Interim report on surface water resources and quality of waters in Lee County, Florida

Report seeks to address following questions: 1. Where within Lee County are surface supplies of water located? 2. What are the variations in this supply? 3. What can be done to provide better answers to questions 1 and 2 than are available at the present time? (PDF contains 76 pages.)

Interim report on surface water resources of Baker County, Florida

The principal sources of surface-water supplies inBaker County are the St. Marys River and its tributaries. However, the flow of many of the small tributaries is intermittent, and without storage they are not dependable sources of supply during sustained periods of deficient rainfall. Of the six stream-gaging stations in Baker County for which complete records are available, one has been in operation for 31 years and provides a long-term record upon which to base correlative estimates for extending the short-term records at the other stations. All available streamflow data to 1957 have been summarized in graphic or tabular form. The hydrologic balance between minimum streamflows and increased evaporation losses afforded by potential shallow reservoirs provides design criteria for determining the maximum surface area of effective reservoir that can be created at a selected site within Baker County. This information has been presented in graphic and tabular form in the report. (PDF has 37 pages.)

Framework for a pro-poor regional strategy on sustainable aquatic resources management in Asia-Pacific: a statement of understanding and recommendations

This statement was prepared by the participants of the FAO/NACA-STREAM Workshop on Aquatic Resources and Livelihoods: Connecting Policy and People, 17-19 March 2005, in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. This was the concluding event of the FAO Technical Cooperation Program (TCP) project entitled “Assistance in Poverty Alleviation through Improved Aquatic Resources Management in Asia-Pacific.” The purpose of the workshop was to review and share experiences of the NACA-STREAM Initiative, build consensus on the value of livelihoods approaches in aquatic resources management and poverty alleviation, and identify ways of promoting livelihoods approaches throughout the region. (Pdf contains 2 pages).

Characterization of toxic impacts on living marine resources in tidal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay

In 1999, the Chesapeake Bay Program completed a survey of existing data on chemical contaminants and the potential for bioeffects in 38 tidal river systems of Chesapeake Bay. This review led to the identification of 20 areas for which there were insufficient data to adequately characterize the potential for contaminant bioeffects on the Bay’s living resources. The goal of the present study was to estimate the current status of ecological condition in five of these areas and thus help to complete the overall toxics inventory for the Bay. These five systems included the Chester River, Nanticoke River, Pocomoke River, Lower Mobjack Bay (Poquosin and Back Rivers) and the South and Rhode Rivers. This study utilized a Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) approach in combination with additional water-column contaminant analysis to allow for a “weight of evidence” assessment of environmental condition. A total of 60 stations distributed among the five systems, using a probabilistic stratified random design, were sampled during the summer of 2004 to allow for synoptic measures of sediment contamination, sediment toxicity, and benthic condition. Upon completion of all analyses, stations were assigned to one of four categories based on the three legs of the triad. Stations with high sediment quality had no hits on any of the three legs of the triad; those with moderate quality had one hit; those with marginal quality had two hits; and those with poor quality had hits for all three legs of the triad. The Pocomoke River had by far the largest proportion of the total area (97.5%) classified as having high sediment quality, while the Rhode/South system had the highest proportion (11.4%) classified as poor. None of the stations in the Chester River, Nanticoke River, and Lower Mobjack Bay systems were classified as poor. More than 65% of the area of each of the five systems was classified with high to moderate sediment quality. The Rhode/South system had 30.4% of total area classified with marginally to severely poor quality. The results of this study highlight the importance of using multiple indicators and a “weight of evidence” approach to characterize environmental quality and the potential bioeffects of toxic contaminants.

A preliminary study on the fishery resources of the mangrove swamps of Sundarbans, West Bengal

West Bengal holds an important position in fisheries development as the state has all types of captive, culture freshwater and brackish water fisheries. A survey of forest areas of Sundarbans indicates the total annual catch to be 2500 metric tonnes. On average 4,000 persons are engaged in daily fishing with 1.5 kilogrammes of fish catch per fisherman per day and during the 6 months from September to February on an average 6,000 persons are engaged in fishing. About 70% of total catch of fish is collected during this period. Statistical analysis of the data collected for the study has clearly indicated that a rational and scientific exploitation of fish species inhabiting the rivers and creeks of Sundarbans estuary has immense economic potentialities.

