Pesca artesanal na Baía de Ilha Grande, RJ: conflitos e novas possibilidades de gestão compartilhada

Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar os conflitos socioambientais envolvendo os pescadores artesanais na Baía de Ilha Grande e as iniciativas institucionais que buscam dar tratamento a esses conflitos de forma compartilhada. Neste sentido, foram consideradas duas iniciativas institucionais: i) o Projeto Desenvolvimento e Gerenciamento dos Sistemas de Gestão da Pesca e Aquicultura na baía de Ilha Grande GPESCA-BIG; e ii) o Termo de Compromisso entre a Estação Ecológica de Tamoios e as comunidades pesqueiras de Angra dos Reis e Paraty. A metodologia envolveu a observação direta da autora em reuniões de conselhos consultivos e grupos de trabalho em unidades de conservação, em especial, os espaços envolvendo a Estação Ecológica de Tamoios, além de apresentações e audiências públicas sobre a proposta de Acordos de Pesca. Utilizou-se também a observação participante em reuniões e oficinas no âmbito do projeto GPESCA-BIG. De forma complementar, a pesquisa se baseou em entrevistas (formais e informais) e análise de documentos diversos elaborados por entidades representativas dos pescadores e demais atores direta e indiretamente envolvidos no conflito. Foram identificadas três grandes grupos de conflitos relacionados aos pescadores artesanais: (1) sobreposição de territórios de pesca/pesqueiros e as áreas protegidas, principalmente aqueles relacionados à ESEC Tamoios; (2) conflitos associados à pesca industrial, identificados pelos pescadores como barcos de fora, e em menor escala, as embarcações de petróleo/gás e do turismo e; (3) conflitos resultantes da falta de regularização/permissionamento da atividade. Em síntese, estes conflitos envolvem políticas de desenvolvimento e de conservação, que se confrontam com o modo de vida tradicional dos pescadores artesanais e caiçaras. Além dos conflitos oriundos das diferentes formas de apropriação do espaço marinho, estes conflitos também estiveram relacionados ao papel paradoxal do Estado no estabelecimento das regras e normas de ordenamento (incluindo-se a fiscalização/monitoramento ambiental), à burocracia e às diversas instituições existentes para tratar de problemas comuns, tornado confuso o gerenciamento da atividade. No que se refere às iniciativas em análise, os resultados demonstram a existência de instituições relativamente bem constituídas na região, com a atuação de órgãos de gestão pública e ambiental nos mais variados níveis: municipal estadual e federal. Além destes, registra-se também a participação da sociedade civil, em especial, dos pescadores artesanais de Paraty e de suas representações, na busca pelo tratamento dos conflitos nos quais estão inseridos. Por outro lado, evidencia-se a falta de articulação e integração entre as políticas e atores, bem como entre as experiências institucionais em curso. Portanto, um dos maiores desafios existentes na implantação de um modo compartilhado de gestão dos recursos pesqueiros na BIG consiste justamente em superar tais limitações institucionais, de maneira que possam promover ações articuladas visando não apenas a conservação integrada do ecossistema, como também a reprodução das práticas tradicionais de pesca e a sua co-existência com os demais tipos de usos

Soro-reatividade para hidatidose policística e análise sócio-epidemiológica em Sena Madureira, Acre - Brasil

