Analysis of sex-specific spawning biomass per recruit of the sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) in the waters off eastern Taiwan

Analyses of sex-specific yield per recruit and spawning stock biomass per recruit were conducted to evaluate the current status of the sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) fishery in the waters off eastern Taiwan. Natural mortality rates estimated from Pauly’s empirical equation were 0.26/yr for females and 0.27/yr for males. The current fishing mortality rates were estimated as 0.24/yr and 0.43/yr for females and males, respectively, which are much lower than the estimated F0 .1 (0.62/yr and 0.79/yr for females and males, respectively) and FSSB40 (0.46/yr for females) which are commonly used as target reference points in fisheries management. The effects of the fishing mortality, natural mortality, and age at first capture on the estimates of biological reference points were evaluated by using the Monte Carlo simulation. The results indicate that failure to consider the uncertainty in parameters such as natural mortality or age at first capture may lead to the improper estimation of biological reference points. This study indicates the possibility of current fishing mortality exceeding the target biological reference points may be negligible for sailfish in the waters off eastern Taiwan. However, in view of the recent rapid increase in fishing effort, it is evident that the stock status and development of the fishery need to be closely monitore

A study of tagging methods for the sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa in the waters off Maine

The sea cucumber fishery in waters off Maine is developing and has recently experienced great increases in landings, corresponding to expanding export markets. Between 1994 and 1996, reported landings ranged from one to three million pounds (Fig. 1). In 1999, reported landings were over eight million pounds and rose to over nine million in 2000 (Feindel1). Like other developing fisheries, we have little information about the biology and ecology of the sea cucumber off Maine, limited data on the fishery, and little knowledge about the key life history processes that characterize its population dynamics. Therefore, we have a limited understanding of the current status of the resource and the impacts the fishery may have on the stock.

Uso de madeiras da Mata Atlântica em construções históricas no Rio de Janeiro

Com a chegada dos europeus ao Brasil, inicia-se a intensa exploração dos recursos da Mata Atlântica, direcionados primeiramente para uso da coroa e, posteriormente, para os assentamentos populacionais da colônia. As informações sobre o uso de madeiras na época do Brasil-colônia de Portugal (1630-1822) são escassas e se encontram dispersas. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar uma referência cruzada utilizando três diferentes tipos de culturas materiais: documentos históricos, artefatos e paisagem. Tendo como foco as senzalas da Fazenda Ponte Alta no estado do Rio de Janeiro/RJ, relacionou-se os dados históricos sobre o uso de madeiras de construção no período colonial com o conhecimento científico atual sobre a flora de Mata Atlântica, identificando as espécies utilizadas no passado e sua ocorrência nos fragmentos florestais remanescentes. Para tal, foram visitadas bibliotecas nacionais e internacionais; analisadas amostras das madeiras da estrutura das senzalas e realizado um inventário fitossociológico nos fragmentos florestais remanescentes. Como um dos principais resultados, destaca-se o expressivo número de espécies madeireiras da Mata Atlântica que eram utilizadas nas construções do Brasil-colônia. E que a preferência de uso de determinados táxons pertencentes à Leguminosae, Sapotaceae e Lauraceae, reflete a disponibilidade e abundância dessas famílias no Bioma. Das espécies identificadas nas estruturas das senzalas, 68% foram citadas nos documentos históricos como sendo utilizadas em construções no período colonial e 37% dessas, também foram amostradas no inventário fitossociológico realizado. Constatou-se que as espécies utilizadas para construção no Brasilcolônia apresentavam, na maioria, boa qualidade e alta resistência o que lhes conferia uma multiplicidade de uso. Essa demanda, certamente, tem reflexos diretos na distribuição geográfica, no tamanho populacional e no status de conservação atual das espécies. Os resultados indicam, também, que os construtores do período, principais atores da história, detinham o conhecimento necessário à utilização das florestas locais. Assim, os dados obtidos nos diferentes materiais analisados se mostraram complementares e com interação entre si, agregando informação e veracidade aos argumentos inicialmente postulados

Aquaculture in the mountains of the northern Lao PDR and northern Vietnam

This article features the current status of aquaculture in the mountains of the northern Lao PDR and northern Vietnam.

