News from Academy Bay

New Faces and New Projects in a New CDRS Department. International Workshop: Feral Goat Eradication Program. Geologists to Invade Galápagos. GIS in Galápagos. The Isabela Project: Off and Running. A Pig-Free Santiago: Is it a Dream or on the Horizon? The Special Law for Galápagos.

News from Academy Bay

A spate of Galapagos books. The phenomenal El Nino. The Galapagos on television. Galapagos tourism. The CDRS Director in the Soviet Union. Saving the Hawaiian Petrel. Wild dogs and land iguanas. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Galapagos Islands. More about those bloodthirsty "vampire finches". Auf Wiedersehen, Friedemann! Harold Jefferson Coolidge at eighty. Events and visits at the Darwin Research Station.

News from Academy Bay

CDRS Research Highlights, 2004. Plants. Social Sciences. Vertebrates. Invasive Species Total Control Plan. Terrestrial Invertebrates. Project Isabela. Marine Sciences.

News from Academy Bay

Presidential visit. The extraordinary El nino year. The last of the Norwegians. Visits and events at the Darwin Research Station.

News from Academy Bay

Planning. A Galapagos marine park. The feral animals on Santiago Island. Can the Hawaiian Petrel be saved? Education and training programmes. Visitors and events at the Charles Darwin Station (May - October 1982).

News from Academy Bay

Darwin Station Director's report. Release of captive-bred land iguanas. Land iguanas breed on Venecia. The age of the giant tortoise. Visitors and events at the Charles Darwin Research Station (January - April 1982). Photo of Masked Booby and Swallow-tailed Gull.

News from Academy Bay

Changes of Charles Darwin Foundation officers. Scientific staff. Training courses for wardens and guides. Volunteer observers. Flamingos on Isabela. Is there a mate for Lonesome George? Outbreak of matrimony at the Darwin Station. Visitors and events at the Charles Darwin Research Station (July - December 1981). Some recent books.

DNA extraction from formalin-fixed Franciscana tissues

The present paper reports the extraction of DNA from formalin-fixed Pontoporia blainvillei tissues. Following the Vachot and Monerot (1996) protocol, fragmented DNA (300-700bp) was extracted from more than 95% of liver and muscle samples. DNA yield in liver samples was significantly higher than in muscle samples (4.574 ± 1.169mg DNA/mg versus 0.808 ± 0.297mg DNA/mg). Similar results were obtained from nine other species of cetaceans and five species of pinnipeds. It is of special interest to have a method that allows the utilisation of museum specimens not originally preserved for genetic studies, which may include rarely available, declining or extinct species. SPANISH: El presente trabajo reporta la extracción de ADN a partir de tejidos formolizados de Pontoporia blainvillei. Siguiendo el protocolo de Vachot y Monerot (1996) se pudo extraer ADN degradado (300-700pb) en más del 95% de las muestras de hígado y músculo analizadas. El rendimiento en ADN fue significativamente mayor en muestras de hígado que en muestras de músculo (4.574 ± 1.169mg DNA/mg tejido húmedo versus 0.808 ± 0.297mg DNA/mg tejido húmedo). Resultados similares se obtuvieron en otras nueve especies de Cetáceos y cinco de Pinnípedos. Resulta de gran interés contar con un método que permita la utilización de especímenes depositados en museos y que no hayan sido originalmente colectados para estudios genéticos, incluyendo especies de difícil obtención, en franca declinación o extintas.

Assessment of the hydrogeological impacts of aggregate extraction in the Delamere area, Cheshire

This is a technical report on the assessment of the hydrogeological impacts of aggregate extraction activities in the Delamere Area, Cheshire. The first aim of the study was to carry out Stage 3-appropriate assessment, under the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), of the possible hydrogeological impacts of aggregate extraction activities authorised by the Cheshire CC on candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSAC) on the Delamere sandsheet, Cheshire. Identifying possible impacts if these activities on the hydrogeological environment, construction of a numerical groundwater flow model of the groundwater system to investigate and quantify impacts and to produce a report as required under Stage 3 of the Habitats Regulations. Secondly, to identify the future potential impacts of the continued extraction of sand and gravel reserves from above and below the water tables from within the Delamere sandsheet, thus releasing reserves identified within the Area of Search of the Cheshire Replacement Minerals Local Plan 1999. This aspect of the study should assist in identifying the implications of further working within Delamere for North West sub-regional apportionment.

Effects of blood extraction on horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus)

Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are caught by commercial fishermen for use as bait in eel and whelk fisheries (Berkson and Shuster, 1999)—fisheries with an annual economic value of $13 to $17 million (Manion et al.1). Horse-shoe crabs are ecologically important, as well (Walls et al., 2002). Migratory shorebirds rely on horseshoe crab eggs for food as they journey from South American wintering grounds to Arctic breeding grounds (Clark, 1996). Horse-shoe crabs are also essential for public health (Berkson and Shuster, 1999). Biomedical companies bleed horse-shoe crabs to extract a chemical used to detect the presence of endotoxins pathogenic to humans in injectable and implantable medical devices (Novitsky, 1984; Mikkelsen, 1988). Bled horseshoe crabs are returned to the wild, subject to the possibility of postbleeding mortality. Recent concerns of overharvesting have led to conflicts among commercial fishermen, environmentalists acting on behalf of the shorebirds, and biomedical companies (Berkson and Shuster, 1999; Walls et al., 2002).

GCM-data intercomparison: the good news and the bad

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): General circulation models (GCMs) are probably the most sophisticated theoretical tools we have to simulate possible climatic effects of increasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. ... As will be illustrated here using a variety of examples, although the models do simulate "reality" very well on the "grand" scale (e.g., global, hemispheric, zonal), substantial differences are more apparent as the scale is reduced to areas particularly relevant to regional planners. It is particularly important that workers more clearly recognize the potential dangers in relying too heavily on simple summary statistics such as averages estimated over large regional scales. Many shortcomings are apparent in the model simulations of the present climate, indicating that further model improvements are needed to achieve reliable regional and seasonal projections of the future climatic conditions.

Improved chemical methods for extraction of fin rays from shark fins

A survey was undertaken of methods available for the extraction of fin rays from shark fins. The development of new, quicker and easier methods of processing is presented.

A new method for venom extraction from venomous fish, green scat

Scatophagus argus argus (Green Scat) is a pretty aquarium fish. Its hard spines are venomous and can cause painful injury. In this study 60 specimens of Green Scat were collected periodically from coastal waters of Boushehr (south of Iran) from May 2011 to April 2012. Anatomical features of venomous spines were investigated. Scat venom was extracted from the spines in a new manner for keeping the specimens alive. The nature of venom was tested by SDS-PAGE. Ethical issues and animal welfare principles such as rapid and instantaneous anesthetizing, post operation disinfection and fast recovery of the specimens was practiced in order to minimize the complications. This method enhanced the purity and quantity of venom as demonstrated by 12 separated proteins in electrophoresis. New ethical issues were developed to surviving the specimens and prolong viability as well.

Shark fin rays: technology of extraction

A simple process is described for extraction of rays from shark fins. The process consists in treating the rays with acetic acid to soften the tissue, separation of the rays by hand and drying. White fins yield almost double the quantity of rays compared to black fins.