Bibliografía de los peces de agua dulce de la Argentina Suplemento 1996-2002.

Between 1981 and 1995, we published five bibliographic lists (López et al., 1981, 1982,1987, 1989 y 1995) that included the publications referred to Argentine freshwater fishes and related general information published since Ringuelet et al. (1967). We included Uruguayan papers until 1989, when it became apparent that our access to those materials was not complete. Other bibliographic collections were published on several subjects (López et al., 1991, 1993, y Ferriz et al., 1998). In the foreword to the 1995 list, López stated that it was difficult to assess the actual usefulness of the lists, since they were seldom quoted in research papers. This consideration, along with the wide success of electronic databases, caused us to discontinue the series, since its only goal had been to increase the knowledge and access to local research papers and foreign publications of interest to local researchers. Regrettably, our experience indicates that access to scientific literature is still, if not difficult, somewhat arbitrary. Apart from that, the continuous work on diverse research lines at División Zoología Vertebrados of Museo de La Plata leads to the accumulation of a multiplicity of information which may be sorted out for the use of others without much difficulty. At present, electronically-supported databases appear as the simplest way to do this. The future will show if this method is more efficient than the preceding one. In this issue we have included papers published between 1996 and 2002; and it is our purpose to update the list on a yearly basis. Papers included cover Argentine fish fauna and some related subjects of more general interest. Naturally, it is hardly surprising that some involuntary omissions will occur when addressing this subject. Any corrections and/or additions will be incorporated in following versions; and all information is most welcome.

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1962

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, pursuant to the provisions of the Convention, has the duty of collecting and interpreting factual information to facilitate maintaining the populations of tunas, and of tuna baitfishes, supporting the fisheries pursued by nationals of its Member Governments in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, at levels which will permit maximum sustainable average harvests year after year. This requires a wide variety of research into the biology, life history, ecology and population dynamics of the several species, and investigations into the effects of both natural factors and fishing activity on their abundance and on the harvests they can sustain. The research is conducted by a permanent, internationally recruited scientific staff, employed directly by the Commission, selected on the basis of professional competence by the Director of Investigations. SPANISH: La Comisión Interan1ericana del Atún Tropical, de informidad con las disposiciones de la Convención, tiene el deber de recolectar e interpretar la información que facilite el mantenimiento de las poblaciones del atún y de los peces de carnada que sirven para la pesca de este, sosteniendo las pesquerías a que se dedican los habitantes de sus Gobiernos Miembros en el Océano Pacifico Oriental, a niveles ,de abundancia que permitan un promedio máximo sostenible de cosechas ano tras ano. Esto requiere una amplia variedad de investigaciones dentro de la biología, historia natural, ecología y dinámica de las poblaciones de diversas especies, y sabre los efectos, tanto de los factores naturales como de la actividad pesquera, en la abundancia de las mismas y en el rendimiento que puedan dar. La investigación es conducida por un grupo científico permanente, cuyos miembros son reclutados internacionalmente empleados directamente por la Comisión, una vez que han sido seleccionados sobre la base de su competencia profesional, por el Director de Investigaciones. (PDF contains 149 pages.)

Fish and habitat community assessments on North Carolina shipwrecks: potential sites for detecting climate change in the graveyard of the Atlantic

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (MNMS) was the nation’s first sanctuary, originally established in 1975 to protect the famous civil war ironclad shipwreck, the USS Monitor. Since 2008, sanctuary sponsored archeological research has branched out to include historically significant U-boats and World War II shipwrecks within the larger Graveyard of the Atlantic off the coast of North Carolina. These shipwrecks are not only important for their cultural value, but also as habitat for a wide diversity of fishes, invertebrates and algal species. Additionally, due to their unique location within an important area for biological productivity, the sanctuary and other culturally valuable shipwrecks within the Graveyard of the Atlantic are potential sites for examining community change. For this reason, from June 8-30, 2010, biological and ecological investigations were conducted at four World War II shipwrecks (Keshena, City of Atlanta, Dixie Arrow, EM Clark), as part of the MNMS 2010 Battle of the Atlantic (BOTA) research project. At each shipwreck site, fish community surveys were conducted and benthic photo-quadrats were collected to characterize the mobile conspicuous fish, smaller prey fish, and sessile invertebrate and algal communities. In addition, temperature sensors were placed at all four shipwrecks previously mentioned, as well as an additional shipwreck, the Manuela. The data, which establishes a baseline condition to use in future assessments, suggest strong differences in both the fish and benthic communities among the surveyed shipwrecks based on the oceanographic zone (depth). In order to establish these shipwrecks as sites for detecting community change it is suggested that a subset of locations across the shelf be selected and repeatedly sampled over time. In order to reduce variability within sites for both the benthic and fish communities, a significant number of surveys should be conducted at each location. This sampling strategy will account for the natural differences in community structure that exist across the shelf due to the oceanographic regime, and allow robust statistical analyses of community differences over time.