Applications of in situ Fluorometers in Nearshore waters, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, February 2-4,2005: workshop proceedings

The Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) Workshop "Applications of in situ Fluorometers in Nearshore Waters" was held in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, February 2-4,2005, with sponsorship by the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS), one of the ACT partner organization. The purpose of the workshop was to explore recent trends in fluorometry as it relates to resource management applications in nearshore environments. Participants included representatives from state and federal environmental management agencies as well as research institutions, many of whom are currently using this technology in their research and management applications. Manufacturers and developers of fluorometric measuring systems also attended the meeting. The Workshop attendees discussed the historical and present uses of fluorometry technology and identified the great potential for its use by coastal managers to fulfill their regulatory and management objectives. Participants also identified some of the challenges associated with the correct use of Fluorometers to estimate biomass and the rate of primary productivity. The Workshop concluded that in order to expand the existing use of fluorometers in both academic and resource management disciplines, several issues concerning data collection, instrument calibration, and data interpretation needed to be addressed. Participants identified twelve recommendations, the top five of which are listed below: Recommendations 1) Develop a "Guide" that describes the most important aspects of fluorescence measurements. This guide should be written by an expert party, with both research and industry input, and should be distributed by all manufacturers with their instrumentation. The guide should also be made available on the ACT website as well as those of other relevant organizations. The guide should include discussions on the following topics: The benefits of using fluorometers in research and resource management applications; What fluorometers can and cannot provide in terms of measurements; The necessary assumptions required before applying fluorometry; Characterization and calibration of fluorometers; (pdf contains 32 pages)

Diet composition and daily ration estimates of selected trawl-caught fishes in San Miguel Bay, Philippines

The diet composition of fish caught in San Miguel Bay, Philippines, in April and May 1993 was studied. The diets of tiger-tooth croaker (Otolithes ruber), commerson's anchovy (Stolephorus commersonii); and the Indian anchovy (Stolephorus indicus) consisted mainly of zooplankton, primarily crustaceans. The stomach content of orangefin ponyfish (Leiognathus bindus) was found to consist mostly of detritus and unidentified materials. Daily rations estimated were: 1.90 g day super(1) for O. ruber of 17.3 g mean body weight (BW), 0.078 g day super(1) for S. commersonii) of 3.8 g mean BW, 0.062 g day super(1) for S. indicus of 3.9 g mean BW and 0.56 g day super(1) for L. bindus of 7.7 g mean BW.