Mangrove rehabilitation in the west coast of Aceh: issues and perspectives

The condition of mangroves pre- and post- tsunami and the socioeconomic role of mangrove forests in the livelihoods of coastal communities along the west coast of Aceh province, Indonesia are examined. The findings indicate that community livelihoods are significantly linked to the mangrove ecosystem. However, most of the mangrove rehabilitation programs are conservation orientated, aimed primarily at land conservation, and are not necessarily linked with livelihood options for local people or integrated resource management. This is a cause for concern as rehabilitation will only succeed when conservation measures are balanced with local community needs to obtain sustainable benefits from the rehabilitated systems. The rehabilitation efforts do involve the communities to a certain extent, but a more holistic and integrated approach needs to be adopted to ensure better management and sustainability of the rehabilitated mangrove forests.

Effect of temperature on genomic and some biological indices during embryonic and larval development of Caspian trout Salmo trutta caspius Kessler, 1877

Since 1966 especially recent decade, Caspian trout (Salmo trutta caspius Kessler, 1877) considered as a strategic endemic species for Caspian Sea fisheries resources also coldwater aquaculture in Iran. Nowadays habitat condition effects on this subspecies during life stages, artificial breeding and incubation period noticed by research and execution sessions of fisheries in Iran. Incubation duration of Caspian trout from artificial fertilization followed by green egg and eyed egg, hatching and yolk sac absorption identified as most sensitive stages for fish and any pollution, stress and deviation by natural life conditions of embryo up to larvae could provide possible mortalities and observable or hidden alterations. Among all vital factors for Caspian trout welfare even in conservation plans and stocks rehabilitation programs or recent attempts for domestication of this fish for introduction to cold water aquaculture industry, water temperature as the most important physical factor which might conserve or induce stress to rearing environment condition is not considered yet. In hatcheries activities, the temperature for incubation and rearing Caspian trout eggs is determining by available water temperature and wide range of temperatures in governmental or private farms is using depend on the water resources availability. Also global climate change consideration and increase temperature trend accompany with group of physical and chemical factors provided by fish farm discharges and other source points entered to the migration pathway of Caspian trout in spawning season were not investigated before. Natural spawning migration pathway is upstream of Caspian tout south and south west rivers especially in Cheshmehkileh upstream in Tonekabon, Iran directed this research focus on the mentioned location. For simulation of natural spawning bed for Caspian trout, water supplied from the upstream of Daryasar branch as headwater of Cheshmehkileh River which provided REDD water condition for in vitro incubation. Green eggs treatments of wild and F1 cultured brooders both 3+ were incubated. Incubation implemented in dark, constant temperature (4, 8, 12 degree centigrade) and DO–pH–temperature digital monitoring in 3 recycling incubators ended to yolk sac absorption and entering larval stage. Hatching success, possible genome alterations by HSP70 gene expression and comet assay implemented as diagnostic tools in 3 life stages of eyed egg– Alevin and Larvae. Numbers and diameters of larvae white fiber muscles measured by histology experiment and Hematoxylin–eosine staining. Results stated significant effect of incubation temperature on hatching success, genome and white fiber muscles of wild and F1 samples. Hatching success measured as 31% and 38% for cultured and wild cold treatments, 79% and 91% for normal and 64% and 73% for warm cultured and wild treatments respectively. Considerable mortality occurred for cold treatment and 8 degree centigrade stated the best thermal condition in normal incubator according to hatching success in wild Caspian trout samples.

Rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine mammals: An analysis of current views and practices.

