without prioritization: *Outreach materials must be delivered to funding sources and Congressional delegates regarding the importance of oil spill prevention and response and the development of proper sensors to achieve effective response. *Develop protocols for training resource managers as new sensors become available. *Develop or adopt standard instrument specifications and testing protocols to assist manufacturers in further developing new sensor technology. *As oil exploration continues at polar latitudes, more research and development should be allocated to develop a suite of instruments that are applicable to oil detection under ice.

Panama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2008 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 2008 1. Completed the first of a two-year Gulf sturgeon population study on the Choctawhatchee River, Florida. The sub adult and adult Gulf sturgeon population was estimated at 2,800 fish. 2. Gulf sturgeon eggs were collected at three hard bottom sites in the Apalachicola River, Florida; two sites were previously confirmed spawning areas and one was a newly confirmed spawning area. 3. Documented 55 potential environmental threats to Gulf sturgeon spawning habitat in the Pea River, Florida and Alabama. 4. Assigned the Eglin AFB Road-Stream Crossing Working Group to guide the closure, repair and maintenance of roads and road stream crossings that impact threatened and endangered species. 5. Conducted 81 assessments of fish and stream invertebrates on and in watersheds surrounding Eglin AFB. 6. Provided technical support for the 5-year status review and reclassification proposed rule for the Okaloosa darter. 7. Initiated an intensive population genetic analysis of the Okaloosa darter throughout its range. Tissues from over 200 Okaloosa darters were collected and analyzed. 8. Established a GIS database to serve as a host for data from any sites sampled for mussels in Northeast Gulf of Mexico drainages. 9. Conducted habitat surveys at 115 locations in the Apalachicola River to assess the effects of drought-related mussel mortality and strandings, evaluate habitat conditions, and assess population demography. 10. A land use/aerial imagery threats assessment data analysis was completed for the Chipola River. A total of 266 impoundments/borrow pits and 471 unpaved road crossings were identified among the threats. 11. Okaloosa darters marked with elastomeric dyes were monitored in Mill Creek, Eglin AFB, to determine movement and habitat use following completion of a fish passage project. 3 12. Partners for Fish and Wildlife funded a streambank and riparian restoration project on Econfina Creek consisting of 3,900 feet of streambank fencing to exclude cattle access. One acre of riparian floodplain was planted with native trees. 13. We provided design and on-the-ground assistance for restoring surface hydrology at St. Vincent NWR. The project restored approximately 1.5 miles of tidal stream and 100 acres of wetlands. 14. A study was completed on 11 coastal streams to document large wood debris relationships with fluvial geomorphic characteristics. 15. We developed a Population Viability Analysis model for the fat threeridge mussel to determine current and future risk of extinction. 17. A Gulf Sturgeon Friends Group, “Gulf Sturgeon Preservation Society” was organized in FY 08. 18. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resource conservation needs and opportunities, including National Fishing Week, Earth Day, several festivals and school outreach.

A Comparison of the SNP Variation in the Calcification PMCA Gene of Lottia gigantea between a Santa Barbara Population and a More Acidic Monterey Bay Population

As the atmospheric levels of CO2 rise from human activity, the carbonic acid levels of the ocean increase, causing ocean acidification. This increase in acidity breaks down the calcified bodies that many marine organisms depend upon. Upwelling regions such as Monterey Bay in California have pH levels that are not expected to reach the open ocean for a few decades. This study reviews one of the common intertidal animals of the California coast, the Owl Limpet Lottia gigantea, and its genetic variation of the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) in relation to the acidity of its environment. The PMCA protein functions in the calcification process of many organisms. Specifically in limpets, this gene functions to form its protective shell. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found among five sections of the gene to determine variation between the acidic environment population in Monterey, California and the non-acidic environment population in Santa Barbara, California. While some variation was determined, the Monterey Bay and Santa Barbara Lottia gigantea populations are not significantly distinct at the PMCA gene. Sections B, C, and D were found to be linked. Only one location in Section B was found to have an amino acid change within an exon. Section A has the strongest connection to the sampling location. Monterey individuals were seen to be more genetically recognizable, while Santa Barbara individuals showed slightly more variation. Understanding the trends of ocean acidification, upwelling region activities, and population genetics will assist in determining how the ocean environment will behave in the future.

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 2008

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, France and Nicaragua in 1973, Vanuatu in 1990, Venezuela in 1992, El Salvador in 1997, Guatemala in 2000, Peru in 2002, Spain in 2003, the Republic of Korea in 2005, and Colombia in 2007. Canada withdrew from the IATTC in 1984. The IATTC's responsibilities are met with two programs, the Tuna-Billfish Program and the Tuna- Dolphin Program. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de una convención suscrita originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. La Convención, vigente desde 1950, está abierta a la afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales y especies afines en el Océano Pacífico oriental (OPO). Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá se afilió en 1953, Ecuador en 1961, México en 1964, Canadá en 1968, Japón en 1970, Francia y Nicaragua en 1973, Vanuatu en 1990, Venezuela en 1992, El Salvador en 1997, Guatemala en 2000, Perú en 2002, España en 2003, la República de Corea en 2005, y Colombia en 2007. Canadá se retiró de la CIAT en 1984. La CIAT cumple su mandato mediante dos programas, el Programa Atún-Picudo y el Programa Atún-Delfín.