Some abundant Tendipedid species (Diptera, Tendipedidae) of the Amu-Darya drainage basin. Acalcarella shilova, gen.n. only [Translation from: Ent.Obozr. 34 313-322, 1955]

This document is a partial translation of taxonomic notes on two Diptera species (Acalcarella Shilova, Acalcarrella nucus) which were abundant in a survey of Tendipedid species (Diptera, Tendipedidae) of the Amu Darya drainage basin. These taxonomic notes of the larva, pupa and adults include drawings of the Acalcarella nucus larva.

Factors influencing the downstream transport of sediment in the Lough Feeagh catchment, Burrishoole, Co. Mayo, Ireland

Research laboratories in the Burrishoole catchment have been the focus of salmonid research since 1955. One aspect of the research has been to monitor the number of salmon and sea trout migrating to sea as smolts and returning to the catchment as adults. In the early 1990s it became clear that the smolt output from the catchment had declined over the previous two decades. At about the same time the presence of fine particles of peat silt in the hatchery became increasingly apparent and led to a higher incidence of mortality of young fry. These observations and management difficulties led to a study of silt transport in the surface waters of the catchment, which is described in this article. The authors describe geology, soils, climate and hydrology of Burrishoole before examining the sediment deposition in Lough Feeagh.

The Marine Science Library, Resource Center : poster presentation

The first concept of a new library was introduced in 2001 by a faculty member at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. The suggestion for the construction of a new library was based on two specific reasons: existing library is located in one of the most vulnerable buildings to hurricane damage and the library has outgrown its current space. This presentation provides a general overview of the current status and changing needs of the Marine Science Library and how the idea of a new library finally became a reality

Using RIVPACS for studies on conservation and biodiversity

Invertebrate conservation relies not only on public support and political will, but also on possessing an adequate understanding of the distribution and ecology of invertebrate species and communities. In the UK, RIVPACS is making an important contribution to assessing the conservation importance of river invertebrate assemblages. So far, work has largely centred on using RIVPACS as an integral part of SERCON (System for Evaluating Rivers for Conservation), in which data collected using the standard RIVPACS method are interpreted with reference to conservation criteria such as species richness and representativeness. Applications of RIVPACS to other areas of conservation - whether providing information on the ecological requirements of rare species, monitoring the success of river restoration projects, or making broader assessments of sustainability - are probably more limited, but merit further examination. It is important to develop closer links between RIVPACS and techniques such as SERCON and RHS (River Habitat Survey) in order to maximise the benefit each can bring tostudies on conservation and biodiversity. It should also be recognised that there are limitations in transferring such systems to other countries where approaches to nature conservation may be very different.

Using productivity and susceptibility indices to assess the vulnerability of United States fish stocks to overfishing

Assessing the vulnerability of stocks to fishing practices in U.S. federal waters was recently highlighted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as an important factor to consider when 1) identifying stocks that should be managed and protected under a fishery management plan; 2) grouping data-poor stocks into relevant management complexes; and 3) developing precautionary harvest control rules. To assist the regional fishery management councils in determining vulnerability, NMFS elected to use a modified version of a productivity and susceptibility analysis (PSA) because it can be based on qualitative data, has a history of use in other fisheries, and is recommended by several organizations as a reasonable approach for evaluating risk. A number of productivity and susceptibility attributes for a stock are used in a PSA and from these attributes, index scores and measures of uncertainty are computed and graphically displayed. To demonstrate the utility of the resulting vulnerability evaluation, we evaluated six U.S. fisheries targeting 162 stocks that exhibited varying degrees of productivity and susceptibility, and for which data quality varied. Overall, the PSA was capable of differentiating the vulnerability of stocks along the gradient of susceptibility and productivity indices, although fixed thresholds separating low-, moderate-, and highly vulnerable species were not observed. The PSA can be used as a flexible tool that can incorporate regional-specific information on fishery and management activity.