The fisheries of Lake Wamala: a report on the fisheries resources surveys conducted during 1975/78 and 1988/92

Lake wamala was opened to commercial fishing in 1960. Interviews with the local fishermen during 1975/78 (Okaronon 1975, 1976, 1977, 1989) revealed that fishing for subsistence had been going on long before stocking was done. The subsistence fishing was conducted along rivers and at river mouths using basket traps (mainly made of papyrus stems), weirs and hooks and that the fish species caught were predominantly clarias (mudfish/male) and protopterus Lungfish/Mamba). These interviews did not, however, reveal the presence of tilapiine species in Lake wamala prior to stocking. These interviews did not however reveal the presence of tillapine species in lake wamala prior to stocking. Following the opening of the lake to commercial fishing in 1960, Lake Wamala provided a very profitable commercial fishery throughout the 1960s. However, during the early 1970s the fishermen started complaining of continued decline in catch rates from about 8 kg (15 fish) of O. niloticus per net per night if in 1966 to less than 1 kg per net per night by 1975.

Notes on the fish resources of the Bahuda estuary, Orissa, India

Estuaries form an important site for the zoologist as these are the places known to be very rich in food and nutrients and so, become nesting-cum-breeding grounds for many species and also, own good species diversity. Bahuda estuary of Orissa is located at the inter-state border of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Explored for many invertebrates, this estuary was not properly investigated for its rich fish fauna. Various surveys at Bahuda estuary revealed that it is an important site of study for the faunal diversity of fishes in the east coast. Forty-eight species belonging to 33 genera under eight orders and 22 families were examined referring standard literature· and methods. Most of the groups of fishes encountered are of commercial importance.

Capturing views of men, women and youth on agricultural biodiversity resources consumed in Barotseland, Zambia

This paper presents data and findings from focus group discussions in study communities selected by the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) in the Western Province of Zambia. The discussions focused on cultivated crops and vegetables collected from open fields and consumed as food. Participatory tools for agricultural biodiversity (agrobiodiversity) assessment were used to capture community perspectives on plant species and varietal diversity; factors influencing the availability and use of plants for food; unique, common and rare crop species cultivated in a community, identified through a four-cell analysis methodology; and core problems, root causes, effects and necessary actions to tackle them, using problem tree or situation analysis methods.

Linefish resources annual report for the year 2000. Part 3: towards a management plan for the Mozambican line fishery

The dependence of Mozambique on its marine resources is highly significant. There is a need for a plan of action for sustainable use of these important resources, for the benefit of the nation. In this document, some aspects are included, that can be important to take into consideration for a sound action plan for the lin fishery of Mozambique.

Effects of the Santa Barbara, Calif., Oil Spill on the Apparent Abundance of Pelagic Fishery Resources

Many studies have been made of the effects of oil on marine invertebrates, plants (marine algae and phytoplankton), and vertebrates such as seabirds and marine mammals. An excellent review of these findings, which includes some references to fish and pathological effects of aromatic hydrocarbons, has been published by the Royal Society, London (Clark, 1982). That review dealt with the environmental effects of such major oil spills or releases such as those by the tankers Torry Canyon (119,000 t) on the south coast of England, Metula (50-56,000 t) in the Straits of Magellan, Argo Merchant (26,000 t) off Cape Cod, and the super tanker Amoco Cadiz (223,000 t) on the coast of northern Brittany. Those spills were studied to determine their effect on living resources. In contrast there are few references on the impact of oil spills on pelagic fishery resources.

Climate impacts on U. S. living marine resources: National Marine Fisheries Services concerns, activities and needs

With the increasing recognition that climate change is occurring and having large impacts on living marine resources, a sound ecosystem approach to management of those resources requires both understanding how climate affects ecosystems and integration of that understanding into management processes. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) must identify how changing climatic conditions will impact its mission and must be prepared to adapt to these changes. This document identifies the climate related ecosystem concerns in the regional marine ecosystems for which NMFS has living marine resource management responsibilities, what NMFS is currently doing to address these concerns, what NMFS must do going forward to address these concerns, and what climate information is needed to integrate climate into resource management. The regional ecosystems included in this analysis are: the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf; the Southeast U.S. Continental Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. Caribbean; the California Current Ecosystem; the Alaskan Ecosystem Complex; the Pacific Island Ecosystem Complex; the Eastern Tropical Pacific; North Pacific Highly Migratory Species; and the Antarctic.