Crayfish survey of the Weaver, Dane, Goyt and Etherow catchments

This is the report on the Crayfish Survey of the Weaver, Dane, Goyt and Etherow catchments from 1998 by the Environment Agency. The aims of this report are: Firstly, to present the findings of the crayfish survey and details of the sites visited. Secondly to present the information on distribution maps with past records so that the current status can be seen and finally to use this information so that recommendations for the conservation of native crayfish can be made in accordance with the national action plan for this species and the Environment Agency’s Species Management Programme. The report contains sections on background, going through legislation, distribution and requirements of both native and non-native crayfish. Sections on methodology, results and discussion, conclusion and recommendations. The appendix I contains maps showing the sampling points locations. Details of sampling sites are summarized in appendix II. Appendix III contains previous crayfish records and Appendix IV shows the field data recording form. Finally, a collection of photographs are displayed in appendix V.

Cheshire Meres 1994 November surveys

This is the Cheshire Meres 1994 November surveys report produced by the National Rivers Authority in 1995. The report focuses on some of Cheshire meres, which were showing evidence of increasing eutrophication, commonly due to anthropogenic inputs. Concern for the deterioration of the water quality of still waters has been translated by incorporating these priorities into the NRA North West Regional Environmental Strategy for Stillwaters. The meres were also being investigated as possible polluted waters under the EC Nitrate Directive. The ultimate aim is to formulate lakes management options in order to help preserve North West still waters and minimise future restoration programmes. For such pro-active work to be carried out, sufficient background data must be available. It should then be possible to fully assess the current status of these lakes, identify seasonal trends and detect significant point/diffuse pollution inputs. These surveys were the first of a series, and it was intended to repeat similar surveys in Summer and Autumn 1995, and include a further 20 meres.

A report on the strategic fisheries stock assessment survey of the River Winster 1995 together with a coarse fish survey in 1994 and reference to the 1995 drought

This is the report on the strategic fisheries stock assessment survey of the River Winster 1995 together with a coarse fish survey in 1994 and reference to the 1995 drought, produced by the Environment Agency North West in 1996. Salmonid production within the Winster catchment was dominated by trout although good densities of salmon juveniles were found on some main river sites. Despite suffering drought conditions for much of 1995, only salmon fry production appeared to have been affected. Coarse fish populations once found in the lower reaches of the Winster appear to have declined to very low levels with no fish sampled. This may be partly due to broken tidal gates allowing saline intrusion. It seems that the lower river was suited to the development of a recreational coarse fishery, now that the gates have been repaired. This report completes the strategic stock assessment surveys planned for the period 1992-1995. It represents the last major catchment that was surveyed to determine the current status of fisheries in the South and South West Cumbria areas.

The River Taw SAP Consultation Document

This is the River Taw Salmon Action Plan Consultation document produced by the Environment Agency in 2000. The report pays attention on the external consultation of the River Taw Salmon Action Plan (SAP). This approach to salmon management within the England and Wales introduces the concept of river-specific Conservation Limits as a method of assessing the status of the salmon stock. The River Taw Salmon Action Plan (SAP) includes a description of the current status of the rod and net fisheries and historical trends. The Taw salmon stock has declined since the 1960s and is currently failing to meet the spawning target. The decline in the spring fish component has accounted largely for the overall decrease in stocks. The reasons for the decline are unclear, but the spring fish problem is recognised as a national issue. The rate of survival over the marine phase has reduced in recent years for both the grilse and MSW components. This is undoubtedly a contributory factor, which may now constrain stocks to lower levels than have existed historically.

Improving aquaculture feed in Bangladesh: From feed ingredients to farmer profit to safe consumption

Use of manufactured feeds in aquaculture in Bangladesh has grown rapidly over the last five years. More than 1 million tonnes of commercially formulated feeds and 0.3-0.4 million tonnes of farm-made feeds were produced in 2012, and sectoral growth is projected to increase substantially over the medium term. This working paper summarizes findings from a study, conducted as part of the WorldFish/USAID “Feed the Future-Aquaculture” project in 2012, assessing the current status of the aquaculture feed sector in Bangladesh. Fish feed value chains, market trends, ingredients and formulation systems, farm feeding practices, ancillary services and feed regulations were investigated. The study identifies a number of entry points for interventions in the sector, and investments which would improve feed quality and farmer access to better feeds and support the growth of sustainable aquaculture.

