Roots of prosperity: the Pacific Coast Watershed Partnership

pdf contains 16 pages

Estimating the Energy Density of Fish: The Importance of Ontogeny

Ontogenetic patterns in the percent dry weight (%DW) and energy density (joules per gram of wet weight) were studied in the early life stages of the subtropical estuarine and marine gray snapper Lutjanus griseus and the warmtemperate estuarine and marine spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus. The %DW was variable for individuals of both species but increased significantly through larval to juvenile stages (<20% for fish ,50 mm standard length to 20–30% for fish >50 mm). The lipid percentage, which was determined only for gray snapper, was also variable between individuals but showed significant increase with body size. Strong relationships between percent dry weight and energy density were evident for both species; however, the slopes of regressions were significantly lower than in general multispecies models, demonstrating the need for species- and stagespecific energy density data in bioenergetics models.

A scientific forum on the Gulf of Mexico: The Islands in the Stream Concept. Proceedings of the Forum: 23 January 2008, Keating Education Center, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida

The Scientific Forum on the Gulf of Mexico: The Islands in the Stream Concept took place in January 2008 in Sarasota, Florida. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together scientists and managers from around the Gulf of Mexico to discuss a range of topics on our knowledge of the Gulf of Mexico, from its geology to larger-scale connectivity to the Caribbean region, and their applications to the concept of a more integrated approach to area-based management. The forum included six panels of invited experts who spoke on the oceanographic and biological features in the Gulf of Mexico, including connections with Mexico and the Mesoamerican barrier reef system, and the legal and regulatory structure currently in place. The charge to the group was to share information, identify gaps in our knowledge, identify additional potential areas for protection, and discuss available science about connectivity and the potential value of establishing a marine protected area network in the Gulf of Mexico. (PDF has 108 pages.)

Methods of determining the quality of water using the functional characteristics of algae

In the study of questions relating to the quality of raw water and the biological produc- tivity of water bodies algal indicators have an important place. Despite the importance of these functional indicators in determining the quality of water and the nature of the production processes as a basis for preserving the ecological equilibrium of aquatic ecosystems, their use in the system of hydrobiological methods of monitoring the quality of surface water has not received proper consideration. This paper aims to analyse the matter and the possibl use of functional algal criteria in the system for the biological monitoring of aquatic objects and also to give some results in using these criteria.

The microbiological quality of water: the nature of the problem

Improvements in methods for the detection and enumeration of microbes in water, particularly the application of techniques of molecular biology, have highlighted shortcomings in the ”standard methods” for assessing water quality. Higher expectations from the consumer and increased publicity associated with pollution incidents can lead to an uncoupling of the cycle which links methodological development with standard-setting and legislation. The new methodology has also highlighted problems within the water cycle, related to the introduction, growth and metabolism of microbes. A greater understanding of the true diversity of the microbial community and the ability to transmit genetic information within aquatic systems ensures that the subject of this symposium and volume provides an ideal forum to discuss the problems encountered by both researcher and practitioner.

Geomorphological Evolution of Estuaries: The Dynamic Basis for Morpho-Sedimentary Units in Selected Estuaries in the Northeastern United States

The coastal geomorphological processes of alongshore transport and tidal currents are interacting with the attendant influences of sea-level rise and sediment supply to generate morphosedimentary units in selected estuarine systems. Constrained by the conditions promoted by microtidal situations in barrier island settings, vectors of sediment transport have established spatial sequences of morphologies and sediment types that are components of shellfish habitats. Greater depth and decreasing grain-size toward the mainland are common characteristics in five northeastern U.S. estuarine systems. The patterns are repeated at various scales among the lagoon-type estuaries as well as within the estuarine settings to establish geospatial associations of geomorphology and habitat.

