The history and research results of the East African Freshwater Fisheries Research Organization from 1946 - 1966.

Continuous research on the freshwater fisheries industry in East Africa, in common with most other African countries, did not commence until the end of the Second World War in 1945. Before the war some work on the fishes and hydrobiology of the lakes of East Africa had been undertaken by a series of scientific expeditions, which were sent out from Europe, between the years 1896 and 1939. These expeditions usually lasted for only a few months, and the collected data were published by young graduates and undergraduates, including such people as Mr. L. C. Beadle, (lately Professor Beadle of Makerere), Mr. V. E. Fuchs (now Sir Vivian Fuchs) and Mr. E. B. Worthington of Gonville and Caius College,Cambridge. Later. Dr. Worthington became Scientific Secretary to the Scientific Council for Africa, Scientific Secretary to the East African High Commission, and played a very large part in the furtherance of fisheries research and management in East Africa.

Effects of flow regime on the young stages of Salmonid fishes. Conclusions based on results for 1977-1981

Rivers in Teesdale and its fish population have been monitored for several years. This report briefly describes the life cycle of British salmonid fishes and indicates the main ways in which this life cycle is influenced by discharge and related effects. Some highlights of the research results for 1977 - 1981 are briefly stated and proposals for future research are listed. Some practical implications of the results are discussed. (PDF contains 34 pages)

Making experiment station results more useful to African fish farmers

Rather than using more or less ideal conditions for setting experimental controls, the use of conditions similar to those likely to be encountered by farmers should produce research results which are realistically achievable on the farm. ICLARM has developed an approach to farmer-led experimentation which utilizes a spreadsheet to collate and analyze data collected from participating farmers. The simulation of actual management practices utilized by farmers produced results in replicated on-station trials which were within 11% of net yields on-farm. In addition to giving researchers a tool for comparing farm and station management practices, giving farmers a realistic indication of what yields will be if a technology is adopted should help overcome the problems of disillusionment often encountered when farm results fall below those expected by researchers on the basis of experiment station studies.

National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) research highlights in the Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It is a unique and valuable national treasure because of its ecological, recreational, economic and cultural benefits. The problems facing the Bay are well known and extensively documented, and are largely related to human uses of the watershed and resources within the Bay. Over the past several decades as the origins of the Chesapeake’s problems became clear, citizens groups and Federal, State, and local governments have entered into agreements and worked together to restore the Bay’s productivity and ecological health. In May 2010, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order number 13508 that tasked a team of Federal agencies to develop a way forward in the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake watershed. Success of both State and Federal efforts will depend on having relevant, sound information regarding the ecology and function of the system as the basis of management and decision making. In response to the executive order, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) has compiled an overview of its research in Chesapeake Bay watershed. NCCOS has a long history of Chesapeake Bay research, investigating the causes and consequences of changes throughout the watershed’s ecosystems. This document presents a cross section of research results that have advanced the understanding of the structure and function of the Chesapeake and enabled the accurate and timely prediction of events with the potential to impact both human communities and ecosystems. There are three main focus areas: changes in land use patterns in the watershed and the related impacts on contaminant and pathogen distribution and concentrations; nutrient inputs and algal bloom events; and habitat use and life history patterns of species in the watershed. Land use changes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have dramatically changed how the system functions. A comparison of several subsystems within the Bay drainages has shown that water quality is directly related to land use and how the land use affects ecosystem health of the rivers and streams that enter the Chesapeake Bay. Across the Chesapeake as a whole, the rivers that drain developed areas, such as the Potomac and James rivers, tend to have much more highly contaminated sediments than does the mainstem of the Bay itself. In addition to what might be considered traditional contaminants, such as hydrocarbons, new contaminants are appearing in measurable amounts. At fourteen sites studied in the Bay, thirteen different pharmaceuticals were detected. The impact of pharmaceuticals on organisms and the people who eat them is still unknown. The effects of water borne infections on people and marine life are known, however, and the exposure to certain bacteria is a significant health risk. A model is now available that predicts the likelihood of occurrence of a strain of bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus throughout Bay waters.