Hidatidose policística é uma zoonose negligenciada causada pela larva do cestóide, Echinococcus vogeli, em habitantes de florestas úmidas da região neotropical. Caçar e alimentar cães com vísceras da caça são hábitos relatados nos indivíduos suspeitos ou com esta parasitose comprovada. O diagnóstico é baseado em dados clínicos, resultado de análise de imagens e detecção de anticorpos pelo teste de Immunoblot o que tem sido descrito para pacientes com a forma crônica da doença. Apenas nesta fase, os pacientes procuram por assistência médica. Este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar a reatividade sorológica para hidatidose policística, caracterizar os aspectos epidemiológicos e avaliar a presença de enteroparasitoses nos indivíduos moradores de duas regiões de floresta em Sena Madureira (Acre). Os indivíduos concordaram em participar após apreciação do Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido. Por meio de questionário foram obtidas informações sobre identificação, endereço, sexo, idade e hábitos de caça. Foram coletadas amostras de sangue em 125 habitantes da unidade de conservação (Floresta Estadual do Antimary) e outra unidade de não conservação ambiental em Sena Madureira, onde foram obtidas 207 amostras de sangue. Os soros foram processados pelo teste de Immunoblot para a pesquisa de IgG, nas diluições 1:100 e 1:10, no Serviço de Referência Nacional em Hidatidose-IOC-Fiocruz. Na Unidade de conservação, 39,2% dos indivíduos apresentaram sorologia positiva e 17,4% na outra área. Demonstrou-se que existe diferença significativa entre as áreas, embora a correlação seja baixa. A maioria dos indivíduos reativos em ambas as áreas apresentou as bandas de 40kDA e 28kDa. Nas duas áreas de estudo não houve diferença significativa na reatividade em relação a faixa etária. O hábito de caçar entre os reativos foi de 100% dos indivíduos praticantes da caça na Unidade de conservação e na Unidade de não conservação foi de 88,9% dos indivíduos. A presença de um a três cães foi predominante nas duas áreas. A prática da caça e a presença de cães não teve associação significativa com a reatividade sorológica em ambas as áreas. A ocupação dos indivíduos reativos nas duas regiões foi predominantemente agricultores e estudantes. Em relação ao exame parasitológico não foi encontrado nenhum parasito nos indivíduos reativos que pudesse ter reação cruzada no teste imunológico. Conclui-se que existe diferença de reatividade entre as áreas, sendo que a Unidade de conservação tem maior número de indivíduos reativos. Não foi verificada associação entre a reatividade, o gênero, a faixa etária, prática de caça e presença de cães. Os indivíduos reativos também possuíam enteroparasitoses, porém estas não estão relacionadas com a possível reação cruzada no teste de Immunoblot. A presença das bandas de 40kDa e 28kDa no teste de Immunoblot podem ser uma característica do perfil sorológico de indivíduos de área endêmica que já entraram em contato com o parasito.

Análise dos processos recentes de fragmentação e recomposição dos remanescentes florestais do estado do Rio de Janeiro

Ao longo de quase cinco anos de trabalho, foi desenvolvido o Índice de Qualidade dos Municípios - Verde, pela Fundação CIDE. O trabalho buscou retratar as características da fragmentação florestal fluminense. Como um elemento para apoiar a gestão ambiental do território, o projeto identificou corredores ecológicos prioritários para a interligação de fragmentos florestais. A grande contribuição do trabalho, do ponto de vista conceitual, foi reorientar o debate acerca da fragmentação florestal no Estado do Rio de Janeiro. O projeto IQM - Verde apresentou, exaustivamente, lugares onde ocorreram perdas e ganhos de estoques de vegetação com porte arbóreo, num recorte por municípios, bacias hidrográficas e Unidades de Conservação. Existem importantes questões que foram levantadas e ainda aguardam maiores e melhores respostas. Uma delas é tentar explicar, a partir da ecologia de paisagens, quais são os mecanismos que facilitam ou dificultam o processo natural de sucessão florestal. A situação da sucessão florestal é completamente diferente de uma região para outra do Estado. No Noroeste do Estado existem indícios claros de retração e fragmentação dos remanescentes enquanto na região Serrana do Sul Fluminense aparecem sinais claros de recuperação e recomposição florestal. Novos conceitos de gestão ambiental procuram minimizar os efeitos decorrentes da fragmentação e do isolamento espacial das espécies. O aumento da conectividade através de corredores ecológicos entre unidades de conservação e até mesmo entre os fragmentos mais bem conservados é apontado por muitos pesquisadores como uma das formas mais eficazes de promover a manutenção dos remanescentes florestais - a longo prazo - e até mesmo promover a recuperação funcional de determinadas unidades ecológicas atualmente ilhadas. A atual geração de pesquisadores e gestores públicos está diante do problema do controle dos processos que desencadeiam a fragmentação florestal. Portanto, é urgente a necessidade de entender todas as consequências associadas ao processo de fragmentação florestal e, ao mesmo tempo, descobrir os efeitos inibidores deste complexo fenômeno que possui raízes físicas, naturais e sociais. O objetivo central da tese é, a partir de elementos da História das Mentalidades e da Teoria da Decisão, construir cenários de pressão antrópica sobre os remanescentes florestais e propor um programa possível de intervenção econômica, jurídica e política, denominado no presente estudo como bolsa floresta, capaz de aliviar o atual processo de fragmentação florestal.

