Benthic Macrofauna of the New York Bight, 1979-89

The benthic macrofauna of the New York Bight has been monitored extensively, primarily to determine trends over space and time in biological effects of waste inputs. In the present study, from 44 to 48 stations were sampled each summer from 1980-1985. Data from other Bight benthic studies are included to· extend the temporal coverage from 1979 to 1989. Numbers of species and amphipods per sample, taken as relatively sensitive indicators of environmental stress, showed consistent spatial patterns. Lowest values were found in the Christiaensen Basin and other inshore areas, and numbers increased toward the outermost shelf and Hudson Shelf Valley stations. There were statistically significant decreases in species and amphipods at most stations from 1980 to 1985. (Preliminary data from a more recent study suggest numbers of species increased again between 1986 and 1989.) Cluster analysis of 1980-85 data indicated several distinct assemblages-sewage sludge dumpsite, sludge accumulation area, inner Shelf Valley, outer Shelf Valley, outer shelf-with little change over time. The "enriched" and "highly altered" assemblages in the Basin appear similar to those reported since sampling began there in 1968. No consistently defaunated areas have been found in any sampling programs over the past 20 years. On a gross level, therefore, recent faunal responses to any environmental changes are not evident, but the more sensitive measures used, i.e. numbers of species and amphipods, do indicate widespread recent effects. Causes of the faunal changes are not obvious; some possibilities, including increasing effects of sewage sludge or other waste inputs, natural factors, and sampling artifacts, are discussed. (PDF file contains 54 pages.)

Status of the shore area from Tiengiang to Camau: causes of accumulation and erosion

The paper presents some results of the research programs which had been performed during 1996-1999 (“Studying of river-sea interaction in the mouth of Tien river” and KHCN.06.08). Based on these results the morphological schemes of the shore areas from Tiengiang to Camau were compiled; causes and mechanics of accumulation and erosion were also determined. These results may be used as scientific basis for forecasting the development of the shoreline, it will contribute to the management, protection and reasonable exploitation the shore areas.

The production of algae growing on gravel in a chalk-stream

Epilithic algae, ie that growing on the surface of stones, was studied as part of the work on the energy flow of the chalk-stream ecosystem, by the River Laboratory. The study area was on Bere Stream and 2 neighbouring streams. The algal biomass was estimated from analysis of chlorophyll a. In Bere Stream the peak chlorophyll a cover occurred in April, while in the neighbouring streams, which have considerably lower nutrient levels, there was on peak. Assuming that 2% of a diatoms dry wt is chlorophyll a, then even in mid-April the biomass of epilithic algae amounted to no more than 15 g dry wt m Super(-2) of exposed gravel. Annual production was calculated to be > 15 times greater than biomass. The estimation of net primary production is always difficult for benthic floras and comparisons are especially difficult when different methods are used. But these figures contrast sharply with those for Ranunculus (water crowfoot) which has a ratio of annual production to maximal seasonal biomass of 1:16. The accumulation of algal biomass is apparently being prevented. Some organic matter may be excreted; some algae will be washed off the bed of the stream by current and grazing by herbivorous invertebrates will also tend to prevent algal accumulation.

Biologie de Penaeus duorarum notialis en Côte d'Ivoire. 4 - Rélations entre la répartition et les conditions du milieu. Étude des variations du sex-ratio

The analysis of the geographic and bathymetric distribution of Penaeus duorarum and, particularly P. d. notialis off Côte d'Ivoire and in its whole distribution area leads to the definition of the adult ecological requirements (temperature, salinity, grain size and sediment composition, organic matter) and the importance of the thermocline in the bathmetric distribution. The population structure study shows: (1) variations of size with depth, (2) variations of sex ratio, with size, depth and seasons.

