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.

Meteorological Buoy Sensor Workshop, Solomons, Maryland, April 19-21, 2006: workshop proceedings

The co-organized Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) and National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) Workshop "Meteorological Buoy Sensors Workshop" convened in Solomons, Maryland, April 19 to 21,2006, sponsored by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Chesapeake Bay Laboratory (CBL), an ACT partner institution. Participants from various sectors including resource managers and industry representatives collaborated to focus on technologies and sensors that measure the near surface variables of wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, humidity and air temperature. The vendor list was accordingly targeted at companies that produced these types of sensors. The managers represented a cross section of federal, regional and academic marine observing interests from around the country. Workshop discussions focused on the challenges associated with making marine meteorological observations in general and problems that were specific to a particular variable. Discussions also explored methods to mitigate these challenges through the adoption of best practices, improved technologies and increased standardization. Some of the key workshop outcomes and recommendations included: 0cean.US should establish a committee devoted to observations. The committee would have a key role in developing observing standards. The community should adopt the target cost, reliability and performance standards drafted for a typical meteorological package to be used by a regional observing system. A forum should be established to allow users and manufacturers to share best practices for the employment of marine meteorological sensors. The ACT website would host the forum. Federal activities that evaluate meteorological sensors should make their results publicly available. ACT should extend their evaluation process to include meteorological sensors. A follow on workshop should be conducted that covers the observing of meteorological variables not addressed by this workshop. (pdf contains 18 pages)

Trace Metal Sensors for Coastal Monitoring, Seaside, California, April 11-13, 2005: workshop proceedings

The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Workshop on Trace Metal Sensors for Coastal Monitoring was convened April 11-13, 2005 at the Embassy Suites in Seaside, California with partnership from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Trace metals play many important roles in marine ecosystems. Due to their extreme toxicity, the effects of copper, cadmium and certain organo-metallinc compounds (such as tributyltin and methylmercury) have received much attention. Lately, the sublethal effects of metals on phytoplankton biochemistry, and in some cases the expression of neurotoxins (Domoic acid), have been shown to be important environmental forcing functions determining the composition and gene expression in some groups. More recently the role of iron in controlling phytoplankton growth has led to an understanding of trace metal limitation in coastal systems. Although metals play an important role at many different levels, few technologies exist to provide rapid assessment of metal concentrations or metal speciation in the coastal zone where metal-induced toxicity or potential stimulation of harmful algal blooms, can have major economic impacts. This workshop focused on the state of on-site and in situ trace element detection technologies, in terms of what is currently working well and what is needed to effectively inform coastal zone managers, as well as guide adaptive scientific sampling of the coastal zone. Specifically the goals of this workshop were to: 1) summarize current regional requirements and future targets for metal monitoring in freshwater, estuarine and coastal environments; 2) evaluate the current status of metal sensors and possibilities for leveraging emerging technologies for expanding detection limits and target elements; and 3) help identify critical steps needed for and limits to operational deployment of metal sensors as part of routine water quality monitoring efforts. Following a series of breakout group discussions and overview talks on metal monitoring regulatory issues, analytical techniques and market requirements, workshop participants made several recommendations for steps needed to foster development of in situ metal monitoring capacities: 1. Increase scientific and public awareness of metals of environmental and biological concern and their impacts in aquatic environments. Inform scientific and public communities regarding actual levels of trace metals in natural and perturbed systems. 2. Identify multiple use applications (e.g., industrial waste steam and drinking water quality monitoring) to support investments in metal sensor development. (pdf contains 27 pages)

Transfer of Medical Sensor Technologies to Environmental Monitoring, Solomons, Maryland, April 6-8, 2005: workshop proceedings

(pdf contains 23 pages)

Die deutsche Fischerei auf den "ozeanischen" Rotbarsch (Sebastes mentella) von 1995 bis 1998