Manchester Mosslands SAC Astley and Bedford Moss, Holcroft Moss, Risley Moss

This is the report on Habitats Directive, the Review of Consents Stage 1 and 2 by the Environment Agency of the Manchester Mosslands cSAC, Astley and Bedford Moss, Holcroft Moss and Risley Moss. The Habitats Directive has the main aim to promote the maintenance of biodiversity by defining a common framework for the conservation of wild plants and animals and habitats of community interest. The Directive establishes a European ecological network known as "Natura 2000". The network comprises Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA). In the section on Stage 1 or Screening Process of the Habitat Directive, it is identified the likely impacts upon the Manchester Mosslands cSAC, Astley and Bedford Moss, Holcroft Moss and Risley Moss of a project, plan or activities, either alone or in combination with other projects, plans or activities, and considers whether these impacts are likely to be significant. In the section on Stage 2 or Appropiate Assessment of the Habitat Directive, it is considered the impact on the integrity of the Manchester Mosslands cSAC, Astley and Bedford Moss, Holcroft Moss and Risley Moss of the projects, plans or activities, either alone or in combination with other projects, plans or activities, with respect to the site’s structure and function and its conservation objectives. Additionally, where these are adverse impacts, an assessment of the potential mitigation of those impacts. The criteria used in this report to identify relevant projects, plans or activities and their impacts are water quality discharge consents, waste management licences, abstraction licences, Integration Pollution Control (IPC) and Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) permits. Proformas, hydrogeological and GIS maps are included in the review.

West Middlands Mosses cSAC, Wybunbury Moss and Abbots Moss

This is the report on Habitats Directive, the Review of Consents Stage 1 and 2 by the Environment Agency of the West Midlands Mosses cSAC, Wybunbury Moss and Abbots Moss. The Habitats Directive has the main aim to promote the maintenance of biodiversity by defining a common framework for the conservation of wild plants and animals and habitats of community interest. The Directive establishes a European ecological network known as "Natura 2000". The network comprises Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA). In the section on Stage 1 or Screening Process of the Habitat Directive, it is identified the likely impacts upon the West Midlands Mosses cSAC, Wybunbury Moss and Abbots Moss of a project, plan or activities, either alone or in combination with other projects, plans or activities, and considers whether these impacts are likely to be significant. In the section on Stage 2 or Appropiate Assessment of the Habitat Directive, it is considered the impact on the integrity of the West Midlands Mosses cSAC, Wybunbury Moss and Abbots Moss of the projects, plans or activities, either alone or in combination with other projects, plans or activities, with respect to the site’s structure and function and its conservation objectives. Additionally, where these are adverse impacts, an assessment of the potential mitigation of those impacts. The criteria used in this report to identify relevant projects, plans or activities and their impacts are water quality discharge consents, waste management licences, abstraction licences, Integration Pollution Control (IPC) and Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) permits. Proformas, hydrogeological and GIS maps are included in the review.

Marine and estuarine ecosystem and habitat classification

The Ecological Society of America and NOAA's Offices of Habitat Conservation and Protected Resources sponsored a workshop to develop a national marine and estuarine ecosystem classification system. Among the 22 people involved were scientists who had developed various regional classification systems and managers from NOAA and other federal agencies who might ultimately use this system for conservation and management. The objectives were to: (1) review existing global and regional classification systems; (2) develop the framework of a national classification system; and (3) propose a plan to expand the framework into a comprehensive classification system. Although there has been progress in the development of marine classifications in recent years, these have been either regionally focused (e.g., Pacific islands) or restricted to specific habitats (e.g., wetlands; deep seafloor). Participants in the workshop looked for commonalties across existing classification systems and tried to link these using broad scale factors important to ecosystem structure and function.

