Rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine mammals: An analysis of current views and practices.

Stranded marine mammals have long attracted public attention. Those that wash up dead are, for all their value to science, seldom seen by the public as more than curiosities. Animals that are sick, injured, orphaned or abandoned ignite a different response. Generally, public sentiment supports any effort to rescue, treat and return them to sea. Institutions displaying marine mammals showed an early interest in live-stranded animals as a source of specimens -- in 1948, Marine Studios in St. Augustine, Florida, rescued a young short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus), the first ever in captivity (Kritzler 1952). Eventually, the public as well as government agencies looked to these institutions for their recognized expertise in marine mammal care and medicine. More recently, facilities have been established for the sole purpose of rehabilitating marine mammals and preparing them for return to the wild. Four such institutions are the Marine Mammal Center (Sausalito, CA), the Research Institute for Nature Management (Pieterburen, The Netherlands), the RSPCA, Norfolk Wildlife Hospital (Norfolk, United Kingdom) and the Institute for Wildlife Biology of Christian-Albrects University (Kiel, Germany).(PDF contains 68 pages.)

Tunas and tuna fisheries of the World: an annotated bibliography, 1930-1953

This bibliography attempts to list, with descriptive annotations and a subject index, important literature published between 1930 and 1953 dealing with the tunas and their fisheries in all parts of the world. It is thus a continuation of Corwin's (1930) work, which extended with similar scope through 1929, and an extension of Shimada's (1951), which was limited to the biology of Pacific tunas. The tunas with which it deals are those fishes customarily so-called in commercial parlance and usually classified in the genera Thunnus, Neothunnus, Parathunnus, Germo, Katsuwonus, Euthynnus and Auxis and their various synonyms. All aspects of the biology of the tunas are dealt with, as are descriptions and histories of all types of tuna fisheries, commercial and exploratory tuna fishing methods and results, fishing gear, catch statistics, and fishery management, but processing technology, economics and marketing, folklore, and purely literary references have been excluded.

Power analysis for detecting trends in juvenile spotted seatrout abundance in Florida Bay

The spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is considered a key species relative to the implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). One of the goals of the CERP is to increase freshwater flows to Florida Bay. Increased freshwater flows can have potential positive and negative impacts on spotted seatrout populations. At low salinities, the planktonic eggs of spotted seatrout sink to the bottom and are not viable (Alshuth and Gilmore, 1994; Holt and Holt, 2002). On the other hand, increased freshwater flows can alleviate hypersaline conditions that could result in an expansion of the distribution of the early life stages of spotted seatrout (Thayer et al., 1999; Florida Department of Environmental Protection1). Thus it would be useful to develop a monitoring program that can detect changes in seatrout abundance on time scales short enough to be useful to resource managers. The NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research (NOAA) has made sporadic collections of juvenile seatrout using otter trawls since 1984 (see Powell et al, 2004). The results suggest that it might be useful to sample for seatrout in as many as eight different areas or basins (Figure 1): Bradley Key, Sandy Key, Johnson Key, Palm Key, Snake Bight, Central, Whipray and Crocodile Dragover. Unfortunately, logistical constraints are likely to limit the number of tows to about 40 per month over a period of six months each year. Inasmuch as few seatrout are caught in any given tow and the proportion of tows with zero seatrout is often high, it is important to determine how best to allocate this limited sampling effort among the various basins so that any trends in abundance may be detected with sufficient statistical confidence. (PDF contains 16 pages)

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Palmetto Key, 1942

Charles M. Breder and his wife Ethel spent part of the summer of 1942 at the Palmetto Key field station, known today as Cabbage Key, on the west coast of Florida south of Charlotte Harbor. The Palmetto Key field station began in 1938 and ended in 1942 because of World War II. His Palmetto Key diary ran for 95 pages of notes, tables, diagrams, drawings, lists, and business records and this report presents a variety of fascinating entries. Diaries from other years all bear Breder's style of discipline, curiosity, humor, and speculations on nature. The diary was transcribed as part of the Coastal Estuarine Data/Document Rescue and Archeology effort for South Florida. (PDF contaons 24 pages)

