Tropical river fisheries valuation: background papers to a global synthesis

This report is a compilation of five regional reviews that document the global status of tropical rivers and inland fisheries in three continents: Latin America, Africa and Asia. It explores the role of ‘valuation’ methods and their contribution to policy-making and river fishery management. From the compilation, the best estimate of the global value of inland fisheries for those three continents is US$ 5.58 billion (gross market value), which is equivalent to 19 percent of the current value of annual fish exports from developing countries (US$ 29 billion) for 2004. The compilation shows that there is a general shortage of information on inland fisheries, especially derived from conventional economic valuation methods, though information from economic impact assessment methods and socio-economic and livelihood analysis methods is more widely available. The status of knowledge about the impact of changes in river management on the value of tropical river fisheries is weak and patchy. Although the impacts of large dams on the hydrology, ecology and livelihood support attributes of tropical rivers are well-recognized, there have been only few valuation studies of these issues. The document highlights the need for further valuation studies of tropical river and inland fisheries in developing countries. It underlines how vital it is for policy-makers and other stakeholders to understand the importance of these natural resources in order to make appropriate decisions concerning their role in development policy and illustrates why capacity building in valuation should become a major priority for agencies concerned with fisheries management and policy-making.

Letter from the Editor: special issue of papers on “The Use of Native Insect Herbivores for the Management of Eurasian Watermilfoil," presented at a special session of the Annual Meeting, Aquatic Plant Management Society, July 1998, Memphis, TN

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Biology and fisheries of swordfish, Xiphias gladius: Papers from the International Symposium on Pacific Swordfish, Ensenada, Mexico, 11-14 December 1994

The swordfish, Xiphias gladius, is a large migratory oceanic species. It is widely distributed in tropical, temperate, and sometimes cold waters of all oceans, and is usually found in areas with sea-surface temperatures above 13°C. It can reach a maximum size of 540 kg, and is a favorite food fish in many countries. It is excellent for steaks, canning, or teriyaki, the Japanese dish of meat grilled with sugar, soy sauce, and rice wine. Swordfish is harvested commercially throughout its distribution, in both coastal and high-seas fisheries. Sport fisheries for swordfish are very small compared to those for other billfishes, accounting for no more than a few hundred fish per year. (PDF file contains 284 pages.)

Biology and Management of Sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria: Papers from the International Symposium on the Biology and Management of Sablefish, Seattle, Washington, 13-15 April 1993

At its june 1990 annual meeting, the Technical Subcommittee (TSC) of the Canada-U.S. Groundfish Committee recommended that scientists and managers working on sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria, issues convene to present and discuss the results of their recent research. Thorough knowledge of the biology and population dynamics of this species is essential for its effective management, especially considering its commercial importance. TSC representatives from both countries recognized that a great deal ofactive research has been conducted on this species since the International Sablefish Symposium was held in Anchorage, Alaska, in March 1983 (Melteff, 1983). As a result of this recommendation, the International Symposium on the Biology and Management of Sablefish (ISBMS) was convened April 13-15, 1993, at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington. (PDF file contains 286 pages.)

Ecology of Juvenile Walleye Pollock, Theragra chalcogramma: Papers from the workshop "The Importance of Prerecruit Walleye Pollock to the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ecosystems" Seattle, Washington, 28-30 October 1993

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), hosted an international workshop, 'The Importance of Prerecruit Walleye Pollock to the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ecosystems," from 28 to 30 October 1993. This workshop was held in conjunction with the annual International North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) meeting held in Seattle. Nearly 100 representatives from government agencies, universities, and the fishing industry in Canada, Japan, the People's Republic of China, Russia, and the United States took part in the workshop to review and discuss current knowledge on juvenile pollock from the postlarval period to the time they recruit to the fisheries. In addition to its importance to humans as a major commercial species, pollock also serves as a major forage species for many marine fishes, birds, and mammals in the North Pacific region. (PDF file contains 236 pages.)

