Women in the December 26 Tsunami: how have they coped; how can we help?

Fishing communities around the Indian Ocean were severely affected by the December 2004 tsunamis. Programs for rebuilding coastal fisheries livelihoods need to address the pre-tsunami situation that was characterized by overfishing and degraded natural resources. Adopting appropriate strategies to ensure sustainable livelihoods will require community involvement, as well as cross-sectoral, integrated planning and management at ascending government levels. Key recommendations from the WorldFish Center study Sustainable Management of Coastal Fish Stocks in Asia are presented to encourage discussion and debate.

Can nitrogen pollution from aquaculture be reduced?

Nitrogen is essential for the normal growth of fish. It is an important ingredient in fish feed but is very expensive. There is evidence that nitrogen loading from feeding and metabolic activities of fish can cause pollution of the receiving waters. This paper reviews nitrogen losses and nitrogen retention in fish and suggests ways of reducing nitrogen loading to the environment for a sustainable aquaculture program.

Diet composition and daily ration estimates of selected trawl-caught fishes in San Miguel Bay, Philippines

The diet composition of fish caught in San Miguel Bay, Philippines, in April and May 1993 was studied. The diets of tiger-tooth croaker (Otolithes ruber), commerson's anchovy (Stolephorus commersonii); and the Indian anchovy (Stolephorus indicus) consisted mainly of zooplankton, primarily crustaceans. The stomach content of orangefin ponyfish (Leiognathus bindus) was found to consist mostly of detritus and unidentified materials. Daily rations estimated were: 1.90 g day super(1) for O. ruber of 17.3 g mean body weight (BW), 0.078 g day super(1) for S. commersonii) of 3.8 g mean BW, 0.062 g day super(1) for S. indicus of 3.9 g mean BW and 0.56 g day super(1) for L. bindus of 7.7 g mean BW.

Can lake sediments provide a record of tropical storms? The case of Laguna de Juanacatlan, Jalisco, Mexico [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Laguna de Juanacatlan is a small (15 hectare) lake in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. Its sediments are predominantly varved and thereby offer the potential of a high resolution paleoclimatic record.

Studies on long wing trawl for shrimps off Kakinada (A.P.) coast - (i) Results of comparative fishing experiments with the conventional two seam trawl

Comparative fishing operations with the conventional two seams net and a 29.26 m. long wing shrimp trawl of four seam type were undertaken. The result showed that the four seams net gave nearly twice prawn catch than that of the conventional type. It was also found that the four seams net can be developed into a combination trawl for the effective exploitation of both prawns and fish along the coasts off Kakinada.