Recently, the German redfish fishery displayed a pronounced seasonal pattern in geographic effort distribution and depth. The second and third quarters were the main season when 80 % of the effort was exerted. During the second quarter, the fleet activities were concentrated in international waters close to the Icelandic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), fishing at depths exceeding 600 m. In contrast, the catches in the third quarter were taken mainly inside the Greenland EEZ at depths around 300 m. From 1995 to 1998, the annual effort ranged from 14 000 to 18 000 trawling hours, without a trend. This effort yielded about 18 000 to 21 000 t (international catch > 100 000 t) annually. Since 1996, the catch rate (CPUE) decreased during the main season. The decrease in CPUE should be interpreted as the first reaction of the stock to increased exploitation. The fish size also varied seasonally and peaked during the second quarter at depths exceeding 600 m. Here, males were bigger than females and both sexes were equally frequent. The increase of fish size with increasing depth did not contribute to the hypothesis of two separate pelagic redfish stocks above and below 500 m. In contrast, the close relation between fish size and depth point to the so-called “deeper-bigger phenomenon” which was found in numerous fish stocks. Very few redfish in the catches were immature.

Zustand der Herings- und Sprottenbestände in Nord- und Ostsee, östlichem Kanal und westlichen britischen Gewässern. Beurteilung durch die Herings- und Ostsee-Arbeitsgruppe des ICES, März/April 1999

Information is given about the results of the latest meeting of the Herring Assessment Working Group for the Area South of 62° N and the Baltic Fisheries Assessment Working Group, which were conducted in March and April at ICES headquarters in Copenhagen. The actual stock development and the catch options estimated for different assessment units of herring and sprat are presented. The spawning stock size of North Sea herring reached in 1998 for the first time since 1991 a level above the Minimum Biological Acceptable Level (MBAL) of 800 000 t. Keeping the fishery at the present level the spawning stock size should reach in 1999 a level of about 1.2 mio. t. For the Western Baltic Spring spawning herring stock no actual stock estimate was presented. Due to uncertainties in splitting the catches in North Sea autumn and Baltic spring spawners no analytical assessment was accepted.

Aquaculture Asia, Vol.14, No.2, pp.1-40, April-June 2009

Sustainable aquaculture GLOBALG.A.P. standard in Thai shrimp farms: Mission (im)possible? p.4 Leepaisomboon, T., Chuchird, N., Limsuwan, C., Steenbruggen, E.R., and Mungkung, R. The Victorian trout industry & the bushfires p.6 Mosig, J. Small-scale aquaculture in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar p.10 Edwards, P. The history, status, and future prospects of monosex tilapia culture in Thailand p.18 Belton, B., Turongruang, D., Bhujel, R. and Little, D.C. Mangroves of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in southern Thailand: Species diversity, community structure and current status p.20 By Amarasinghe, M.D., Dulyapurk, V., Taparhudee, W., Yoonpundh, R. and Jumnongsong, S. Research and farming techniques Induced breeding of pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) in captivity with pituitary extract p.23 Chattarjee, N.R. and Mazumdar, B. Aquatic animal health Fumonisins - mycotoxins of increasing importance in fish! p. 24 Griessler, K. and Encarnação, P. Genetics and biodiversity Microsatellite DNA markers, a fisheries perspective. Part 1: The nature of microsatellites p.27 Sekar, M., Suresh, E., Kumar, N.S., Nayak, S.K., Balakrishna, C. Asia-Pacific Marine Finfi sh Aquaculture Magazine Formulated feed for tiger grouper grow-out p.30 Rachmansyah, Usman, Palinggi, N.N. and Williams, K. NACA Newsletter 36

Report on third FIDAWOG Workshop held at the Triangle Hotel, Jinja, 29 March to 1 April 1999: summary of proceedings

The FIDAWOG workshop held from 29 March to 1 April 1999 in Jinja was the third major stock assessment workshop attended by most of the participants during the project. It followed two workshops, each of which lasted three weeks, held in 1998.