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Hypothetical considerations, 1931-1937

Charles M. Breder Jr. “hypothesis” diary is a deviation from the field diaries that form part of the Breder collection housed at the Arthur Vining Davis Library, Mote Marine Laboratory. There are no notes or observations from specific scientific expeditions in the document. Instead, the contents provide an insight into the early meticulous scientific thoughts of this biologist, and how he examines and develops these ideas. It is apparent that among Dr. Breder’s passions was his continual search for knowledge about questions that still besieged many scientists. Topics discussed include symmetry, origin of the atmosphere, origin of life, mechanical analogies of organisms, aquaria as an organism, astrobiology, entropy, evolution of species, and other topics. The diary was transcribed as part of the Coastal Estuarine Data/Document Rescue and Archeology effort for South Florida. (PDF contains 33 pages)

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Dry Tortugas, 1929

During the summer of 1929, Dr. Charles M. Breder, Jr., employed at that time by the New York Aquarium and American Museum of Natural History, visited the Carnegie Laboratory in the Dry Tortugas to study the development and habits of flying fishes and their allies. The diary of the trip was donated to the Mote Marine Laboratory Library by his family. Dr. Breder's meticulous handwritten account gives us the opportunity to see the simple yet great details of his observations and field experiments. His notes reveal the findings and thoughts of one of the world's greatest ichthyologists. The diary was transcribed as part of the Coastal Estuarine Data/Document Rescue and Archeology effort for South Florida. (PDF contains 75 pages)

Guidelines for reducing porpoise mortality in tuna purse seining

More than a decade has passed since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. During that time the U.S. tuna purse seine neet reduced its incidental porpoise mortality rate more than 10-fold. This was made possible through the development of gear and techniques aimed at reducing the frequency of many low probability events that contribute to the kill. Porpoise are killed by becoming entangled or entrapped in folds and canopies of the net and suffocating. The configuration of the net, both before and during the backdown release procedure, is a major determinant of the number of porpoise killed. Speedboats can be used to tow on the corkllne to prevent net collapse and also to adjust the net configuration to reduce net canopies prior to backdown. Deepening a net can reduce the probability of porpoise being killed by prebackdown net collapse. The effects of environmental conditions and mechanical failures on net configuration can result in high porpoise mortality unless mitigated by skilled vessel maneuvers or prevented by the timely use of speedboats to adjust the net. The backdown procedure is the only means to effectively release captured porpoise from a purse seine. It is also the time during the set when most of the mortality occurs. The use of small mesh safety panels and aprons in the backdown areas of nets reduces porpoise entanglement, and Increases the probability of an effective release. The tie-down points on the net for preparing the backdown channel must be properly located in order to optimize porpoise release. A formula uses the stretched depth of the net to calculate one of these points, making it a simple matter to locate the other. Understanding the dynamics of the backdown procedure permits a thorough troubleshooting of performance, thus preventing the repetition of poorly executed backdowns and thereby reducing mortality. Porpoise that cannot be released must be rescued by hand. A rescuer in a rigidly inflated raft can rescue porpoise effectively at any time during a net set. Hand rescue can make the difference between above average kill and zero kill sets. In all circumstances, the skill and motivation of the captain and his crew are the final determinants in the prevention of incidental porpoise mortality in tuna seining. (PDF file contains 22 pages.)

