Coral reef resources of East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and the Seychelles

Coral reefs are widespread along the east African coast and Seychelle islands. Their roles in island building and coastal protection are often underestimated, they are also important fishery habitats and major tourist attractions. The east African marine fishery production, estimated at 1.4-4.9 tonnes per km super(2), is principally a result of artisanal fishing. Siltation, trampling, and destructive fishing methods are the main cause of coral reef degradation along the east African coast and associated islands. Legislation has been implemented to protect coral reefs by establishing marine parks and reserves. However, poaching and anchor damage are widespread on these protected reefs. Legislative provision to increase the benefit to fishing communities may reduce poaching. The establishment of exclusive nature reserves may be one way to ensure preservation of some coral reefs in the region.

Campanhas na Rede: a utilização do Twitter nas disputas pelas Prefeituras de São Paulo e de Rio de Janeiro em 2012

A pesquisa busca compreender a atuação no Twitter das campanhas às prefeituras de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro em 2012, de modo a entender se houve de fato uma estratégia de ação que usou as possibilidades destes sites de redes sociais para a construção de uma forma inovadora de se fazer campanha eleitoral. A partir de uma revisão de literatura que abrange desde a importância da circulação da informação política nos diferentes regimes informacionais e a midiatização das campanhas eleitorais, procurou-se discutir a emergência das campanhas online, suas principais estratégias e conceitos chave tais como a informação política não mediada, a interatividade e a mobilização bem como a discussão de casos importantes sob o ponto de vista da aplicação de técnicas de marketing à comunicação política. A parte empírica do trabalho, considerando os aspectos levantados pela perspectiva de inovação, avalia a atuação dos candidatos a prefeito de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro nos seus perfis oficiais dos candidatos no Twitter, além das atualizações dos perfis auxiliares criados por algumas campanhas. O objetivo foi chegar a um melhor entendimento de como se deu a utilização dos sites de redes sociais por parte dos candidatos, e até que ponto tais atuações estão relacionadas à forma tradicional de se fazer campanhas eleitorais, sendo que para isso foi realizada uma análise quantitativa e de conteúdo das publicações. Os resultados apontam para assimetrias com relação à utilização do Twitter pelas campanhas com maior e menor volume de recursos, existente no ambiente tradicional das campanhas políticas. Além disso, verificaram-se diferenças na atuação dos principais candidatos envolvidos no pleito, tendo os candidatos em maior vantagem junto ao eleitorado adotado posturas mais conservadoras. Na maioria dos candidatos, constatou-se o baixo índice de mensagens destinadas à mobilização dos internautas. São ressaltadas as estratégias mais inovadoras, em especial aquelas adotadas pelo candidato Marcelo Freixo, bem sucedidas em termos de mobilização de eleitores.

A post-tsunami assessment of coastal living resources of Langkawi Archipelago, Peninsular Malaysia

Rapid and detailed post-tsunami surveys carried out in the Langkawi archipelago in January 2005 showed that the coral reefs dOld_ID not suffer any significant structural damage. Nevertheless, there were signs of recent sediment resuspension at the sites studied. The diversity and abundance of coral reef fishes and invertebrates were low. However, this was not attributed to the tsunami effect but rather to the present environmental conditions. The extent of damage at the villages of Kubang Badak and Kuala Teriang may indicate that intact coastal ecosystems such as mangroves have the potential to protect lives and property during natural disasters.

ReefBase - a global database of coral reef systems and their resources

ReefBase a global database of coral reefs systems and their resources was initiated at International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), Philippines in November 1993. The CEC has provided funding for the first two years and the database was developed in collaboration with the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge, UK, as well as other national, regional, and international institutions. The ReefBase project activities and what ICLARM will do to accomplish the project objectives are briefly discussed.

Sustainable utilization of inland water resources: an integrated program for research and management

In both developed and developing countries, there is increased competition for water resources, resulting in deficiencies in supply and in various forms of pollution. In developing countries, the nutritional potential of aquatic resources is very important. To realize this potential, integrated research and management for sustainable water resource use are needed. This requires a sound understanding of the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. A programme is presented which stresses the interrelationships of the physical, chemical and biological components of aquatic systems and their catchments. The programme consists of 16 stages in 5 phases, which are as follows: System description; System functioning and modelling; Resource assessment/dynamics; Resource potential; and, Resource utilization for sustainability. This programme enables workers within different disciplines to identify how their expertise contributes to the overall research requirements to support resource development.