A Century of Copepods: The U.S. Fisheries Steamer Albatross

The marine invertebrates of North America received little attention before the arrival of Louis Agassiz in 1846. Agassiz and his students, particularly Addison E. Verrill and Richard Rathbun, and Agassiz's colleague Spencer F. Baird, provided the concept and stimulus for expanded investigations. Baird's U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries (1871) provided a principal means, especially through the U.S. Fisheries Steamer Albatross (1882). Rathbun participated in the first and third Albatrossscientific cruises in 1883-84 and published the fist accounts of Albatross parasitic copepods. The first report of Albatross planktonic copepods was published in 1895 by Wilhelm Giesbrecht of the Naples Zoological Station. Other collections were sent to the Norwegian Georg Ossian Sars. The American Charles Branch Wilson eventually added planktonic copepods to his extensive published works on the parasitic copepods from the Albatross. The Albatross copepods from San Francisco Bay were reported upon by Calvin Olin Esterly in 1924. Henry Bryant Bigelow accompanied the last scientific cruise of the Albatross in 1920. Bigelow incorporated the 1920 copepods into his definitive study of the plankton of the Gulf of Maine. The late Otohiko Tanaka, in 1969, published two reviews of Albatross copepods. Albatross copepods will long be worked and reworked. This great ship and her shipmates were mutually inspiring, and they inspire us still.

Fishery-dependent livelihoods, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity: the case of marine and coastal protected areas in India

The lacunae in fishing-community engagement in the management and governance of marine and coastal protected areas (MCPAs) were discussed in the 2009 Chennai Workshop organized by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF). To continue the discussion, a second, two-day workshop to review existing legal and institutional mechanisms for implemention and monitoring of MCPAs, titled ‘Fishery-dependent Livelihoods, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity: The Case of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in India’, was held in New Delhi during 1-2 March 2012. The objective was to understand the impact of MCPAs on fishing communities, from an environmental-justice and human-rights perspective, and make specific proposals for better conservation while securing the livelihoods of small-scale fishers. The workshop also served to underscore these issues in light of the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to be held at Hyderabad in October 2012. This publication contains the prospectus of the workshop and a report of the proceedings. It will be useful for fishworkers, non-governmental organizations, policymakers, trade unions, researchers and others interested in natural resource management and coastal and fishing communities.

On the comparative efficiency of trawls made of cotton, polyethylene and combination of both the materials

The merits and demerits of cotton, polyethylene and combination of the two materials ascertained on the basis of cost, wear and tear, maintenance, total catch and qualitative analysis of the catch are discussed by making comparative fishing experiments with the three trawl gears made of these materials. The study can be concluded with a suggestion for switching over to polyethylene twisted monofilaments for better, in case of bottom trawls without in any way adversely affecting the catch of shrimps and at the same time for enhanced fish catch. Even though the combination net is found to be equal in efficiency as the polyethylene net this idea cannot be conveniently adopted from the point of view of economy.

Community Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) in Sunamganj district of Bangladesh: the nature of cooperation and conflicts

There are altogether 411 haors comprising an area of about 8000 square kilometer, covering 25% of entire region dispersed in the districts of Sunamgonj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Hobigonj, Netrokona and Kishoreganj. Sunamganj district is particularly known as a district of haors and baors where a large number of people depend on fishing for their livelihood. Some people are basically fishermen and fish all the year round. Community Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) project has been initiated in this area to develop fishery sector as well as for the development of the inland fishermen of haor area. Healthy cooperation among the beneficiaries of the project is very much present and some NGOs are found working actively there to help the fishermen for the sound implementation of the project. But the influentials of different villages around create troubles and conflicts intentionally in the project area because of which fishermen cannot fish smoothly and the implementation of the project is getting hampered. Therefore, a kind of consensus needs to be reached among the inhabitants of the haor area and a powerful association of the fishermen should be established so that fishing may be undertaken in the beel without having any troubles and conflicts. In this article the conflicts and cooperation that are in existence in the implementation process of CBFM project in the haor areas of Sunamgonj district have been discussed. Some suggestions have been offered in the paper to overcome the existing conflicts impeding the smooth implementation of CBFM project in the fishery sector of haor area under Sunamganj district.