The nutritional status of pre-school children, Kainji Lake communities, Nigeria: a baseline survey

This survey was carried out to provide the Kainji Lake Fisheries Promotion Project (KLFPP), whose overall goal is the improvement of the standard of living of fishing communities around Kainji Lake, Nigeria, and an increase in the availability of fish to consumers, with nutritional status baseline data for long-term monitoring and evaluation of the overall project goal. In a cross-sectional survey, baseline anthropometric data was collected from 768 children, aged 3-60 months in 389 fisherfolk households around the southern sector of Kainji Lake, Nigeria. In addition, data was collected on the nutritional status and fertility of the mothers, vaccination coverage of children and child survival indicators. For control purposes, 576 children and 292 mothers from non-fishing households around Kainji Lake were likewise covered by the survey. A standardised questionnaire was used to collect relevant information, while anthropometric measurements were made using appropriate equipment. Data compilation and analysis was carried out with DATAEASE registered and EPI-INFO registered software, using NCHS reference data for the analysis of anthropometric measurements. The prevalence of stunted children in fishing households was high at 40%, while the prevalence of wasted and underweight children was likewise high at 10% and 29% respectively. Children from non-fishing households had a marginally lower prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight with 37%, 7% and 25 % respectively, although these differences were not statistically significant. Considering the fact that the survey was carried out during a period of relative food abundance, the prevalence of wasting and underweight children is likely to be much higher during periods of food shortage. The prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight was relatively high for children aged 3 to 23 months, suggesting an increased risk of malnutrition during this period, most likely associated with inadequate weaning practices. The prevalence of malnourishment amongst women of child-bearing age was relatively high, irrespective of occupation of the household, with an average of 11% undernourished and 6% wasted. Vaccination coverage was very low while infant and child mortality were extremely high with about 1 in 5 children dying before their fifth birthday. Based on the ethical obligation to maximise the potential benefits of the survey, recommendations for activities to improve community nutrition and health were made for communication to relevant authorities. (PDF contains 52 pages)

Feeding Ecology of the Franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) In Marine And Estuarine Waters Of Argentina

Stomach contents of 110 franciscanas (Pontoporia blainvillei), from northern Argentina were analysed in order to improve our knowledge about the feeding habits of this species and to better characterise the lactation period. The samples included calves, juveniles and adults of both sexes. Evidence of predation by franciscanas is seen at a very young age (2.5-3 months), with a transition diet composed by both milk and solid food, mainly represented by crustaceans. Weaning seems to begin by April, when franciscanas are about 6-7 months old. Franciscanas inhabiting two different habitats were analysed in this study: a brackish water estuary and an adjacent marine coastal system. The diet of Pontoporia blainvillei in northern Argentina was composed by a total of 26 prey species: 20 teleosts, 4 crustaceans and 2 cephalopods. Based on the Index of Relative Importance (IRI) the main prey species were Cynoscion guatucupa, Micropogonias furnieri, Loligo sanpaulensis and Urophycis brasiliensis. Estuarine franciscanas preyed mainly on Micropogonias furnieri (dominant species), Cynoscion guatucupa, Odonthestes argentinensis and Macrodon ancylodon, while dolphins from marine areas preyed mainly on Cynoscion guatucupa (dominant species), Loligo sanpaulensis and Urophycis brasiliensis. Our results confirm that franciscanas prey mainly on juvenile fish (< 8cm) and small loliginid squids, in close agreement with previous results obtained in southern Brazil and Uruguay. Qualitative and quantitative differences observed in the diet of dolphins from each habitat emphasise the need to discriminate between samples from different habitats and environmental parameters. SPANISH: Se analizaron 110 contenidos estomacales de franciscanas (Pontoporia blainvillei) provenientes de la costa norte de Argentina, para extender en conocimiento sobre su dieta y caracterizar la lactancia. Las muestras incluyeron cachorros, juveniles y adultos de ambos sexos. Las primeras etapas de predación se inician a muy temprana edad (2,5-3 meses), presentando una dieta de transición compuesta tanto por leche como por presas sólidas, principalmente crustáceos; el destete se iniciaría a partir de abril, a una edad estimada entre 6 y 7 meses. Las franciscanas estudiadas provienen de dos habitats diferentes: un área estuarial de baja salinidad y la region marina adyacente. La dieta de Pontoporia blainvillei de Argentina estuvo compuesta por un total de 26 especies: 20 teleósteos, 4 crustáceos y 2 cefalópodos. Basados en el Indice de Importancia Relativa (IIR), las presas más importantes fueron Cynoscion guatucupa, Micropogonias furnieri, Loligo sanpaulensis y Urophycis brasiliensis. Las franciscanas provenientes del área estuarial predaron principalmente sobre Micropogonias furnieri (especie dominante), Cynoscion guatucupa, Odonthestes argentinensis y Macrodon ancylodon, mientras que los delfines marinos predaron sobre Cynoscion guatucupa (especie dominante), Loligo sanpaulensis y Urophycis brasiliensis. Nuestros resultados confirman que la franciscana preda sobre peces juveniles (< 8cm) y pequeños calamares Loliginidae, coincidiendo con resultados previos obtenidos en el sur del Brasil y Uruguay. Las diferencias cualitativas y cuantitativas observadas en la dieta de cada uno de las áreas analizadas, nos sugieren que los futuros estudios sobre ecología trófica de la franciscana deberían discriminarse de acuerdo al origen de los ejemplares y a la tipificación del ambiente.

