Marine ecosystems of the North Pacific

Key Messages [pdf, 2.5 Mb] Climate Information Gaps Ocean Productivity Information gaps Living Marine Resources Information gaps Climate [pdf, 1.8 Mb] Productivity [pdf, 5.2 Mb] Nutrients Phytoplankton Zooplankton Living Resources [pdf, 10 Mb] Subarctic coastal systems Central oceanic gyres Temperate coastal and oceanic systems Marine mammals The Human Population [pdf, 5 Mb] Contaminants and Habitat Modifications Aquaculture Knowledge Gaps Glossary Ocean and Climate Changes [pdf, 4.1Mb] Highlights Introduction Atmospheric Indices Change in 1998/99 Comparison of Atmospheric Indices Authorship Yellow Sea / East China Sea [pdf, 2.3 Mb] Highlights Background Status and Trends Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Benthos Fish and invertebrates Marine birds and mammals Issues Critical factors causing change Authorship Japan/East Sea [pdf, 3.3 Mb] Highlights Background Status and Trends Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Fish and Invertebrates Marine Birds and Mammals Critical factors causing change Issues Authorship Okhotsk Sea [pdf, 1.7 Mb] Background Status and Trends Climate Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Fish and Invertebrates Marine Birds and Mammals Issues Critical factors causing change Authorship Oyashio / Kuroshio [pdf, 4.5 Mb] Highlights Background Status and Trends Hydrography Plankton Fish and Invertebrates Marine Birds and Mammals Issues Authorship Western Subarctic Gyre [pdf, 4.5 Mb] Highlights Background Status and Trends Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Fish and Invertebrates Marine Birds and Mammals Issues Authorship Bering Sea [pdf, 2.2 Mb] Highlights Background Status and Trends Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Fish and Invertebrates Marine Birds and Mammals Critical Factors Causing Change Issues Authorship Gulf of Alaska [pdf, 2.6 Mb] Highlights Background Status and trends Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Fish and Invertebrates Marine birds and mammals Critical factors causing change Issues Authorship California Current [pdf, 2.7 Mb] Highlights Background Status and Trends Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Fish and Invertebrates Marine Birds and Mammals Critical Factors Causing Change Issues Authorship Gulf of California [pdf, 1.7 Mb] Highlights Background Status and Trends Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Fisheries Marine Birds and Mammals Critical Factors Causing Change Issues Authorship Transition Zone [pdf, 2.5 Mb] Background Status and Trends Hydrography Chemistry Plankton Fish and Invertebrates Marine Birds and Mammals Issues Authorship Tuna [pdf, 1.5 Mb] Highlights Background Pacific bluefin tuna Albacore tuna Status and trends Ecosystem model and climate forcing Authorship Pacific halibut [pdf, 1.1 Mb] Background The Fishery Climate Influences Authorship Pacific salmon [Updated, pdf, 0.4 Mb] Background Status and Trends Washington, Oregon, and California British Columbia Southeast Alaska Central Alaska Western Alaska Russia Japan Authorship References [pdf, 0.5 Mb]

Marine Flora and Fauna of the Northeastern United States Echinodermata: Crinoidea

The crinoid fauna of the continental margin (0-1500 m) of northeastern North America (Georgia to Canada) includes 14 species in 13 genera and 5 families. We introduce the external morphology and natural history of crinoids and include a glossary of terms, an illustrated key to local taxa, annotated systematic list, and an index. The fauna includes 2 species found no further south than New England and 8 that occur no further north than the Carolinas and Blake Plateau. Comactinia meridionalis (Agassiz) is the only species commonly found in shallow water «50 m). No taxa are endemic to the area. (PDF file contains 34 pages.)

Marine flora and fauna of the eastern United States Mollusca: Cephalopoda

The cephalopods found in neritic waters of the northeastern United States include myopsid and oegopsid squids, sepiolid squids, and octopods. A key with diagnostic illustrations is provided to aid in identification of the eleven species common in the neritic waters between Cape Hatteras and Nova Scotia; included also is information on two oceanic species that occur over the continental shelf in this area and that can be confused with similar-looking neritic species. Other sections comprise a glossary of taxonomic characters used for identification of these species, an annotated systematic checklist, and checklists of the 89 other oceanic species and 18 Carolinian and subtropical neritic species that might occur occasionally off the northeastern United States. (PDF file contains 30 pages.)

Illustrated key to Penaeoid shrimps of commerce in the Americas

The commercially important species of penaeoid shrimps comprise 4 families, 12 genera, and 37 species in the Americas, This key is supported by 49 figures including lateral views of whole shrimps in 10 of the 12 genera and detailed figures of male (petasma) and female (thelycum) genital structures of the species. A glossary of terms used in shrimp taxonomy plus a bibliography of references useful in identifying shrimps are included. (PDF file contains 38 pages.)