Stranded marine mammals have long attracted public attention. Those that wash up dead are, for all their value to science, seldom seen by the public as more than curiosities. Animals that are sick, injured, orphaned or abandoned ignite a different response. Generally, public sentiment supports any effort to rescue, treat and return them to sea. Institutions displaying marine mammals showed an early interest in live-stranded animals as a source of specimens -- in 1948, Marine Studios in St. Augustine, Florida, rescued a young short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus), the first ever in captivity (Kritzler 1952). Eventually, the public as well as government agencies looked to these institutions for their recognized expertise in marine mammal care and medicine. More recently, facilities have been established for the sole purpose of rehabilitating marine mammals and preparing them for return to the wild. Four such institutions are the Marine Mammal Center (Sausalito, CA), the Research Institute for Nature Management (Pieterburen, The Netherlands), the RSPCA, Norfolk Wildlife Hospital (Norfolk, United Kingdom) and the Institute for Wildlife Biology of Christian-Albrects University (Kiel, Germany).(PDF contains 68 pages.)

Lessons from established breeding programs: terrestrial and aquatic animals

Some relevant components of selection program theory and implementation are reviewed. This includes pedigree recording, genetic evaluation, balancing genetic gains and genetic diversity and tactical integration of key issues. Lessons learned are briefly described – illustrating how existing method and tools can be useful when launching a program in a novel species, and yet highlighting the importance of proper understanding and custom application according to the biology and environments of that species.

Breeding programs on Atlantic salmon in Norway: lessons learned

An early establishment of selective breeding programs on Atlantic salmon has been crucial for the success of developing efficient and sustainable salmon farming in Norway. A national selective breeding program was initiated by AKVAFORSK at the beginning of the 1970s, by collecting fertilized eggs from more than 40 Norwegian river populations. Several private selective breeding programs were also initiated in the 1970s and 1980s. While these private programs were initiated using individual selection (i.e. massselection) to genetically improve growth, the national program was designed to gradually include all economically important traits in the breeding objective (i.e. growth, age at sexual maturation, disease resistance and quality traits) using a combined family and within-family selection strategy. Independent of which selection strategy and program design used, it is important to secure and maintain a broad genetic variation in the breeding populations to maximize selection response. It has been documented that genetically improved salmon from the national selective breeding program grow twice as fast as wild Atlantic salmon and require 25 per cent less feed, while salmon representing the private breeding programs all show an intermediate growth performance. As a result of efficient dissemination of genetically improved Atlantic salmon, the Norwegian salmon farming industry has reduced its feed costs by more than US$ 230 million per year! The national selective breeding program on Atlantic salmon was commercialized into a breeding company (AquaGen) in 1992. Five years later, several private companies and the AKVAFORSK Genetics Center (AFGC) established a second breeding company (SalmoBreed) using breeding candidates from one of the private breeding programs. These two breeding companies have similar products, but different strategies on how to organize the breeding program and to disseminate the genetically improved seed to the Norwegian salmon industry. Greater competition has increased the necessity to document the genetic gain obtained from the different programs and to market the economic benefits of farming the genetically improved breeds. Both breeding companies have organized their dissemination to get a sufficient share of the economic benefits in order to sustain and improve their breeding programs.

Cooperative artificial propagation programs for salmon and steelhead, 1995-1996

Fifteen cooperative fish rearing and planting programs for salmon and steelhead were active from July 1, 1995 through June 30, 1996. For all programs, 134,213 steelhead trout,(Oncorhynchus mykiss), 7,742,577 chinook salmon,(~ tshawytscha),and 25,075 coho salmon(~ kisutch) were planted. (PDF contains 26 pages.)

Cooperative artificial propagation programs for salmon and steelhead, 1996-1997

Fourteen cooperative fish rearing and planting programs for salmon and steelhead were active from July 1, 1996 through June 30, 1997. For all programs, 208,922 steelhead trout, (Oncorhynchus mykiss), 10,334,457 chinook salmon,(O. tshawytscha),and 60,681 coho salmon(O. kisutch) were planted. (PDF contains 24 pages.)