The potential consequences of climate variability and change on coastal areas and marine resources: report of the Coastal Areas and Marine Resources Sector Team, U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, U.S. Global Change Research Program

Coastal and marine ecosystems support diverse and important fisheries throughout the nation’s waters, hold vast storehouses of biological diversity, and provide unparalleled recreational opportunities. Some 53% of the total U.S. population live on the 17% of land in the coastal zone, and these areas become more crowded every year. Demands on coastal and marine resources are rapidly increasing, and as coastal areas become more developed, the vulnerability of human settlements to hurricanes, storm surges, and flooding events also increases. Coastal and marine environments are intrinsically linked to climate in many ways. The ocean is an important distributor of the planet’s heat, and this distribution could be strongly influenced by changes in global climate over the 21st century. Sea-level rise is projected to accelerate during the 21st century, with dramatic impacts in low-lying regions where subsidence and erosion problems already exist. Many other impacts of climate change on the oceans are difficult to project, such as the effects on ocean temperatures and precipitation patterns, although the potential consequences of various changes can be assessed to a degree. In other instances, research is demonstrating that global changes may already be significantly impacting marine ecosystems, such as the impact of increasing nitrogen on coastal waters and the direct effect of increasing carbon dioxide on coral reefs. Coastal erosion is already a widespread problem in much of the country and has significant impacts on undeveloped shorelines as well as on coastal development and infrastructure. Along the Pacific Coast, cycles of beach and cliff erosion have been linked to El Niño events that elevate average sea levels over the short term and alter storm tracks that affect erosion and wave damage along the coastline. These impacts will be exacerbated by long-term sea-level rise. Atlantic and Gulf coastlines are especially vulnerable to long-term sea-level rise as well as any increase in the frequency of storm surges or hurricanes. Most erosion events here are the result of storms and extreme events, and the slope of these areas is so gentle that a small rise in sea level produces a large inland shift of the shoreline. When buildings, roads and seawalls block this natural migration, the beaches and shorelines erode, threatening property and infrastructure as well as coastal ecosystems.

An integrated biogeographic assessment of reef fish populations and fisheries in Dry Tortugas: Effects of No-take Reserves

The Tortugas Integrated Biogeographic Assessment presents a unique analysis of demographic changes in living resource populations, as well as societal and socioeconomic benefits that resulted from the Tortugas Ecological Reserves during the first five years after their implementation. In 2001, state and federal agencies established two no-take reserves within the region as part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The northern reserve (Tortugas Ecological Reserve North) was established adjacent to the Dry Tortugas National Park, which was first declared a national monument in 1935. The reserves were designed to protect a healthy coral reef ecosystem that supports diverse faunal assemblages and fisheries, serves as important spawning grounds for groupers and snappers, and includes essential feeding and breeding habitats for seabirds. The unique ecological qualities of the Tortugas region were recognized as far back as 1850, and it remains an important ecosystem and research area today. The two main goals of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve Integrated Ecological Assessment were: 1) to determine if demographic changes such as increases in abundance, average size and spawning potential of exploited populations occurred in the Tortugas region after reserve implementation; and 2) whether short-term economic losses occurred to fishers displaced by the reserve. This project utilized a biogeographic approach in which information on the physical features (i.e., habitat) and oceanographic patterns were first used to determine the spatial distribution of selected fish populations within and outside the Tortugas Ecological Reserve. Before-and-after reserve implementation comparisons of selected fish populations were then conducted to determine if demographic changes occurred in reef fish assemblages. These comparisons were done for the Tortugas region and also for a subset of available habitats within the Tortugas Ecological Reserve Study Area. Social and economic impacts of the reserves were determined through: 1) analyses of commercial landings and revenues from fishers, operating in the Tortugas region before and after reserve implementation and 2) surveys of recreational tour guides. Analyses of the commercial landings and revenues excluded areas inside Dry Tortugas National Park because commercial fishing has been prohibited within park boundaries since 1992. Key findings and outcomes of this integrated ecological assessment are organized by chapter and listed below.