PICES Press, Vol. 18, No. 1, Winter 2010

•Major Outcomes from the 2009 PICES Annual Meeting: A Note from the Chairman (pp. 1-3, 8) •PICES Science – 2009 (pp. 4-8) •2009 PICES Awards (pp. 9-10) •New Chairmen in PICES (pp. 11-15) •PICES Interns (p. 15) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the First Half of 2009 (pp. 16-17, 27) •The State of the Northeast Pacific in 2009 (pp. 18-19) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 20-21) •2009 PICES Summer School on “Satellite Oceanography for the Earth Environment” (pp. 22-25) •2009 International Conference on “Marine Bioinvasions” (pp. 26-27) •A New PICES Working Group Holds Workshop and Meeting in Jeju Island (pp. 28-29) •The Second Marine Ecosystem Model Inter-comparison Workshop (pp. 30-32) •ICES/PICES/UNCOVER Symposium on “Rebuilding Depleted Fish Stocks – Biology, Ecology, Social Science and Management Strategies” (pp. 33-35) •2009 North Pacific Synthesis Workshop (pp. 36-37) •2009 PICES Rapid Assessment Survey (pp. 38-40)

PICES Press, Vol. 18, No. 2, Summer 2010

•The 2010 Inter-sessional Science Board Meeting: A Note from the Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-3) •2010 Symposium on “Effects of Climate Change on Fish and Fisheries” (pp. 4-11) •2009 Mechanism of North Pacific Low Frequency Variability Workshop (pp. 12-14) •The Fourth China-Japan-Korea GLOBEC/IMBER Symposium (pp. 15-17, 23) •2010 Sendai Ocean Acidification Workshop (pp. 18-19, 31) •2010 Sendai Coupled Climate-to-Fish-to-Fishers Models Workshop (pp. 20-21) •2010 Sendai Salmon Workshop on Climate Change (pp. 22-23) •2010 Sendai Zooplankton Workshop (pp. 24-25, 28) •2010 Sendai Workshop on “Networking across Global Marine Hotspots” (pp. 26-28) •The Ocean, Salmon, Ecology and Forecasting in 2010 (pp. 29, 44) •The State of the Northeast Pacific during the Winter of 2009/2010 (pp. 30-31) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the Second Half of 2009 (pp. 32-33) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 34-35, 39) •PICES Seafood Safety Project: Guatemala Training Program (pp. 36-39) •The Pacific Ocean Boundary Ecosystem and Climate Study (POBEX) (pp. 40-43) •PICES Calendar (p. 44)

PICES Press, Vol. 19, No. 2, Summer 2011

•The 2011 Inter-sessional Science Board Meeting: A Note from Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-4) •Indicators for Status and Change within North Pacific Marine Ecosystems: A FUTURE Workshop (pp. 5-8) •PICES Calendar (p. 8) •2011 ESSAS Open Science Meeting (pp. 9-13) •The 5th Zooplankton Production Symposium (pp. 14-17) •Workshop on "Individual-Based Models of Zooplankton” (pp. 18-21) •New Book Release on the 100th Anniversary of the T/S Osharu Maru (p. 21) •Workshop on “Advances in Genomic and Molecular Studies of Zooplankton” (pp. 22-24) •Workshop on “Updates and Comparisons of Zooplankton Time Series” (pp. 25-27) •Workshop on “Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Zooplankton” (pp. 28-29) •Workshop on “Automated Visual Plankton Identification” (p. 30) •Professor Plum in the Dining Room with a Knife (p. 31) •PICES and ICES on the River Elbe (p. 32) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the Second Half of 2010 (pp. 33-34) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 35-37) •Northeast Pacific News (pp. 38-39) •PICES Advice on Marine Ecology at a Canadian Judicial Inquiry (p. 40)