The potential use of time-area closures to reduce catches of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the purse-seine fishery of the eastern Pacific Ocean

Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), and bigeye (Thunnus obesus) tunas are caught by purse-seine vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). Although there is no evidence to indicate that current levels of fishing-induced mortality will affect the sustainability of skipjack or yellowfin tunas, fishing mortality on juvenile (younger than 5 years of age) bigeye tuna has increased, and overall fishing mortality is greater than that necessary to produce the maximum sustainable yield of this species. We investigated whether time-area closures have the potential to reduce purse-seine bigeye catches without significantly reducing skipjack catches. Using catch and effort data for 1995–2002, we identified regions where the ratio of bigeye to skipjack tuna catches was high and applied simple closed-area models to investigate the possible benefits of time-area closures. We estimated that the most optimistic and operationally feasible 3-month closures, covering the equatorial region of the EPO during the third quarter of the year, could reduce bigeye catches by 11.5%, while reducing skipjack tuna catches by 4.3%. Because this level of bigeye tuna catch reduction is insufficient to address sustainability concerns, and larger and longer closures would reduce catches of this species signficantly, we recommend that future research be directed toward gear technology solutions because these have been successful in many other fisheries. In particular, because over 50% of purse-seine catches of bigeye tuna are taken in sets in which bigeye tuna are the dominant species, methods to allow the determination of the species composition of aggregations around floating objects may be important.

Reproductive biology of carpenter seabream (Argyrozona argyrozona) (Pisces: Sparidae) in a marine protected area

The carpenter seabream (Argyrozona argyrozona) is an endemic South African sparid that comprises an important part of the handline fishery. A three-year study (1998−2000) into its reproductive biology within the Tsitsikamma National Park revealed that these fishes are serial spawning late gonochorists. The size at 50% maturity (L50) was estimated at 292 and 297 mm FL for both females and males, respectively. A likelihood ratio test revealed that there was no significant difference between male and female L50 (P>0.5). Both monthly gonadosomatic indices and macroscopically determined ovarian stages strongly indicate that A. argyrozona within the Tsitsikamma National Park spawn in the astral summer between November and April. The presence of postovulatory follicles (POFs) confirmed a six-month spawning season, and monthly proportions of early (0−6 hour old) POFs showed that spawning frequency was highest (once every 1−2 days) from December to March. Although spawning season was more highly correlated to photoperiod (r = 0.859) than temperature (r = −0.161), the daily proportion of spawning fish was strongly correlated (r= 0.93) to ambient temperature over the range 9−22oC. These results indicate that short-term upwelling events, a strong feature in the Tsitsikamma National Park during summer, may negatively affect carpenter fecundity. Both spawning frequency and duration (i.e., length of spawning season) increased with fish length. As a result of the allometric relationship between annual fecundity and fish mass a 3-kg fish was calculated to produce fivefold more eggs per kilogram of body weight than a fish of 1 kg. In addition to producing more eggs per unit of weight each year, larger fish also produce significantly larger eggs.

Lobster trap debris in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: distribution, abundance, density, and patterns of accumulation

The fishery for spiny lobster Panulirus argus in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is well chronicled, but little information is available on the prevalence of lost or abandoned lobster traps. In 2007, towed-diver surveys were used to identify and count pieces of trap debris and any other marine debris encountered. Trap debris density (debris incidences/ha) in historic trap-use zones and in representative benthic habitats was estimated. Trap debris was not proportionally distributed with fishing effort. Coral habitats had the greatest density of trap debris despite trap fishers’ reported avoidance of coral reefs while fishing. The accumulation of trap debris on coral emphasizes the role of wind in redistributing traps and trap debris in the sanctuary. We estimated that 85,548 ± 23,387 (mean ± SD) ghost traps and 1,056,127 ± 124,919 nonfishing traps or remnants of traps were present in the study area. Given the large numbers of traps in the fishery and the lack of effective measures for managing and controlling the loss of gear, the generation of trap debris will likely continue in proportion to the number of traps deployed in the fishery. Focused removal of submerged trap debris from especially vulnerable habitats such as reefs and hardbottom, where trap debris density is high, would mitigate key habitat issues but would not address ghost fishing or the cost of lost gear.

Community metabolism, P/R ratio and photosynthetic efficiency of a brackishwater farm

The productivity level of a brackishwater fish culture farm consisting of 25 ponds, with a water spread area of 2.5 ha, was studied. Gross community photosynthesis of the farm was found to be 46.32 Kcal/m2/day, which is equivalent to the release of 13.23 of O2/m2/day, or the fixing of 4.10 gC/m2/day. Respiratory demand of the farm was estimated to be 44.66 kcal/m2/day, which is equivalent to the uptake of 12.76 g O2/m2/day or the utilization of 3.95 gC/m2/day. Photosynthetic efficiency of the farm was high at 2.26%. The P/R ratio was 1.04, showing eutrophic nature.