Introduction to MLML_DBASE Programs

The MLML DBASE family of programs described here provides many of the. algorithms used in oceanographic data reduction, general data manipulation and line graphs. These programs provide a consistent file structure for serial data typically encountered in oceanography. This introduction should provide enough general knowledge to explain the scope of the program and to run the basic MLML_DBASE programs. It is not intended as a programmer's guide. (PDF contains 50 pages)

Panama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2006 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 2006 1. Captured and tagged 475 Gulf sturgeons in five Florida rivers and one bay. 2. Documented Gulf sturgeon marine movement and habitat use in the Gulf of Mexico. 3. Assisted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the collection of Gulf sturgeon, implantation of acoustic tags, and monitoring of fish in a study to examine movement patterns and habitat use in Pensacola and Choctawhatchee bays post-Hurricane Ivan. 4. Provided technical assistance to Jon “Bo” Sawyer in completing a study – Summer Resting Areas of the Gulf Sturgeon in the Conecuh/Escambia River System, Alabama-Florida – for acquiring a Degree of Master of Science at Troy University, Alabama. 5. Coordinated tagging and data collection with NOAA observers aboard trawlers while collecting Gulf sturgeon during dredging operations in the coastal Gulf of Mexico. 6. Hosted the 7th Annual Gulf Sturgeon Workshop. 7. Implemented Gulf Striped Bass Restoration Plan by coordinating the 23rd Annual Morone Workshop, leading the technical committee, transporting broodfish, coordinating the stocking on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system, and evaluating post-stocking success. 8. Continued updating and managing the Freshwater Mussel Survey Database, a Geographic Information System (GIS) database, for over 800 unique sites in the Northeast Gulf (NEG) drainages in Alabama (AL), Georgia (GA), and Florida (FL). 9. Formed a recovery implementation team for listed mussels in the ACF river basin and oversaw grant cooperative agreements for 14 listed and candidate freshwater mussels in the NEG watersheds. 10. Initiated a project in the Apalachicola River to relocate mussels stranded as a result of drought conditions, and calculate river flows at which mussels would be exposed. 11. Initiated a project in Sawhatchee Creek, Georgia to determine the status of threatened and endangered (T&E) freshwater mussels and target restoration projects, population assessments, and potential population augmentation to lead toward recovery of the listed species. 12. Initiated a study to determine the age and growth of the endangered fat threeridge mussel (Amblema neislerii). 13. Provided technical assistance to the Panama City Ecological Services office for a biological opinion on the operations of Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam and its effects on the listed species and designated and proposed critical habitat in the Apalachicola River, Florida. 14. Assisted with a multi-State, inter-agency team to develop a management plan to restore the Alabama shad in the ACF river system. 15. Conducted fishery surveys on Tyndall AFB, Florida and Ft. Benning, Georgia and completed a report with recommendations for future recreational fishery needs. 16. Provided fishery technical assistance to four National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) (i.e., Okefenokee NWR, Banks Lake NWR, St. Vincent NWR, and St. Marks NWR). 17. Initiated an Aquatic Resources and Recreation Fishing Survey on Department of Defense facilities located in Region 4. 18. Identified 130 road-stream crossings on Eglin AFB for rehabilitation and elimination of sediment imputs. 19. Continued the Aquatics Monitoring Program at Eglin AFB to assess techniques that determine current status and sustainability of aquatic habitat and develop a measure to determine quality or degradation of habitat. 20. Assisted Eglin AFB Natural Resource managers in revising the installation’s Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) and its associated component plans. 21. Coordinated recovery efforts for the endangered Okaloosa darter including population/life history surveys, stream restoration, and outreach activities. 22. Initiated a comprehensive status review of the Okaloosa darter with analyses performed to assess available habitat, preferred habitats, range expansions/reductions/fragmentations, population size, and probability of extinction. 23. Assisted the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under a Memorandum of Agreement to develop conservation strategies, implement monitoring and assessment programs, and secure funds for aquatic management programs in six watersheds in northwest Florida and southeast Alabama. 24. Entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Air Force to encourage the conservation and rehabilitation of natural resources at Hurlburt Field, Florida. 25. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resources’ conservation needs and opportunities; including National Fishing Week, Earth Day, several festivals, and school outreach.