Mafia marine resources in peril

The rich marine resource of the Mafia District, Tanzania, especially its coral reefs and mangroves, are in danger of collapse. The proposed marine park faces chronic problems of dynamite fishing and coral mining. The Mafia fisheries resources and the importance of coral reefs are presented together with proposed measures to rescue the Mafia marine environment.

Nearshore fish resources and fisheries around Kigoma, eastern coast of Lake Tanganyika

The fish habitats along an inshore water stretch along the eastern/central coast of Lake Tanganyika are discussed and a quantitative analysis of the species composition, distribution and abundance of the littoral fishes within the area of study is presented. Seventy-one species of fish belonging to 48 genera and to 15 fish families were collected and identified during the study. The majority of species belonged to the Cichlidae family. Intensive beach seining for clupeids is suggested as one of the causes of low fish biomass in the area surveyed. The areas south of Kigoma appeared to contain more fish, with average catch rates of 11.7 kg/haul than those north of Kigoma where average catch rates of 7.6 kg/haul were recorded. Some suggestions for improved management of these resources are given.

Economic policies and the sustainable development of coastal resources in the Philippines

The link between environmental trends and economic policies is examined. The assessment of the past and present economic policies affecting the use of coastal resources in the Philippines showed that these policies have accelerated the rate of degradation of coastal resources. The current situation demands not only the reorientation of economic policies, but also other related actions to attain sustainable development of coastal resources.

Management of wetland resources in the lower Mekong Basin: issues and future directions

The Lower Mekong Basin has extensive wetlands and these are being threatened by numerous problems. Most of these problems are interdependent and interact with one another. The lack of an appropriate definition of wetlands applicable to the region, pervasive inefficiencies and chronic lack of funds among riparian governments, and the poor appreciation of the true economic importance of wetlands and its resources are among the most prominent. The current definition, based on the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), is too broad when compared to the understanding of wetlands as being swamps, marshes and the like, and was developed specifically for wetlands with international importance as waterfowl habitats. Furthermore, wetlands are composed of different types of resources, which require different modes of management. Often, institutional competition, overlapping mandates and sometimes jealousies occur between government departments when they try to assert their authority on a particular wetland resource and use, and put forward their development plans without considering how these may conflict with other wetlands uses. Finally, effective wetland management requires reliable statistics or information on rate of harvest of natural resources such as fish and others, fishing/harvesting methods over time in order to determine the level of exploitation, and the status of the natural resources. This information is needed to identify opportunities for expansion, to establish historical trends, and to determine when management interventions are necessary to protect the resources from being overused by other developments. In order to address these issues, ICLARM - The World Fish Center has launched a project, the aim of objectives of which are described in this paper.

Video technology applied to the management of Bahrain's marine resources

Video technology has been used as a tool in research for many years. However, its widespread use as a fisheries management tool has been limited due to its relatively high cost. This is changing as video technology becomes a household commodity now widely available throughout the world.

Conservation and management of marine fishery resources of Kerala State, India

The highly productive fisheries of Kerala, India, are suffering from overexploitation. Use of unsuitable fishing gears that result in a high level of wasteful bycatch and destruction of egg bearing and juvenile fish should be controlled. This paper makes some suggestions for monitoring and conservation of the fisheries in Kerala.

Status and conservation of Reeves shad resources in China

An endangered fish species in China, Reeves shad (Tenualosa reversii), is finding hope of restoration and conservation in aquaculture and induced breeding efforts spearheaded by the Yangtze River Fisheries Management Commission. The history and sensitive traits of the Reeves shad are described featuring the species' life history, population dynamics and management of the Reeves shad resources.

Fisheries and Marine Resources of Hawaii and the U.S.-associated Pacific Islands: An Introduction

The fisheries of Hawaii and other U.S.-associated islands in the Pacific Ocean are characterized by high diversity, both in the species exploited and the human cultures that exploit them. The commercial sector has undergone rapid growth in recent years, but recreational and subsistence sectors remain important. Information on these fisheries is generally not available in published form. This paper presents an overview and introduction to a volume of papers describing fisheries in the region, with the goal of making the information available to scientists and the general public. A great deal remains to be learned about the dynamics of these fisheries as well as the associated issues in biological research, fisheries management, and environmental protection.