Effects of control of C/N ratio by low-cost carbohydrate addition on water quality and pond ecology in freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii post-larvae nursing system

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of control of carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) by addition of low cost carbohydrate to the water column on water quality and pond ecology in freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii post-larvae nursing system. In this experiment, two level of dietary protein 20% and 35% without carbohydrate addition (‘P20' and ‘P35') and with carbohydrate addition (‘P20+CH' and ‘P35+CH') were compared in small ponds of 40 m² area stocked with 20 post-larvae (0.021 ± 0.001g) per m² . Maize flour was used as low cost carbohydrate and applied to the water column followed by the first feeding during the day. The addition of carbohydrate significantly reduced (p< 0.05) ammonia-nitrogen (NH sub(3)-N) and nitrite-nitrogen (NO sub(2) - N) of water in P20 + CH and P35 + CH treatments. It significantly increased (p< 0.05) the total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) population both in water and sediment. Fifty nine genera of plankton were identified belonging to the Bacillariophyceae (11), Chlorophyceae (21), Cyanophyceae (7), Dinophyceae (1), Rotifera (7) and Crustacea (9) without any significant difference (p>0.05) of total phytoplankton and zooplankton among the treatments. Survival rate of prawn was significantly lowest (p<0.05) in P20 and no significant difference (p>0.05) was observed between P20+CH and P35 treatments. Control of C/N ratio by the addition of low-cost carbohydrate to the pond water column benefited the freshwater prawn nursing practices in three ways (1) increased heterotrophic bacterial growth supplying bacterial protein augment the prawn post-larvae growth performances, (2) reduced demand for supplemental feed protein and subsequent reduction in feed cost and (3) reduced toxic NH sub(3)-N and NO sub(2)-N levels in pond nursing system.

Investigation on reproduction process in two species of crab, Eriphia sebana and Ocypode saratan in the intertidal zone of Chabahar area

The present study with headline investigation on reproduction in two species of crab Eriphia sebana and Ocypode saratan was carried out in the intertidal zone of Chabahar in thirteen month from December 2004 to December 2005. Checked samplings have been taken, 45 number Crab monthly from any four stations by manual or use trap. During this study the following subjects were measured: temperature range and salinity, measurable coast granule, determination of sex ratio, relations carapace width with carapace length, Carapace width with total body weight, Gonad weight, gonadosomatic index, condition factor, gastrosomatic index, investigation content in stomach, LM50, growth parameters, plenty distribution length and width and gonad weight and total body weight. Studied on measurable coast granule were expressed that Ocypode saratan in Desalination station, were nest in soils equable sand and this quantity were confirmed in Pozm station. Sex ratio were assign in desalination area and Pozm M: F 0/44:0/56 and in Tiss and Chabahar M:F 0/45:0/55. Carapace length and carapace width (cm) and body weight (g) Furthest were designated in Ocypode saratan within carapace width sequential: In female: 5/42-6/15-105/13 and in male: 5/53-6/25-108/91 and in Eriphia sebana within Tiss area sequential: in female: 5/12-5/94-110/21 and in male 5/14-60/01-114/37. Have been linear relationship between carapace length and carapace width and equaled CW=aCL+b. Weight growth in two species were be modal and equaled BW=aCLb And increased crab weight by built up carapace width. Maximum gonad weight in Ocypode saratan within Desalination area in female have been outcome 3/39 and in male 0/84g and in Eriphia sebana extreme within Tiss during may in female were be 4/18 and in male 1/1g. Stomach content in Eriphia sebana were involved a black until half-purplish liquid and yellowish in Ocypode saratan. Stomach contents identifiable were being in four groups: Molluscoid, Crustacean, Plankton and Fish. Carapace width during the first year of maturation have been LM50:3/77 in Desalination area and LM50:3/92 in Pozm for Ocypode saratan and LM50:4/26 in Tiss and LM50:4/62 in Chabahar. Ability spawning in Eriphia sebana within Tiss has been CW=4/17cm and in Ocypode saratan within Desalination area CW=4/23cm. Maximun value of Loo for Eriphia sebana was equal 59/67 and growth factor K=0/68 within Tiss and Loo =61/64, K=0/65 for Ocypode saratan within Desalination area. Maximun GSI and GI have been within Desalination area and Tiss and minimum within Pozm and Chabahar. The maturity stages of two species were classifed into six stages. Review on GSI, CF have been showed that relation with temperature and salinity and definer in two species have been spawned in two period that Maximun in spring premier than autumn.