The Kaipara story: a closer look at the benefits of working together, the evolution of a federation of aquaculture self-help groups and a one-stop aqua shop in rural West Bengal

What is special about Kaipara is that most recently, they have founded a federation of Self-Help Groups that work together to develop their own support network and to draw in the support of others. This is a sophisticated ‘home-grown’ support infrastructure that is the subject of this story. (Pdf contains 8 pages).

The Kandhkelgaon Story: a bold bid by women in Kandhkelgaon Village, Saintala Block, Bolangir District, to break out of their poverty trap

One third of the people on earth who are described as living in absolute poverty are found today in India. “These people,” says Mr B K Satpathy, “are caught in a poverty trap’.” “Poverty trap?” we ask. “These are creative weavers; their cloth has a distinctive style, but those who supply their thread also take away and sell the cloth, paying just a small labor cost for each saree. If they are skilled and work hard this amounts to only 25-30 rupees (60-70 US cents) per day.” Under this arrangement, weaving does not provide enough to live on, and people are seeking ways to escape their entrapment in poverty. (Pdf contains 6 pages).

The story of a small trout fishery

This article relates the experience of creating and developing a fishery in southern England. The fishery was made from a small stream which dries up from time to time, and marks the boundary between a Sussex farm and a large coniferous forest. The preparation of the site and creation of the impoundment are described, and early experiences outlined. The fishery was expanded in later years, as a result of its popularity, and records of its use by anglers are illustrated. The performance of the fishery is measured in terms of "good fish" (more than 675 g) taken, and their number has increased from 81 in 1984 to 226 in 1991. The aquatic plants, invertebrates, and birds of the fishery are discussed, as are the natural predators of the fish.

Meso-scale transboundary units for the management of coral reefs in the South China Sea area

Local communities and local government units are recognized as the primary stakeholders and participants in the management of coral reef resources and the primary beneficiaries of small-scale fishing activities in the nearshore areas of the coastal zone. The issues relating to the management of the coastal zone are multi-faceted and some issues are largely intertwined with national policy and development goals. Thus, national governments have jurisdiction over these nearshore coastal resources to harmonize policies, monitor resource use and provide incentives for sustainable use. However, the natural boundaries of these reef resources, the processes that support reef ecosystems, and the local or national affiliation of the people who benefit from them may transcend the boundaries of the local and national management units. Therefore, efforts to arrest the decline in fish catch and loss of biodiversity for reefs require management interventions and assessment activities to be carried out at varying scales. In Southeast Asia, some aspects of reef and reef resources management — particularly in deciding the allocation of catch among competing fisheries, development of sustainable harvest strategies, use of broodstock for restocking or stock enhancement programs, protection of nursery and spawning areas, designation of systems of marine protected areas, and the identification of representative, adequate and comprehensive areas for biodiversity conservation in the region — may require the definition of larger management units. At the regional level, multi-country initiatives will need to define units for the transboundary management of resources. The use of large marine ecosystems (LMEs) to identify and manage fisheries resources may be a starting point; however, given the relatively sedentary nature of coral reef-dwelling and reef-associated organisms compared with other pelagic and demersal species, meso-scale transboundary units within the LMEs have to be defined. This paper provides suggestions for transboundary management units for coral reef and reef-associated resources in Southeast Asia based on information from genetic structures of model organisms in the region. In addition, specific reef areas are identified, which may be important beyond their national boundaries, as potential sources of recruits.

From drawing board to dining table: the success story of the GIFT project

As compared to crops and livestock, the genetic enhancement of fish is in its infancy. While significant progress has been achieved in the genetic improvement of temperate fish such as salmonids, no efforts were made until the late 1980s for the genetic improvement of tropical finfish, which account for about 90 percent of global aquaculture production. This paper traces the history of the Genetic Improvement of Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) project initiated in 1988 by the WorldFish Center and its partners for the development of methods for genetic enhancement of tropical finfish using Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as a test species. It also describes the impacts of the project on the adoption of these methods for other species and the dissemination of improved breeds in several countries in Asia and the Pacific.

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.

The Irwell. Story of an industrial river

This is the Irwell: Story of an industrial river document produced by the North West Water in 1979. This report is a leaflet format document. It focuses on the historical evolution of River Irwell, since it was “born” the river Irwell, about three hundred million years ago when shallow seas covered most of south east Lancashire and Europe to present years. It looks at Irwell’s pollution, highlighting the Irwell’s lower stretches were some of the region was the most polluted due to the population growth and establishment of industrial activities i.e. Lancashire’s great cotton industry, breach and dye works, paper mills, tanneries, chemical and gas works. Wastes from these industries were discharged directly to the river, together with crude sewage from an ever increasing population. However over the years the condition of the Irwell was gradually improved.

Assessment of the performance of beach management units (BMUs) on Lakes Victoria, Albert, Kyoga and George

Until the late 1990s the fisheries of Ugandan lakes had been managed by government where stakeholders were excluded from the decision-making process. In order to involve other stakeholders, co-management was adopted. Operationalising Co-management on landing sites has led to the formation of BMUs at gazetted landing sites. A BMU is made up of a BMU assembly and the BMU committee that it elects. A BMU committee should be: 30% boat owners; 30% boat barias 30% including fish processors, boat makers, local gear makers and repairers, fishing input dealers and managers and 10% fish mongers/traders; and if possible, 30% women. To operate at a particular landing site, one must be registered with the BMU. The BMU assembly is the supreme organ of a BMU empowered to elect, approve and remove the BMU committee