Annual estimates of the unobserved incidental kill of pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata attenuata) calves in the tuna purse-seine fishery of the eastern tropical Pacific

We estimated the total number of pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) mothers killed without their calves (“calf deficit”) in all tuna purse-seine sets from 1973– 90 and 1996–2000 in the eastern tropical Pacific. Estimates were based on a tally of the mothers killed as reported by color pattern and gender, several color-pattern-based frequency tables, and a weaning model. Over the time series, there was a decrease in the calf deficit from approximately 2800 for the western-southern stock and 5000 in the northeastern stock to about 60 missing calves per year. The mean deficit per set decreased from approximately 1.5 missing calves per set in the mid-1970s to 0.01 per set in the late-1990s. Over the time series examined, from 75% to 95% of the lactating females killed were killed without a calf. Under the assumption that these orphaned calves did not survive without their mothers, this calf deficit represents an approximately 14% increase in the reported kill of calves, which is relatively constant across the years examined. Because the calf deficit as we have defined it is based on the kill of mothers, the total number of missing calves that we estimate is potentially an underestimate of the actual number killed. Further research on the mechanism by which separation of mother and calf occurs is required to obtain better estimates of the unobserved kill of dolphin calves in this fishery.

Age and growth of the estuarine dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) (Cetacea, Delphinidae) on the Paraná Coast, southern Brazil

Teeth of 71 estuarine dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) incidentally caught on the coast of Paraná State, southern Brazil, were used to estimate age. The oldest male and female dolphins were 29 and 30 years, respectively. The mean distance from the neonatal line to the end of the first growth layer group (GLG) was 622.4 ±19.1 μm (n=48). One or two accessory layers were observed between the neonatal line and the end of the first GLG. One of the accessory layers, which was not always present, was located at a mean of 248.9 ±32.6 μm (n=25) from the neonatal line, and its interpretation remains uncertain.The other layer, located at a mean of 419.6 ±44.6 μm (n=54) from the neonatal line, was always present and was first observed between 6.7 and 10.3 months of age. This accessory layer could be a record of weaning in this dolphin. Although no differences in age estimates were observed between teeth sectioned in the anterior-posterior and buccal-lingual planes, we recommend sectioning the teeth in the buccal-lingual plane in order to obtain on-center sections more easily. We also recommend not using teeth from the most anterior part of the mandibles for age estimation. The number of GLGs counted in those teeth was 50% less than the number of GLGs counted in the teeth from the median part of the mandible of the same animal. Although no significant difference (P>0.05) was found between the total lengths of adult male and female estuarine dolphins, we observed that males exhibited a second growth spurt around five years of age. This growth spurt would require that separate growth curves be calculated for the sexes. The asymptotic length (TL∞), k, and t0 obtained by the von Bertalanffy growth model were 177.3 cm, 0.66, and –1.23, respectively, for females and 159.6 cm, 2.02, and –0.38, respectively, for males up to five years, and 186.4 cm, 0.53 and –1.40, respectively, for males older than five years. The total weight (TW)/total length (TL) equations obtained for male and female estuarine dolphins were TW = 3.156 × 10−6 × TL 3.2836 (r=0.96), and TW = 8.974 × 10−5 × TL 2.6182 (r=0.95), respectively.

Diving behavior of immature Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus)

Understanding the ontogenetic relationship between juvenile Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and their foraging habitat is key to understanding their relationship to available prey and ultimately their survival. We summarize dive and movement data from 13 young-of-the-year (YOY) and 12 yearling Steller sea lions equipped with satellite dive recorders in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands (n=18), and Washington (n=7) from 1994 to 2000. A total of 1413 d of transmission (x =56.5 d, range: 14.5–104.1 d) were received. We recorded 222,073 dives, which had a mean depth of 18.4 m (range of means: 5.8−67.9 m; SD=16.4). Alaska YOY dived for shorter periods and at shallower depths (mean depth=7.7 m, mean duration=0.8 min, mean maximum depth=25.7 m, and maximum depth=252 m) than Alaska yearlings (x =16.6 m, 0=1.1 min, x = 63.4 m, 288 m), whereas Washington yearlings dived the longest and deepest (mean depth=39.4 m, mean duration=1.8 min, mean maximum depth=144.5 m, and maximum depth=328 m). Mean distance for 564 measured trips was 16.6 km; for sea lions ≤10 months of age, trip distance (7.0 km) was significantly less than for those >10 months of age (24.6 km). Mean trip duration for 10 of the 25 sea lions was 12.1 h; for sea lions ≤10 months of age, trip duration was 7.5 h and 18.1 h for those >10 months of age. We identified three movements types: long-range trips (>15 km and >20 h), short-range trips (<15 km and <20 h) during which the animals left and returned to the same site, and transits to other haul-out sites. Long-range trips started around 9 months of age and occurred most frequently around the assumed time of weaning, whereas short-range trips happened almost daily (0.9 trips/day, n=426 trips). Transits began as early as 7 months of age, occurred more often after 9 months of age, and ranged between 6.5 and 454 km. The change in dive characteristics coincided with the assumed onset of weaning. These yearling sea lion movement patterns and dive characteristics suggest that immature Steller sea lions are as capable of making the same types of movements as adults.

The nutritional status of fishing and non-fishing communities of Lake Victoria basin

We examined socio-economic variables that contribute to malnutrition in selected communities in the Lake Victoria basin during 2001. The study was carried out in nine districts and hinterland communities up to 25 km awayfrom the beach were used as the reference population. The main variables examined were: feeding habits, income and intra-household food distribution and living standards. Others included disease and health, sanitation and hygiene, childcare and mothers' age and workload, weaning practices, agricultural production and food availability, care during pregnancy and food taboos.