Population genetic structure of brown crab (Cancer pagurus) in Irish waters

The brown crab (Cancer pagurus) fishery in Ireland is one of the most important financially and socio-economically, with the species worth approximately €15m per year in the first half of the decade. Only mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and Dublin Bay prawn (Nephrops norvegicus) are of greater value. Despite this, very little research has been conducted to describe the stock structure of brown crab on a national scale. In this study a country-wide assessment of genetic population structure was carried out. Sampling was conducted from commercial fishing boats from 11/06 to 04/08 at seven sample sites representing the central Irish brown crab fisheries, with one sample site from the UK also included in the study. Six microsatellite markers, specifically developed for brown crab, were used to assess genetic diversity and estimate population differentiation parameters. Significant genetic structuring was found using F-statistics (Fst = 0.007) and exact tests, but not with Bayesian methods. Samples from the UK and Wexford were found to be genetically distinct from all other populations. Three northern populations from Malm Head and Stanton Bank were genetically similar with Fst estimates suggesting connectivity between them. Also, Stanton Bank, again on the basis of Fst estimates, appeared to be connected to populations down the west coast of Ireland, as far south as Kerry. Two Galway samples, one inside and one outside of Galway Bay, were genetically differentiated despite their close geographic proximity. It is hypothesised that a persistent northerly summer current could transport pelagic larvae from populations along the southwest and west coasts of Ireland towards Stanton Bank in the North, resulting in the apparent connectivity observed in this study.

Development of a data acquisition system to characterise sustainable energy technologies and to support Web-Based learning (DAQ-WBL)

Driven by concerns about rising energy costs, security of supply and climate change a new wave of Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET’s) have been embraced by the Irish consumer. Such systems as solar collectors, heat pumps and biomass boilers have become common due to government backed financial incentives and revisions of the building regulations. However, there is a deficit of knowledge and understanding of how these technologies operate and perform under Ireland’s maritime climate. This AQ-WBL project was designed to address both these needs by developing a Data Acquisition (DAQ) system to monitor the performance of such technologies and a web-based learning environment to disseminate performance characteristics and supplementary information about these systems. A DAQ system consisting of 108 sensors was developed as part of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology’s (GMIT’s) Centre for the Integration of Sustainable EnergyTechnologies (CiSET) in an effort to benchmark the performance of solar thermal collectors and Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP’s) under Irish maritime climate, research new methods of integrating these systems within the built environment and raise awareness of SET’s. It has operated reliably for over 2 years and has acquired over 25 million data points. Raising awareness of these SET’s is carried out through the dissemination of the performance data through an online learning environment. A learning environment was created to provide different user groups with a basic understanding of a SET’s with the support of performance data, through a novel 5 step learning process and two examples were developed for the solar thermal collectors and the weather station which can be viewed at http://www.kdp 1 .aquaculture.ie/index.aspx. This online learning environment has been demonstrated to and well received by different groups of GMIT’s undergraduate students and plans have been made to develop it further to support education, awareness, research and regional development.

Effects of selected post harvest processes on brown crab (Cancerpagurus L.) and European lobster (Homarus gammarus L.) from Irish Crustacean Fisheries

The crustacean fishery is important to the socio economics of rural and island communities around Ireland; with brown crab (Cancer pagurus) and European lobster (.Homarus gammarus) being the most valuable shellfish species. Brown crab and lobster are marketed live with the majority being exported from Ireland to southern Europe. Post capture processes used in Ireland are very subjective but promote fresh, live products. Common practices used in the crustacean fishery include nicking of brown crab and long term storage of lobster. This study showed that nicking resulted in elevated mean lactate levels of 17.90% (StDev ± 1.74) and elevated mean glucose levels of 120.55 % (StDev ± 0.26) with mean circulating bacteria levels 9 times greater in nicked crab. Nicking resulted in 96.3% increase in tissue necrosis and a subsequent reduction in product quality. These factors possibly compromise the host’s defense system, which may ultimately reduce the animal’s ability to cope with additional stressors caused by post-harvest processes. Long term storage allows lobster to be stored until the market is less saturated and prices are higher. This investigation found that some lobsters contracted bacterial biofilms as a result of long term storage. Bacteria isolated from biofilms were identified as Arcobacter and Campylobacterales with identity and alignment scores of 80% andd 88% respectively.