Geochemistry of lipids in lacustrine sediments

An explanation of the basic premises of the subject and its terminology is given. The article then outlines aspects of research on the organic material found in lacustrine sediments, and the analytical methods involved.

The role of specially designated wildlife sites in freshwater conservation - an English perspective

The value of specially designated sites in conserving biodiversity has been a hotly debated issue for many years. The debate has recently been given fresh impetus by the creation of Natural England, the new Government Agency responsible for the protection and enhancement of the natural environment in England, and the challenges facing the management of designated sites resulting from the increasingly tangible effects of climate change. In the freshwater environment, the role of designated sites is very much under the spotlight because of the implementation of the European 'Water Framework' Directive, which aspires to holistic, ecologically-based management of aquatic habitats.This paper explores the underlying premises of, and rationale for, special site designations for wildlife, and provides a frank account of the inevitable clash of management philosophies that designated sites create in the freshwater environment, drawing on experiences of managing designated freshwater sites in England over the past decade. A positive role is outlined for designated sites in freshwater conservation, which addresses these management conflicts in a way that not only meets Government obligations towards these sites but also paves the way for enlightened, progressive management of the wider freshwater resource. As part of this account, attempts are made to clarify the relationship between key biodiversity-related policy drivers in the freshwater environment, and to explain how the spectre of climate change can be addressed within designated site management. The importance of strategic freshwater science, collaboratively designed and funded, in maximising the value of the designated freshwater site network to the wider freshwater habitat resource, is stressed.

Biological survey: River Teign and tributaries with references to the discharge of ball clay wastes

This is the Biological survey of River Teign and tributaries with references to the discharge of ball clay wastes, document produced by South West Water Authority in 1973. This report focuses on on-site assessment of the benthic macro-invertebrates of the lower River Teign, River Bovey, Ugbrooke Stream and Blatchford Brook was undertaken on 19th and 22nd August 1977 to assess the effects of discharges from ball clay mining premises. Inspection of aquatic fauna in the field is of necessity, less extensive than laboratory identification of sorted samples, so that the resulting data underestimates the water quality. This is more pronounced in the Chandler Score than in the Trent Biotic Index which does not take account of species abundance. Chandler should thus be interpreted by the trends described rather than by absolute values calculated.

Bacteriological investigations of prawn canneries 2. Incidence of Clostridium perfringens

Prawn processing factories of the three major fish processing centres of the West Coast of India, viz., Cochin, Mangalore and Calicut were surveyed to determine the occurrence of Clostridium perfringens in processing areas, and in processed products. Direct plating on Sulphite-polymyxin- sulphadiazine Agar and enrichment techniques were used. Samples of prawn, prawn guts, frozen prawns, canned prawns, water, ice, swab from utensils and soil from the factory premises were examined. Among a total of 461 samples examined, only 32 (6.9%) gave positive results. The incidence of C. perfringens was more in prawn guts (80%), followed by soil (50%), prawn (38%), ice (33.3%), frozen prawns (11%), swab (5.0%) and water (1.1%). No C. perfringens was isolated from canned prawns.