A comparison of two fishery-independent survey programs used to define the population structure of American lobster (Homarus americanus) in the Gulf of Maine

The population structure and abundance of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) stock in the Gulf of Maine are defined by data derived from a fishery-independent trawl survey program conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Few sampling stations in the survey area are located inshore, in particular along coastal Maine. According to statistics, however, more than two thirds of the lobster landings come from inshore waters within three miles off the coast of Maine. In order to include an inshore survey program, complementary to the NMFS survey, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) initialized an inshore survey program in 2000. The survey was modeled on the NMFS survey program, making these two survey programs comparable. Using data from both survey programs, we evaluated the population structure of the American lobster in the Gulf of Maine. Our findings indicate that lobsters in the Gulf of Maine tend to have a size-dependent inshore-off-shore distribution; smaller lobsters are more likely to stay inshore and larger lobsters are more likely to stay offshore. The DMR inshore and NMFS survey programs focused on different areas in the Gulf of Maine and likely targeted different segments of the stock. We suggest that data from both survey programs be used to assess the lobster stock and to describe the dynamics of the stock in the Gulf of Maine.

Approaches to national fish breeding programs: pointers from a tilapia pilot study

Details are given of a framework for developing breeding programmes using experience from the Genetic Improvement of Farmed Tilapias project which focussed on Nile tilapias (Oreochromis niloticus ). The following aspects are outlined: Analysis of targeted production and marketing systems; Breeding goals; Systematic documentation and evaluation of available genetic resources and choice and genetic base; Number of strains; Breeding strategy; Selection criteria and evaluation; Production and dissemination of improved strains; and, social, economic and environmental impacts.

Ongoing rehabilitation of coastal communities in Aceh province : a new project

This article presents an overview of the project on Rehabilitation of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Tsunami-affected Coastal Communities in Aceh Province. Building on the research results from the recently completed projects detailed in the previous articles, this project shall synthesize information on coastal fishing communities and resources in order to develop site-specific management options to support rehabilitation of fisheries and aquaculture.

Fisheries rehabilitation in post-tsunami Aceh: Status and needs from participatory appraisals

The widespread and long-term nature of the tsunami damage in Aceh province, Indonesia has threatened the continued use of coastal and fisheries resources. This article describes the application of the Rapid Appraisal of Fisheries Management System (RAFMS) methodology and presents key findings from the participatory appraisals in 15 study sites. The focus is on changes in the number and types of fishing boats and fishing effort, consumption and marketing flow patterns and community perspectives on livelihood options. The level of aid (for new boats), mainly from international organizations, has been unevenly distributed with the number of boats in 13 of 15 villages still being well below the pre-tsunami levels. A focus on supplying small vessels may put increased fishing pressure on the near-shore zone. Consumption data and marketing flows suggest that most fishing villages are supplying outside markets and adding considerably to the wider food security of the province. Despite the tsunami, marine fisheries-related livelihoods are still preferred, although there are indications for the potential expansion of livelihoods into the culture of new species. Alternative resource-based livelihoods need to be tested and refined to fit the needs of the current conditions in Aceh to provide viable options for eliminating hunger and reducing poverty.

Mangrove rehabilitation and coastal resource management: a case study of Cogtong Bay, Philippines

The Cogtong Bay experience represents a bold attempt to pursue a shared responsibility between the government and local residents for rehabilitating coastal resources. Some of the factors that provided the impetus to co-management arrangements were the recognition of resource management problems, dependence on coastal resources for livelihood and the desire for more sustainable resource use. This paper draws attention to the importance of legitimate user/property rights, vigilant law enforcement efforts, common commitment among stakeholders and continuing support from local leadership in viable co-management arrangements.

Ecological computer programs: the importance of being friendly

A discussion is presented on the topic of statistical data analysis in the field of ecology, emphasizing the importance of computer programmes being user friendly for the ecologist. Particular reference is given to TWINSPAN, CANOCO and PATN and the applications of these programmes to tropical fisheries and coastal zone management.