The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2005

Executive Summary: For over three decades, scientists have been documenting the decline of coral reef ecosystems, amid increasing recognition of their value in supporting high biological diversity and their many benefits to human society. Coral reef ecosystems are recognized for their benefits on many levels, such as supporting economies by nurturing fisheries and providing for recreational and tourism opportunities, providing substances useful for medical purposes, performing essential ecosystem services that protect against coastal erosion, and provid-ing a diversity of other, more intangible contributions to many cultures. In the past decade, the increased awareness regarding coral reefs has prompted action by governmental and non-governmental organizations, including increased funding from the U.S. Congress for conservation of these important ecosystems and creation of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) to coordinate activities and implement conservation measures [Presidential Executive Order 13089]. Numerous partnerships forged among Federal agencies and state, local, non-governmental, academic and private partners support activities that range from basic science to systematic monitoring of ecosystem com-ponents and are conducted by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, and the private sector. This report shares the results of many of these efforts in the framework of a broad assessment of the condition of coral reef ecosystems across 14 U.S. jurisdictions and Pacific Freely Associated States. This report relies heavily on quantitative, spatially-explicit data that has been collected in the recent past and comparisons with historical data, where possible. The success of this effort can be attributed to the dedication of over 160 report contributors who comprised the expert writing teams for each jurisdiction. The content of the report chapters are the result of their considerable collaborative efforts. The writing teams, which were organized by jurisdiction and comprised of experts from numerous research and management institutions, were provided a basic chapter outline and a length limit, but the content of each chapter was left entirely to their discretion. Each jurisdictional chapter in the report is structured to: 1) describe how each of the primary threats identified in the National Coral Reef Action Strategy (NCRAS) has manifested in the jurisdiction; 2) introduce ongoing monitoring and assessment activities relative to three major categories of inquiry – water quality, benthic habitats, and associated biological communities – and provide summary results in a data-rich format; and 3) highlight recent management activities that promote conservation of coral reef ecosystems.

Transfer of Medical Sensor Technologies to Environmental Monitoring, Solomons, Maryland, April 6-8, 2005: workshop proceedings

(pdf contains 23 pages)

Information science and the scientist. A look at information requirements and the technologies available to scientists in the pursuit of information

A review article looking at the type of information requirements commonly shared by scientists and their use of traditional information services. Areas covered include primary requirements of IFE (Institute of Freshwater Ecology) staff, pure versus applied research, informal and personal sources of information, and traditional library and information services. It goes on to describe how research into information systems and technology may improve the wider accessibility and use of information to the scientific community. Technologies covered include online databases, telecommunications, gateways, expert systems, optical technology and applications of CDROM.

The Network of Tropical Aquaculture Scientists (NTAS) : 1987-1996

This article reviews the past, present and future activities of the Network of Tropical Aquaculture Scientists (NTAS), an information network for individual scientists working on tropical aquaculture, especially on genetics, integrated agriculture-aquaculture farming systems and coastal aquaculture of tropical molluscs.

The Network of Tropical Aquaculture Scientists (NTAS) : past, present and future

This article reviews the past, present and future activities of the Network of Tropical Aquaculture Scientists (NTAS), an information network for individual scientists working on tropical aquaculture, especially on genetics, integrated agriculture-aquaculture farming systems and coastal aquaculture of tropical molluscs.

Report of the technical exchange between Thailand and Myanmar fisheries scientists on hilsa

Collaboration between Thailand and Myanmar fisheries scientists with the goal of developing an artificial breeding program to promote a sustainable Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) fishery. This report was prepared in Thai by Mr Suttichai Rittitum and translated into English and Burmese by the SEAFDEC Secretariat.