Creation of temporary ponds for amphibians in northern and central Europe

More than 4000 ponds have been created or restored in Denmark since 1985 as part of a large-scale pond-digging programme to protect endangered amphibians in particular and pond flora and fauna in general. Most ponds are created on private land with public financing. The programme was triggered by, among other factors, a drastic decline in amphibian populations in Denmark between 1940 and 1980. However, in recent years there has been an increased awareness in Denmark that temporary ponds are important for the conservation of some of the most rare amphibian species, such as fire-bellied toad Bombina bombina, natterjack toad Bufo calamita and green toad Bufo viridis. Other rare species such as moor frog Rana arvalis and European tree frog Hyla arborea also benefit from temporary ponds. The last 15 years of work on the conservation of endangered species and their habitats has resulted in a last-minute rescue and a subsequent growth in the size of most Danish populations of fire-bellied toad and green toad; some populations of the relatively more common natterjack toad have also increased. The creation of temporary ponds plays an important role in the success of these three species. The creation of ponds to help restore viable populations of the most rare amphibians has not been easy. To study the conditions that may need to be created, Danish herpetologists searched for areas with temporary ponds that had good water quality, natural hydrological conditions and a management regime influenced by traditional agricultural methods. The paper gives an overview of pond creation and restoration projects in Denmark and Poland and their significance for amphibian diversity.

Mafia marine resources in peril

The rich marine resource of the Mafia District, Tanzania, especially its coral reefs and mangroves, are in danger of collapse. The proposed marine park faces chronic problems of dynamite fishing and coral mining. The Mafia fisheries resources and the importance of coral reefs are presented together with proposed measures to rescue the Mafia marine environment.

Eden and District Fisheries Advisory Committee 29th June, 1976.

This is the report from the Eden and District Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 29th June, 1976. The report contains sections on fisheries activities and validity of Rod Licences. The section on fisheries activities during the period 13th January-3rd March includes fishing and coarse fish; stocking; biological surveys; mortalities; poaching; scale reading and a report on salmon scale return in the River Eden. The section on fisheries activities during the period 3rd March-23th May includes a general report of the Eden and District fisheries; fish kills; stocking; fish transfer/rescue; obtaining of ova, fry rearing; and fry stocking. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

The use of large artificial reefs to enhance fish populations at different depths in the Florida Keys

This study showed that large prefabricated units and concrete rubble patch reefs, placed as artificial marine habitats on sand bottom, greatly enhance the abundance, diversity, and biomass of fish in an area. Densities of individuals and biomass were found considerably higher at artificial reefs than at nearby, natural, bank reefs, a result consistent with other studies. Location, depth, and vertical profile are important factors determining fish assemblages at artificial habitats in the Keys. Fishes were both produced at artificial reefs and attracted from the surrounding area. Fish assemblages at the Hawk Channel artificial reefs were considerably different from those on the offshore reef tract, particularly in terms of dominant species. Rescue of the original 1992 work in 2005 was funded by the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Prediction and Modeling Program.

1983 Biscayne Bay hydrocarbon study: final report

A two year, comprehensive, quantitative investigation was conducted to analyze and identify the spatial distribution of petrogenic and biogenic hydrocarbons in sediments, surface waters, fish and shellfish of Biscayne Bay, Florida. The goal for the first year of the project was to establish baseline information to support oil spill impact assessment and clean-up. One hundred fifty-five sediment and eleven biota samples were collected. The areas sampled included the Miami River, Intracoastal Waterway, tidal flats, access canals and environmentally sensitive shorelines. The second year of the study centered on areas exhibiting petroleum contamination. These areas included the Miami River, Little River, Goulds Canal, Black Creek and Military Canal. Surface and subsurface sediment, biota and surface water were collected. Sample collection, analyses, and data handling for the two year project were conducted so that all information was court-competent and scientifically accurate. Chain of custody was maintained for all samples. Total hydrocarbon content of surface sediments ranged from below detection limits to a high of 2663.44 pg/g. Several sample stations contained petroleum contamination. The majority of biota samples exhibited hydrocarbon concentrations and characteristics that indicated little, if any, petroleum contamination. Surface water samples ranged from 0.78 to 64.47 μg/L and several samples contained petroleum hydrocarbons. Our results indicate several areas of petroleum contamination. These areas are characterized by industrial complexes, port facilities, marinas, major boating routes and many of the major tributaries emptying into Biscayne Bay.