The Okhotsk Sea and Oyashio Region

This is a final report(1993)of PICES Working Group 1. The objective of the report was to present a review of the importance of the Okhotsk Sea and Oyashio Region on the Ventilation of the North Pacific Ocean, such as the formation of the North Pacific intermediate water. (PDF contains 235 pages)

The age and growth of the tongue sole Cynoglossus canariensis (Steind 1882)

The geometric mean regression equation for the weight; length relationship of Cynoglossus canariensis was W = 0.0025 L super(3.1770). The Von Bertalanffy constants Woo, Loo, K, and to were 507.5852 g, 47.3683 cm, 0.3333 and 0.1397 for males and 839.0753 g, 54.4720 cm, 0.3062 and 0.1737 for females. Total mortality coefficient Z ranged from 0.6482 and 0.8021

Conservation needs of fisheries resources and reorientation for sustainable captive and culture practices

A discussion is presented on the importance of conservation of fishery resources, considering in particular the situation in Nigeria and providing also an outline of various legislations made by government. Suggestions are given regarding the following: education on the importance of conservation; fish farming or aquaculture; restocking or rejuvenation of depleted water bodies; stock assessment; monitoring and surveillance; provision of fishing inputs; and, extension research linkage

Habitat use by 0+ cyprinid fish in the River Great Ouse, East Anglia

This study was designed to examine the habitat use of several species of 0+ cyprinid in the regulated River Great Ouse and to determine the reasons for specific habitat use. In general, all fish species were found associated with the marginal zone, with little diel variation. Use of shallow habitats in the presence of macrophytes correlated well with the distribution of zooplankton in the river channel, the preferred food source of 0+ cyprinids. During the early to late larval phase, all species fed upon rotifers and diatoms. Cladocera, particularly Alona spp. and Chydorus spp., and early instar larvae of Chironomidae, then became prevalent in the diet along with small numbers of Copepoda. Models were developed to determine habitat availability over a range of discharges, using the physical habitat simulation (PHABSIM) component of the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM). The results of this analysis revealed that habitat suitable for 0+ fishes comprised a relatively small percentage of the main channel and generally decreased with discharge.

Prosomal-width-to-weight relationships in American horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus): examining conversion factors used to estimate landings

Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are valued by many stakeholders, including the commercial fishing industry, biomedical companies, and environmental interest groups. We designed a study to test the accuracy of the conversion factors that were used by NOAA Fisheries and state agencies to estimate horseshoe crab landings before mandatory reporting that began in 1998. Our results indicate that the NOAA Fisheries conversion factor consistently overestimates the weight of male horseshoe crabs, particularly those from New England populations. Because of the inaccuracy of this and other conversion factors, states are now mandated to report the number (not biomass) and sex of landed horseshoe crabs. However, accurate estimates of biomass are still necessary for use in prediction models that are being developed to better manage the horseshoe crab fishery. We recommend that managers use the conversion factors presented in this study to convert current landing data from numbers to biomass of harvested horseshoe crabs for future assessments.