On the growth, mortality and recruitment of the spiny lobster (Panulirus homarus) in Sri Lankan waters

Monthly length-frequency data of spiny lobster Panulirus homarus collected from the south coast of Sri Lanka during 1988-1990 were analyzed to estimate von Bertallanfy growth parameters. The asymptotic lengths estimated using Wetherall plots were 322 mm and 315 mm total length for the males and females, respectively. Using o' values of 3.53 for males and 3.61 for females, the growth constant (K) was estimated as 0.21 year super(1) and 0.27 year super(1) for the males and females, respectively. The estimates of natural and total mortality (M and Z) are 0.98 year super(1), 1.96 year super(1) for males and 0.92 year super(1), 1.54 year super(1) for females respectively. Recruitment appears to occur in two pulses per year.

Mercury bioaccumulation in pike (Esox lucius) food chain from Anzali Lagoon, Iran

A number of wide-ranging monitoring studies have been performed in order to estimate the degree of mercury (Hg) contamination in freshwater ecosystems. Knowledge regarding contamination of different levels of the food chain is necessary for estimation of total pollutant input fluxes and subsequent partitioning among different phases in the aquatic system. The growing international concern about this environmental data is closely related to the strongly developing ecological risk assessment activities. In addition,freshwater monitoring outputs hold a key position in the estimation of the Hg dose consumed by the human population as it is highly dependent on fish consumption. So monitoring of Hg in the tissue of edible fish is extremely important because of contaminated fish has caused serious neurological damage to new born babies and adults. Mercury tends to accumulate in fish tissue, particularly, in the form of methyl mercury, which is about 10 times more toxic than inorganic mercury. The Anzali lagoon is one of the biggest wetland of Guilan province, which joins to the Caspian sea. Many Chemical and industrial factories plus agricultural runoffs and urban and rural sewages are major polluting sources of the Anzali wetland. Since many of those polluting sources drain their wastes directly or indirectly into the Anzali wetland and their sewages may be polluted with Hg, this study was conducted to find out the bioaccumulation of Hg bioaccumulation in pike (Esox lucius) food chain from Anzali lagoon, Iran. Sampling were carried out from July 2004 to July 2005, in addition 318 speciments of 9 fish species were collected. T-Hg was measured by LECO AMA 254 Advanced Mercury Analyzer (USA) according to ASTM standard No D-6722. Each sample was analyzed 3 times. Accuracy of T-Hg analysis was checked by running three samples of Standard Reference Materials; SRM 1633b, SRM 2711 & Sra 2709. Detection limit was 0.001 mg/kg in dry weight. The Accuracy degree of analyzor equipment with RSD<%0.05 (N=7) was between %95.5 and %105. In overal eigth fish species were distingushed in the gut content of 87 speciments of pike with age 1-5 year and maximum length 550mm. The max. and min. concentration of T-Hg in dorsal muscle of pjke was 0.2ppm in one year and 1.2ppm in five year class. The mean of T-Hg significantly increased with age and length increased (P<0.05).Mercury accumulation pattern in pike was as well as muscle > liver > spleen (P<0.05). THg content in female was higher than male(P<0.05). In contrast the mean of THg concentration in dorsal muscle of eigth fish species as prey was 0.282, 0.261, 0.328, 0.254, 0.256, 0.286, 0.322 and 0.241 ppm for Carassius auratus gibelio, Hemiculter leucisculus, Blicca bjoerkna transcaucasica, Chalcalburnus mossulensis, Rhodeus sericeus amarus, Gambusia holbrooki, Alburnus charusini hohenackeri & Scardinius Erythrophthalmus respectively.Liner regresion indicated that high degree of relationship between age of pike and Uptak/Intake ratio (R2=%99.12) and indicated that the mercury bioaccumulation in the pike dorsal muscle increased with age increased. BFA was >1 and and indicating the mercury biomagnification in the pike food chain. Trophy level of pike in the Anzali lagoon was estimated as well as 3.5 and 4 . It is generally agreed that Hg concentration in carnivorous fish are higher than in noncarnivorous species.