Translocation as a strategy to rehabilitate the queen conch (Strombus gigas) population in the Florida Keys

Queen conch (Strombus gigas) stocks in the Florida Keys once supported commercial and recreational fisheries, but overharvesting has decimated this once abundant snail. Despite a ban on harvesting this species since 1985, the local conch population has not recovered. In addition, previous work has reported that conch located in nearshore Keys waters are incapable of spawning because of poor gonadal condition, although reproduction does occur offshore. Queen conch in other areas undergo ontogenetic migrations from shallow, nearshore sites to offshore habitats, but conch in the Florida Keys are prevented from doing so by Hawk Channel. The present study was initiated to determine the potential of translocating nonspawning nearshore conch to offshore sites in order to augment the spawning stock. We translocated adult conch from two nearshore sites to two offshore sites. Histological examinations at the initiation of this study confirmed that nearshore conch were incapable of reproduction, whereas offshore conch had normal gonads and thus were able to reproduce. The gonads of nearshore females were in worse condition than those of nearshore males. However, the gonadal condition of the translocated nearshore conch improved, and these animals began spawning after three months offshore. This finding suggests that some component of the nearshore environment (e.g., pollutants, temperature extremes, poor food or habitat quality) disrupts reproduction in conch, but that removal of nearshore animals to suitable offshore habitat can restore reproductive viability. These results indicate that translocations are preferable to releasing hatchery-reared juveniles because they are more cost-effective, result in a more rapid increase in reproductive output, and maintain the genetic integrity of the wild stock. Therefore, translocating nearshore conch to offshore spawning aggregations may be the key to expediting the recovery of queen conch stocks in the Florida Keys.

Strategy of fish seed production in India

In tropical countries like India, climatic conditions vary in different parts, as a result the breeding of fast growing species such as Catla and silver carps poses considerable problems due to erratic or late monsoon or prolonged dry spell. Hence it is not possible to meet the fish seed requirement of the country. Therefore: to meet the future requirement and to over-come the environmental conditions a Modern carp Hatchery CIFE D-81 was designed. The system provides optimum temperature, silt free clean, cool, highly oxygenated water, low current and continuous removal of metabolites. It has been successfully demonstrated at Rawatbhata (Rajasthan), Badkhal (Haryana), Badbhada (M.P), Guntur and East Godavari District (A.P). Recently a Modern Carp Hatchery was installed in a semi-arid zone, Damdama (Haryana), during 1984, where it has produced record 1.88 crores of fish seed and worked successfully.

Development of a new model of feeding strategy analysis of fish incorporating resource availability and use data

A feeding strategy model is proposed using stomach content and resource availability data as a modification to Costello (1990) and Amundsen et al. (1996). Incorporation of feeding electivity index (E) instead of the prey-specific abundance signifies the importance of resource availability in prey selection as well as the predator's ability to specialize, generalize or avoid particular prey items at the individual and population level.

Key considerations for a regional SocMon strategy for the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem countries in South Asia

Socio-economic Monitoring (SocMon) is an approach and set of tools for conducting socio-economic monitoring of changes in coastal communities. Key considerations included: importance of local partnerships; government and civil society partnerships; emphasis of adapting SocMon to local needs and priorities; capacity building; engaging with local stakeholders; inter and intra-regional collaboration; importance of language; and importance of language.

Report of the National Technical Workshop on the Conservation Strategy for the Myeik Archipelago, Dawei, Myanmar, 27 February, 2015

This was a follow up to the workshop held in October, 2014. This second workshop consolidated findings an and recommendations and highlighted the importance of cooperation between Department of Fisheries (DoF) and non-state actors.