Proceedings of the International Workshop on age determination of oceanic pelagic fishes: Tunas, billfishes, and sharks, Miami, Florida, February 15-18,1982

Accurate and precise estimates of age and growth rates are essential parameters in understanding the population dynamics of fishes. Some of the more sophisticated stock assessment models, such as virtual population analysis, require age and growth information to partition catch data by age. Stock assessment efforts by regulatory agencies are usually directed at specific fisheries which are being heavily exploited and are suspected of being overfished. Interest in stock assessment of some of the oceanic pelagic fishes (tunas, billfishes, and sharks) has developed only over the last decade, during which exploitation has increased steadily in response to increases in worldwide demand for these resources. Traditionally, estimating the age of fishes has been done by enumerating growth bands on skeletal hardparts, through length frequency analysis, tag and recapture studies, and raising fish in enclosures. However, problems related to determining the age of some of the oceanic pelagic fishes are unique compared with other species. For example, sampling is difficult for these large, highly mobile fishes because of their size, extensive distributions throughout the world's oceans, and for some, such as the marlins, infrequent catches. In addition, movements of oceanic pelagic fishes often transect temperate as well as tropical oceans, making interpretation of growth bands on skeletal hardparts more difficult than with more sedentary temperate species. Many oceanic pelagics are also long-lived, attaining ages in excess of 30 yr, and more often than not, their life cycles do not lend themselves easily to artificial propagation and culture. These factors contribute to the difficulty of determining ages and are generally characteristic of this group-the tunas, billfishes, and sharks. Accordingly, the rapidly growing international concern in managing oceanic pelagic fishes, as well as unique difficulties in ageing these species, prompted us to hold this workshop. Our two major objectives for this workshop are to: I) Encourage the interchange of ideas on this subject, and 2) establish the "state of the art." A total of 65 scientists from 10 states in the continental United States and Hawaii, three provinces in Canada, France, Republic of Senegal, Spain, Mexico, Ivory Coast, and New South Wales (Australia) attended the workshop held at the Southeast Fisheries Center, Miami, Fla., 15-18 February 1982. Our first objective, encouraging the interchange of ideas, is well illustrated in the summaries of the Round Table Discussions and in the Glossary, which defines terms used in this volume. The majority of the workshop participants agreed that the lack of validation of age estimates and the means to accomplish the same are serious problems preventing advancements in assessing the age and growth of fishes, particularly oceanic pelagics. The alternatives relating to the validation problem were exhaustively reviewed during the Round Table Discussions and are a major highlight of this workshop. How well we accomplished our second objective, to establish the "state of the art" on age determination of oceanic pelagic fishes, will probably best be judged on the basis of these proceedings and whether future research efforts are directed at the problem areas we have identified. In order to produce high-quality papers, workshop participants served as referees for the manuscripts published in this volume. Several papers given orally at the workshop, and included in these proceedings, were summarized from full-length manuscripts, which have been submitted to or published in other scientific outlets-these papers are designated as SUMMARY PAPERS. In addition, the SUMMARY PAPER designation was also assigned to workshop papers that represented very preliminary or initial stages of research, cursory progress reports, papers that were data shy, or provide only brief reviews on general topics. Bilingual abstracts were included for all papers that required translation. We gratefully acknowledge the support of everyone involved in this workshop. Funding was provided by the Southeast Fisheries Center, and Jack C. Javech did the scientific illustrations appearing on the cover, between major sections, and in the Glossary. (PDF file contains 228 pages.)

Organization, functions, and achievements of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

This report is a description of the organization, functions, and achievements of the IATTC. It has been prepared to provide, in a convenient format, answers to requests for information concerning the IATTC. It replaces similar, earlier reports (Carroz, 1965; IATTC Spec. Rep., 1 and 5), which are now largely outdated. In order to make each section of the report independent of the others, some aspects of the IATTC are described in more than one section. For example, work on the early life history of tunas financed by the Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation of Japan is mentioned in the subsection entitled Finance, the subsection entitled Biology of tunas and billfishes, and the section entitled RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. Due to space constraints, however, it is not possible to describe the IATTC's activities in detail in this report. Additional information is available in publications of the IATTC, listed in Appendix 6, and in its web site, www.iattc.org. Many abbreviations are used in this report. The names of the organizations or the terms are written out the first time they are used, and, for convenience, they are also listed in the Glossary.

A computer software package for assessing and managing risks posed by experiments with genetically modified fish and shellfish

Assessment and management of risk is needed for sustainable use of genetically modified aquatic organisms (aquatic GMOs). A computer software package for safely conducting research with genetically modified fish and shellfish is described. By answering a series of questions about the organism and the accessible aquatic ecosystem, a researcher or oversight authority can either identify specific risks or conclude that there is a specific reason for safety of the experiment. Risk assessment protocols with examples involving transgenic coho salmon, triploid grass carp and hybrid tilapia are described. In case a specific risk is identified, the user is led to consider risk management measures, involving culture methods, facilities design and operations management, to minimize the risk. Key features of the software are its user-friendly organization; easy access to explanatory text, literature citations and glossary; and automated completion of a worksheet. Documented completion of the Performance Standards can facilitate approval of a well designed experiment by oversight authorities.

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.