An appraisal of the current status of the fisheries of Eleiyele Reservoir by its fisheries cooperatives

In a study undertaken to evaluate the status of the fisheries of Eleiyele Reservoir (Nigeria) between 1995 and 1997, thermal stratification was observed to breakdown between December and March. Of the physico-chemical variables, transparency was positively correlated (p<0.05) with primary productivity, conductivity and dissolved oxygen concentration. Primary productivity ranged between 0.38mgC/m super(2)/d and 3.OmgC/ m super(2)/d, being lowest in April. BOD values ranged between 1.3mg-2.2mgO/l indicative of clean unpolluted water. Nine fish species belonging to the families Cichlidae, Centropomidae and Mochokidae were identified. Cichlids were the most abundant with Hemichromis species being predominant. Fishing was only carried out in the reservoir during the dry season months of November to April. Fish landing data for the reservoir, obtained from the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural resources, Oyo State, in conjunction with comparative data from the Cooperative fishermen was low. It demonstrated a decreasing trend from January to April and during the period between 1985 and 1996, when compared with data collected in 1985 and 1986 from a previous similar study. Reasons for the low fish yield from the reservoir are discussed and compared with other Nigerian reservoirs

Welt-Fischereierträge 1995: 112,9 Mio. Tonnen

Total world fishery production 1995, including aquaculture, of fish, shellfish, frogs and turtles – reached a new record of 112.9 million tones live weight. Marine fishery had a share of 91,9 million tonnes (+ 0.4) and freshwater fishery 21.0 million tonnes (+ 2.0). Not included in these figures are seals, whales, crocodiles and algae. Marine mammals and crocodiles are listed by number of killed individuals, and not given by weight. Algae alone represent a biomass of 7.1 million tonnes, but are not included by the FAO in the nominal „total production of the world“ either. About two thirds of the marine fishery harvest was used for human consumption, one third for industrial purposes – mainly production of fish meal and fish oil.

Untersuchungen der Industriefischerei 1995/96

Information on the impact of industrial fishery on sandeel and sprat is given. First results of experimental fishing on board RV "Walther Herwig III" and results of studies aboard commercial vessels within the German Economic Zone are presented.

Makrelen- und Holzmakrelenfänge stimmen zuversichtlich

In order to determine the abundance of incoming year classes of both mackerel and horse mackerel a couple of research vessels in the frame of ICES investigats waters west of the British Isles, the Gulf of Biscay and areas west of the Iberian Peninsula in the first half of each third year. In 1995, Germany took place in these investigations with R.V. "Walther Herwig III" from March 23 to April 18. A total of 100 plankton stations were made using a Gulf - III - Sampier between Fastnet Rock and the Gironde estuary. In addition, 87 fishing stations were occupied by a GOV net. Though fish indications were not fished on purpose large amounts of especially horse mackerel and mackerel were gained in the half hour tows. Besides, boarfish (Capros aper L.), blue whiting, and sprat were found in considerable quantities and numbers in some areas. The hydrographc situation was as expected: The development of a surfaee thermocline created by radiation indieates the collapse of the vertically homogeneous situation of the winter period.

Zanderfischerei an der deutschen Ostseeküste - Jungzander 1992 - extrem in Vorkommen, Verbreitung und Wachstum

Die Zanderanlandungen an der deutschen Ostseeküste lagen in den letzten 10 Jahren auf einem verhältnismäßig hohen Niveau (Durchschnitt 471 t; 1992,477 t). Im jahreszeitlichen Verlauf gibt es eine Frühjahr (April)- und Herbst (Oktober)-Saison. Hauptfangplätze waren 1992 Außenstrand (bis zu 3 sm) und Ostsee, Kleines Haff und Darßer Bodden. Im Oderbankgebiet wurde im Herbst 1992 die überdurchschnittlich gut eingeschätzte 0-Gruppe untersucht, die ab 1994 und teilweise ab 1995 in den befischbaren Bestand eintritt. Die Entwicklung des Bestandes wird weiterhin wissenschaftlich überwacht.