Fish production, catches and the carrying capacity of the world oceans

A brief review of the status of the world fisheries is presented with emphasis on the differences between catches (= landings + bycatch), biological production of fish, and predation (= production - catches). The ECOPATH II approach implemented as a new, Windows-based software is then shown to allow construction of a stratified world model accoutinng for global catches, production of and predation on fishes, and thus improved estimates of global potentials. A newly initiated, cooperative project is described through which the foundation for such a global model could be constructed, based on a stratified database with more than 100 trophic models. Collaborators are invited to join in this, and will be assisted in constructing models covering their areas of interest.

On holism, reductionism and working from 9 to 5

A discussion is presented on the 2 approaches - holism and reductionism - in the study of environmental sciences, making reference to various projects presently being conducted by ICLARM and its collaborators using the holistic approach. Schematic representations are given of ICLARM's FISHBASE, the ECOPATH II model of the Peruvian upwelling ecosystem and submodels which may be incorporated in large simulation models of the upwelling system, and also material flows in a rice-fish/shrimp integrated farming systems of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

Announcing the release of FishBase 96

FishBase is a computerized encyclopedia of fishes developed at International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) with the support of the European Commission and in collaboration with a large number of institutions throughout the world, notably FAO, and available since 1995 as CD-ROM. Major improvements since version 1.2 have now allowed for the release of FishBase 96, whose name indicates the intention to update FishBase annually. Some of the major improvements of FishBase 96 are: (a) 3,000 more species (total 15,000) and 3,000 more pictures (total 9,000); (b) complete marine checklists for 48 countries, and freshwater checklists for 60 countries; (c) a new user module to document local knowledge of fishes; (d) a stand-alone glossary defining 2,500 ichthyological and related terms; (e) new databases on brain weights (from R. Beauchot and colleagues at the University of Paris VII), on ciguatera (from P. Dalzell, South Pacific Commission, Noumea), and on recruitment (from R.A. Myers and colleagues at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, St. John's); and (f) new graphs to display quantitative data: through time series, pie charts and bivariate plots. As before, FishBase is available free to collaborators, for US$50 as update to registered users of previous versions, and for US$95 for new users.

Caribbean corals in crisis: record thermal stress, bleaching, and mortality in 2005

Background: The rising temperature of the world’s oceans has become a major threat to coral reefs globally as the severity and frequency of mass coral bleaching and mortality events increase. In 2005, high ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean resulted in the most severe bleaching event ever recorded in the basin. Methodology/Principal Findings: Satellite-based tools provided warnings for coral reef managers and scientists, guiding both the timing and location of researchers’ field observations as anomalously warm conditions developed and spread across the greater Caribbean region from June to October 2005. Field surveys of bleaching and mortality exceeded prior efforts in detail and extent, and provided a new standard for documenting the effects of bleaching and for testing nowcast and forecast products. Collaborators from 22 countries undertook the most comprehensive documentation of basin-scale bleaching to date and found that over 80% of corals bleached and over 40% died at many sites. The most severe bleaching coincided with waters nearest a western Atlantic warm pool that was centered off the northern end of the Lesser Antilles. Conclusions/Significance: Thermal stress during the 2005 event exceeded any observed from the Caribbean in the prior 20 years, and regionally-averaged temperatures were the warmest in over 150 years. Comparison of satellite data against field surveys demonstrated a significant predictive relationship between accumulated heat stress (measured using NOAA Coral Reef Watch’s Degree Heating Weeks) and bleaching intensity. This severe, widespread bleaching and mortality will undoubtedly have long-term consequences for reef ecosystems and suggests a troubled future for tropical marine ecosystems under a warming climate