Integration of fisheries acoustics surveys and bathymetric mapping to characterize midwater-seafloor habitats of US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico (2008-2010)

NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation program (CRCP) develops coral reef management priorities by bringing together various partners to better understand threats to coral reef ecosystems with the goal of conserving, protecting and restoring these resources. Place-based and ecosystem-based management approaches employed by CRCP require that spatially explicit information about benthic habitats and fish utilization are available to characterize coral reef ecosystems and set conservation priorities. To accomplish this, seafloor habitat mapping of coral reefs around the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) and Puerto Rico has been ongoing since 2004. In 2008, fishery acoustics surveys were added to NOAA survey missions in the USVI and Puerto Rico to assess fish distribution and abundance in relation to benthic habitats in high priority conservation areas. NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) have developed fisheries acoustics survey capabilities onboard the NOAA ship Nancy Foster to complement the CRCP seafloor habitat mapping effort spearheaded by the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment Biogeography Branch (CCMA-BB). The integration of these activities has evolved on the Nancy Foster over the three years summarized in this report. A strategy for improved operations and products has emerged over that time. Not only has the concurrent operation of multibeam and fisheries acoustics surveys been beneficial in terms of optimizing ship time and resources, this joint effort has advanced an integrated approach to characterizing bottom and mid-water habitats and the fishes associated with them. CCMA conducts multibeam surveys to systematically map and characterize coral reef ecosystems, resulting in products such as high resolution bathymetric maps, backscatter information, and benthic habitat classification maps. These products focus on benthic features and live bottom habitats associated with them. NCCOS Centers (the Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research and the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research) characterize coral reef ecosystems by using fisheries acoustics methods to capture biological information through the entire water column. Spatially-explicit information on marine resources derived from fisheries acoustics surveys, such as maps of fish density, supports marine spatial planning strategies and decision making by providing a biological metric for evaluating coral reef ecosystems and assessing impacts from pollution, fishing pressure, and climate change. Data from fisheries acoustics surveys address management needs by providing a measure of biomass in management areas, detecting spatial and temporal responses in distribution relative to natural and anthropogenic impacts, and identifying hotspots that support high fish abundance or fish aggregations. Fisheries acoustics surveys conducted alongside multibeam mapping efforts inherently couple water column data with information on benthic habitats and provide information on the heterogeneity of both benthic habitats and biota in the water column. Building on this information serves to inform resource managers regarding how fishes are organized around habitat structure and the scale at which these relationships are important. Where resource managers require place-based assessments regarding the location of critical habitats along with high abundances of fish, concurrent multibeam and fisheries acoustics surveys serve as an important tool for characterizing and prioritizing coral reef ecosystems. This report summarizes the evolution of fisheries acoustics surveys onboard the NOAA ship Nancy Foster from 2008 to 2010, in conjunction with multibeam data collection, aimed at characterizing benthic and mid-water habitats in high priority conservation areas around the USVI and Puerto Rico. It also serves as a resource for the continued development of consistent data products derived from acoustic surveys. By focusing on the activities of 2010, this report highlights the progress made to date and illustrates the potential application of fisheries data derived from acoustic surveys to the management of coral reef ecosystems.

Coral reef ecosystems of Reserva Natural de La Parguera (Puerto Rico): spatial and temporal patterns in fish and benthic communities (2001-2007)