Biology, Oceanography, and Fisheries of the North Pacific Transition Zone and Subarctic Frontal Zone: Papers from the North Pacific Transition Zone Workshop, Honolulu, Hawaii, 9-11 May 1988

In the past few years, large-scale, high-seas driftnet fishing has sparked intense debate and political conflict in many oceanic regions. In the Pacific Ocean the driftnet controversy first emerged in the North Pacific transition zone and subarctic frontal zone, where driftnet vessels from Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan pursue their target species of neon flying squid. Other North Pacific driftnet fleets from Japan and Taiwan target stocks of tunas and billfishes. Both types of driftnet fishing incidentally kill valued non-target species of marine life, including fish, mammals, birds, and turtles. In response to public concerns about driftnet fishing, government scientists began early on to assemble available information and consider what new data were required to assess impacts on North Pacific marine resources and the broader pelagic ecosystem. Accordingly, a workshop was convened at the NMFS Honolulu Laboratory in May 1988 to review current information on the biology, oceanography, and fisheries of the North Pacific transition zone and subarctic frontal zone. The workshop participants, from the United States and Canada, also developed a strategic plan to guide NMFS in developing a program of driftnet fishery research and impact assessment. This volume contains a selection of scientific review papers presented at the 1988 Honolulu workshop. The papers represent part of the small kernel of information available then, prior to the expansion of cooperative international scientific programs. Subsequent driftnet fishery monitoring and research by the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan have added much new data. Nevertheless, this collection of papers provides a historical perspective and contains useful information not readily available elsewhere. (PDF file contains 118 pages.)

A Bibliography of papers dealing with the oyster toadfish, opsanus tau.

Bibliography of research done on oyster toadfish (PDF contains 10 pages)

A Revised bibliography of papers dealing with the Oyster Toadfish, Opanus tau

The 261 papers of this bibliography fall into six major categories. These are alphabetized by author, within each subject, and are presented in the format usually encountered in the physiological and anatomical literature. We solicit your comments regarding omissions, errors or deletions. (PDF contains 19 pages)

Notes for guidance on preparation of research reports, research dissertations and scientific papers

The notes for guidance on preparation of research, research dissertations and scientific papers are meant to assist researchers on how to achieve a successful presentation, writing a technical report or research paper. This comprises some simple rules that have helped many inexperienced writers to get started, and have also helped more experienced writers to get out of a hopeless tangle of observations and inferences. (PDF contains 65 pages)

Production of the chironomids of the Uchinsk Reservoir. [Translation of: Methods for the estimation of production of aquatic animals. (Handbook and papers) (ed. G. G. Vinberg) p226-239. Minsk, Vysheishaya Shkola, 1968]

The method of E.V. Borutski was used for determining the production of chironomids, that is, the dynamics of the number and biomass of the larvae were analysed, their death, a calculation of emergence and the number of deposited egg layings was carried out. In addition to the method of Borutski, the authors also calculated the seasonal dynamics of the number of larvae of the younger age stages in the microbenthos.

An indexed bibliography of papers on tagging of tunas and billfishes

Two working parties, the Working Party on Tuna Tagging in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Working Party on Tuna Tagging in the Atlantic and Adjacent Seas, were formed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAD) of the United Nations in 1966 (Anonymous, 1966c). The conveners of these working parties were Dr. James Joseph of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and Mr. FrankJ. Mather, III, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). In 1969 it was recommended that the working parties direct their attention toward billfishes, as well as tunas (Anonymous, 1969h: 5). One report (Joseph and working party, 1969) was published by the Pacific and Indian Oceans group and two (Mather and working party, 1969 and 1972) were published by the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas group. Each of the three working party reports included a bibliography of tuna and billfish tagging. The compiler of this bibliography, beginning in 1970, prepared numerous memoranda to the members of the working party, most of which included lists of papers on tuna and billfish tagging which had come to his attention, either directly or through members of the working party. The bibliographies in the three working party reports and the lists of references in the memoranda form the basis for the present bibliography.

The U.S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross: A History (Papers from a Symposium)

At her launch on 19 October 1882 in Wilmington, Del., the Albatross was the world’s first large deep-sea oceanographic and fisheries research vessel, and she would go on to have a distinguished 40-year career, ranging from the north Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, around Cape Horn in 1887–88, and into the North Pacific. By 1908, Deputy Fish Commissioner Hugh M. Smith reported that “The Albatross has contributed more to the knowledge of marine biology than has any other vessel.” And, of course, her career continued for another 13 years, being decommissioned in late 1921, serving later as a training vessel for nautical cadets, and disappearing from the records in Hamburg, Germany, in late 1928.

Economics of tropical fisheries; High seas fisheries (list of papers)

GCFI and the International Conference on Tropical Oceanography held joint sessions on Nov. 17 and 18, 1965. The invited papers are listed and will be published with later sessions of the International Conference on Tropical Oceanography.