Movement of yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus Block 1790) and black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci Poey 1860) in the northern Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as determined by acoustic telemetry

We tagged a total of 14 yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus Bloch 1790) and black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci Poey 1860) inside the Conch Reef Research Only Area (a no-take marine reserve) in the northern Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in November 2001. Both species are heavily exploited in the region. Our objective was to characterize site fidelity and movement behavior along the reef tract to the north and south of the release point. Fishes were collected by baited hook and line from the surface, surgically-tagged with coded-acoustic transmitters, and returned to the reef by snorkelers. Tracking of fish movement behavior was conducted by five acoustic receivers deployed on the seafloor from Davis Reef in the south to Pickles Reef in the north. Fishes were tracked for up to eight months. Results indicated that the majority of signal detections for individual fish from both species were recorded at the two Conch Reef receivers. Limited movement from Conch Reef to Davis Reef was recorded, but no signal detections were recorded at the two sites to the north of Conch Reef. These results suggest that both species show site fidelity to Conch Reef. Future studies will seek to characterize this site fidelity with increased temporal and spatial resolution at Conch Reef. (PDF contains 25 pages.)

Schooling habits of yellowfin tuna (Neothunnus macropterus) and skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, as indicated by purse seine catch records, 1946-1955

ENGLISH: These aspects of the schooling habits of the yellowfin and skipjack tuna may be investigated by means of the logbook records of the catches of individual sets of the nets of purse-seine vessels. For both purposes it must be assumed that a set is made, in each case, on a single school of fish. The study of school sizes based on these data requires the additional assumption either that the entire school is captured or that each set captures a constant fraction of the school upon which it is made. In this paper we report on the results of such investigations based on logbook records of the purse-seine fleet. SPANISH: Estos aspectos de los hábitos gregarios de los atunes aleta amarilla y barrilete pueden ser investigados a base de los registros de bitácora en que se anotan las pescas resultantes de cada una de las operaciones con la red de encierre que realizan los barcos rederos. Para ambos propósitos hay que suponer que las operaciones se efectúan, en cada caso, en un cardumen independiente. El estudio de los tamaños de los cardúmenes o manchas, a base de estos datos, requiere una suposición adicional: que el cardumen entero es capturado o, en su defecto, que en cada operación con la red se pesca una fracción constante de la mancha objeto de la pesca. En el presente artículo damos cuenta de los resultados de dichas investigaciones basadas en los registros de bitácora que lleva la flota de embarcaciones que utilizan redes de encierre. (PDF contains 47 pages.)

Ictiólogos de la Argentina: Francisco Juan José Risso Ceriani.

This series will include all those people who, by means of their contributions, great and small, played a part in the consolidation of ichthyology in Argentina. The general plan of this work consists of individual factsheets containing a list of works by each author, along with reference bibliography and, whenever possible, personal pictures and additional material. The datasheets will be published primarily in chronological order, although this is subject to change by the availability of materials for successive editions. This work represents another approach for the recovery and revalorization of those who set the foundations of Argentine ichthyology while in diverse historical circumstances. I expect this to be the beginning of a major work that achieves the description of such a significant part of the history of natural sciences in Argentina.

Investment prospects of fish farming in the Jos-Plateau, Nigeria

The investment prospects of fish farming in the Jos-Plateau, Nigeria, strategically located in about the centre of the country are discussed with special reference to its numerous abandoned mine lakes and the tripartite role of government, universities and individuals. In the Jos-Plateau, about 17.0 km super(2) is covered by these disused mine lakes, making up about 20-30% of the area covered. In such enterprise, problems commonly encountered, like population growth and government planning policies, fish demand and supply, manpower, feed and seed availability, preservation, processing and marketing are discussed. Inspite of these, prospects still abound with regards to land-use of these numerous disused mine lakes and feed availability based on the principles of using both industrial and farm by-products for fish culture, processing and marketing. These potentials, if properly harnessed, will help to supplement the protein insufficiency in the diet of the populace. In this regard, proposals on the economics of production and sales, strategies for achieving these development goals, cost-benefit analysis and their implications in further development of fish culture are discussed

Workshop on turtle bycatch mitigation for longline fisheries: experimental design and data analysis, 7-8 November 2007, San Ramón de Alajuela, Costa Rica

Large numbers of fishing vessels operating from ports in Latin America participate in surface longline fisheries in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO), and several species of sea turtles inhabit the grounds where these fleets operate. The endangered status of several sea turtle species, and the success of circle hooks (‘treatment’ hooks) in reducing turtle hookings in other ocean areas, as compared to J-hooks and Japanese-style tuna hooks (‘control’ hooks), prompted the initiation of a hook exchange program on the west coast of Latin America, the Eastern Pacific Regional Sea Turtle Program (EPRSTP)1. One of the goals of the EPRSTP is to determine if circle hooks would be effective at reducing turtle bycatch in artisanal fisheries of the EPO without significantly reducing the catch of marketable fish species. Participating fishers were provided with circle hooks at no cost and asked to replace the J/Japanese-style tuna hooks on their longlines with circle hooks in an alternating manner. Data collected by the EPRSTP show differences in longline gear and operational characteristics within and among countries. These aspects of the data, in addition to difficulties encountered with implementation of the alternating-hook design, pose challenges for analysis of these data.

Ictiólogos de la Argentina: José Pedro Mestre Aceredillo

This series will include all those people who, by means of their contributions, great and small, played a part in the consolidation of ichthyology in Argentina. The general plan of this work consists of individual factsheets containing a list of works by each author, along with reference bibliography and, whenever possible,personal pictures and additional material. The datasheets will be published primarily in chronological order, although this is subject to change by the availability of materials for successive editions. This work represents another approach for the recovery and revalorization of those who set the foundations of Argentine ichthyology while in diverse historical circumstances. I expect this to be the beginning of a major work that achieves the description of such a significant part of the history of natural sciences in Argentina.

Ictiólogos de la Argentina: Mariano Narciso Antonio José Castex

This series will include all those people who, by means of their contributions, great and small, played a part in the consolidation of ichthyology in Argentina. The general plan of this work consists of individual factsheets containing a list of works by each author, along with reference bibliography and, whenever possible, personal pictures and additional material. The datasheets will be published primarily in chronological order, although this is subject to change by the availability of materials for successive editions. This work represents another approach for the recovery and revalorization of those who set the foundations of Argentine ichthyology while in diverse historical circumstances. I expect this to be the beginning of a major work that achieves the description of such a significant part of the history of natural sciences in Argentina.

Ictiólogos de la Argentina: José Gustavo Haro

This series will include all those people who, by means of their contributions, great and small, played a part in the consolidation of ichthyology in Argentina. The general plan of this work consists of individual factsheets containing a list of works by each author, along with reference bibliography and, whenever possible, personal pictures and additional material. The datasheets will be published primarily in chronological order, although this is subject to change by the availability of materials for successive editions. This work represents another approach for the recovery and revalorization of those who set the foundations of Argentine ichthyology while in diverse historical circumstances. I expect this to be the beginning of a major work that achieves the description of such a significant part of the history of natural sciences in Argentina.

Maryland commercial fisheries statistics, 1946-1950

This bulletin is the second of a series begun in 1948, designed to present detailed records of the commercial fish catch of the state. The statistics set forth were derived from records obtained only from licensed commercial fishermen and contain no data pertaining to small unlicensed units of fishing gear, or to the sports fishery.