PICES Press, Vol. 20, No. 1, Winter 2012

•2011 PICES Science: A Note from the Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-6) •2011 PICES Awards (pp. 7-9) •Beyond the Terrible Disaster of the Great East Japan Earthquake (pp. 10-12) •A New Era of PICES-ICES Scientific Cooperation (p. 13) •New PICES Jellyfish Working Group Formed (pp. 14-15) •PICES Working Group on North Pacific Climate Variability (pp. 16-18) •Final U.S. GLOBEC Symposium and Celebration (pp. 19-25) •2011 PICES Rapid Assessment Survey (pp. 26-29) •Introduction to Rapid Assessment Survey Methodologies for Detecting Non-indigenous Marine Species (pp. 30-31) •The 7th International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions (pp. 32-33) •NOWPAP/PICES/WESTPAC Training Course on Remote Sensing Data Analysis (pp. 34-36) •PICES-2011 Workshop on “Trends in Marine Contaminants and their Effects in a Changing Ocean” (pp. 37-39) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the First Half of 2011 (pp. 40-42) •Yeosu Symposium theme sessions (p. 42) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 43-44) •News of the Northeast Pacific Ocean (pp. 45-47) •Recent and Upcoming PICES Publications (p. 47) •New leadership for the PICES Fishery Science Committee (p. 48)

PICES Press, Vol. 20, No. 2, Summer 2012

•The 2012 Inter-sessional Science Board Meeting: A Note from Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-4) ◾PICES Interns (p. 4) ◾2012 Inter-sessional Workshop on a Roadmap for FUTURE (pp. 5-8) ◾Second Symposium on “Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans” (pp. 9-13) ◾2012 Yeosu Workshop on “Framework for Ocean Observing” (pp. 14-15) ◾2012 Yeosu Workshop on “Climate Change Projections” (pp. 16-17) ◾2012 Yeosu Workshop on “Coastal Blue Carbon” (pp. 18-20) ◾Polar Comparisons: Summary of 2012 Yeosu Workshop (pp. 21-23) ◾2012 Yeosu Workshop on “Climate Change and Range Shifts in the Oceans" (pp. 24-27) ◾2012 Yeosu Workshop on “Beyond Dispersion” (pp. 28-30) ◾2012 Yeosu Workshop on “Public Perception of Climate Change” (pp. 31, 50) ◾PICES Working Group 20: Accomplishments and Legacy (pp. 32-33) ◾The State of the Western North Pacific in the Second Half of 2011 (pp. 34-35) ◾Another Cold Winter in the Gulf of Alaska (pp. 36-37) ◾The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 38-40) ◾PICES/ICES 2012 Conference for Early Career Marine Scientists (pp. 41-43) ◾Completion of the PICES Seafood Safety Project – Indonesia (pp. 44-46) ◾Oceanography Improves Salmon Forecasts (p. 47) ◾2012 GEOHAB Open Science Meeting (p. 48-50) ◾Shin-ichi Ito awarded 2011 Uda Prize (p. 50)

PICES Press, Vol. 21, No. 1, Winter 2013

•2012 PICES Science: A Note from the Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-6) ◾2012 PICES Awards (pp. 7-9) ◾GLOBEC/PICES/ICES ECOFOR Workshop (pp. 10-15) ◾ICES/PICES Symposium on “Forage Fish Interactions” (pp. 16-18) ◾The Yeosu Declaration, the Yeosu Declaration Forum and the Yeosu Project (pp. 19-23) ◾2013 PICES Calendar (p. 23) ◾Why Do We Need Human Dimensions for the FUTURE Program? (pp. 24-25) ◾New PICES MAFF-Sponsored Project on “Marine Ecosystem Health and Human Well-Being” (pp. 26-28) ◾The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Trends (pp. 29-31) ◾Continuing Cool in the Northeast Pacific Ocean (pp. 32, 35) ◾The State of the Western North Pacific in the First Half of 2012 (pp. 33-35) ◾New Leadership in PICES (pp. 36-39)