Establishing a mangrove nursery

Mangroves play an important role in creating habitats for a diverse community of organisms ranging from bacteria and fungi to fishes and mammals. They grow in intertidal flats, estuaries and offshore islands. In the Philippines, mangrove forests have dramatically decreased in area since the start of the century, and therefore there is a need to reforest. However, first mangrove nurseries must be established since they serve as sources of planting materials for different mangrove species. Furthermore, nurseries would mean a sustainable source of livelihood for coastal communities because of continuous demand for propagules. A brief account is given of procedures as to the establishment of a mangrove nursery, describing the construction of a nursery, preparation of potting materials, seed collection, seed sowing, and maintenance and protection. Details are provided of the most common true mangrove species in the Philippines. The mangrove nursery is a place for raising and tending seedlings until they are ready for permanent planting. The establishment of mangrove nurseries is in line with government s efforts to rehabilitate the coastal and mangrove ecosystems.

Environment-friendly practices in the aquafarm

An outline is given of various environment-friendly management practices in aquaculture, considering the following: 1) feed right; 2) avoid antibiotics; 3) reuse and cycle water; 4) use settling or sedimentation ponds; 5) provide mangrove buffer zone; and, 6) practice polyculture or integrated farming.

The history of fish communities, biodiversity and environment of Lake Victoria and the lessons learnt

The first fishery survey of Lake Victoria was conducted between 1927 and 1928 (Graham 1929). Atthat time, the lake had a diverse fish fauna and the fishery was dominated by two endemic tilapiine cichlids; Oreochromis esculentus (Graham 1929) and O. variabilis (Boulenger 1906). There were a number of other species such as Protopterus aethiopicus Heckel 1851, Bagrus docmac (Forsk.) 1775, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell), Barbus species, mormyrids, Synodontis spp, Schilbe intermedius (Linn.) 1762 and Rastrineobola argentea Pellegrin, 1904 that were also abundant in the lake most of which made a significant contribution to the fishery (Graham 1929, Worthington 1929, 1932, Kudhongania & Cordone 1974). Haplochromine cichlids were represented by at least 300 species more than 99% of them endemic (Greenwood, 1974; Witte et al., 1992 a & b). The fishery of Lake Victoria was similar to that of lakes Kyoga and Nabugabo (Worthington 1929; Trewavas 1933; Greenwood 1965, 1966; Beadle 1962, 1981). There were also important fisheries on the inflowing rivers of Lake Victoria, the most important of which were Labeo victorianus and Barbus altianalis (Cadwallader 1965). The small sized species notably Rastrineobola argentea and haplochromines cichlids were not originally commercially exploited.

Implications of changes in trophic diversity and food webs on fisheries and the environment

Most of the earth's ecosystems are experiencing slight to catastrophic losses of biodiversity, caused by habitat destruction, alien species introduction, climate change and pollution (Wilcove et al., 1998). These human effects have led to the extinction of native fish species, the collapse of their populations and the loss of ecological integrity and ecosystem functioning (Ogutu-Ohwayo & Hecky, 1991; Witte et al. , 1992a; Mills et al., 1994; Vitousek et al., 1996). Food webs are macro-descriptors of community feeding interactions that can be used to map the flow of materials and nutrients in ecosystems (Jepsen & Winemiller, 2002). Comparative food web studies have been used to address theoretical questions such as 'does greater trophic connectivity increase stability?' (Cohen et al., 1990), and 'does the number of trophic levels increase with productivity?' (Briand & Cohen, 1987). Answers to such questions have obvious applications for natural resources management. From a multi-species fisheries standpoint, there is a need to understand consumer-resource dynamics within complex trophic networks.

A conceptualized fishing system for the African environment with a comparative approach

The paper examines a conceptualized fishing system for the African Environment with a comparative approach. Although the fishing system has been conceived as a bio-economic complex, emphasis will be given to the explanation of the detailed structure and functioning of the system. Subsequent synthesis involving the use of existing relationships for management etc. will also be undertaken. The proposed fishing system is conceptually feasible in an ideal environment with adequate monitored data and organized fishing, however it is anticipated that the African environment will not satisfy such conditions.