Since 1999, NOAA’s Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, Biogeography Branch (CCMA-BB) has been working with federal and territorial partners to characterize monitor and assess the status of the marine environment in southwestern Puerto Rico. This effort is part of the broader NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program’s (CRCP) National Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Program (NCREMP). With support from CRCP’s NCREMP, CCMA conducts the “Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring project” (CREM) with goals to: (1) spatially characterize and monitor the distribution, abundance and size of marine fauna associated with shallow water coral reef seascapes (mosaics of coral reefs, seagrasses, sand and mangroves); (2) relate this information to in situ fine-scale habitat data and the spatial distribution and diversity of habitat types using benthic habitat maps; (3) use this information to establish the knowledge base necessary for enacting management decisions in a spatial setting; (4) establish the efficacy of those management decisions; and (5) develop data collection and data management protocols. The monitoring effort of the La Parguera region in southwestern Puerto Rico was conducted through partnerships with the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER). Project funding was primarily provided by NOAA CRCP and CCMA. In recent decades, scientific and non-scientific observations have indicated that the structure and function of the coral reef ecosystem in the La Parguera region have been adversely impacted by a wide range of environmental stressors. The major stressors have included the mass Diadema die off in the early 1980s, a suite of hurricanes, overfishing, mass mortality of Acropora corals due to disease and several coral bleaching events, with the most severe mass bleaching episode in 2005. The area is also an important recreational resource supporting boating, snorkeling, diving and other water based activities. With so many potential threats to the marine ecosystem several activities are underway or have been implemented to manage the marine resources. These efforts have been supported by the CREM project by identifying marine fauna and their spatial distributions and temporal dynamics. This provides ecologically meaningful data to assess ecosystem condition, support decision making in spatial planning (including the evaluation of efficacy of current management strategies) and determine future information needs. The ultimate goal of the work is to better understand the coral reef ecosystems and to provide information toward protecting and enhancing coral reef ecosystems for the benefit of the system itself and to sustain the many goods and services that it offers society. This Technical Memorandum contains analysis of the first seven years of fish survey data (2001-2007) and associated characterization of the benthos. The primary objectives were to quantify changes in fish species and assemblage diversity, abundance, biomass and size structure and to provide spatially explicit information on the distribution of key species or groups of species and to compare community structure across the seascape including fringing mangroves, inner, middle, and outer reef areas, and open ocean shelf bank areas.

Biogeographic characterization of essential fish habitats affected by human activities in the coastal zone of Puerto Rico

The overall purpose of this project was to collect available information on the characteristics of essential fish habitats in protected and non-protected marine areas around the islands of Puerto Rico. Specifically, this project compiled historical information on benthic habitats and the status of marine resources into a Geographic Information System (GIS) by digitizing paper copies of existing marine geologic maps that were developed for the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) for areas around the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In addition, information on benthic habitat types, Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) requirements, and fishing and non-fishing impacts to marine resources were compiled for two priority areas: La Parguera and Vieques. The information obtained will help to characterize and select habitats for future monitoring of impacts of fishing and non-fishing activities and to develop management recommendations for conservation of important marine habitats. The project focused specifically on areas identified as priorities for conservation by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) and the Local Action Strategy Overfishing Group.

Atlas of the shallow-water benthic habitats of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) initiated a coral reef research program in 1999 to map, assess, inventory, and monitor U.S. coral reef ecosystems (Monaco et al. 2001). These activities were implemented in response to requirements outlined in the Mapping Implementation Plan developed by the Mapping and Information Synthesis Working Group (MISWG) of the Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF) (MISWG 1999). As part of the MISWG of the CRTF, NOS' Biogeography Branch has been charged with the development and implementation of a plan to produce comprehensive digital coral-reef ecosystem maps for all U.S. States, Territories, and Commonwealths within five to seven years. Joint activities between Federal agencies are particularly important to map, research, monitor, manage, and restore coral reef ecosystems. In response to the Executive Order 13089 and the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, NOS is conducting research to digitally map biotic resources and coordinate a long-term monitoring program that can detect and predict change in U.S. coral reefs, and their associated habitats and biological communities. Most U.S. coral reef resources have not been digitally mapped at a scale or resolution sufficient for assessment, monitoring, and/or research to support resource management. Thus, a large portion of NOS' coral reef research activities has focused on mapping of U.S. coral reef ecosystems. The map products will provide the fundamental spatial organizing framework to implement and integrate research programs and provide the capability to effectively communicate information and results to coral reef ecosystem managers. Although the NOS coral program is relatively young, it has had tremendous success in advancing towards the goal to protect, conserve, and enhance the health of U.S. coral reef ecosystems. One objective of the program was to create benthic habitat maps to support coral reef research to enable development of products that support management needs and questions. Therefore this product was developed in collaboration with many U.S. Pacific Territory partners. An initial step in producing benthic habitat maps was the development of a habitat classification scheme. The purpose of this document is to outline the benthic habitat classification scheme and protocols used to map American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Thirty-two distinct benthic habitat types (i.e., four major and 14 detailed geomorphological structure classes; eight major and 18 detailed biological cover types) within eleven zones were mapped directly into a geographic information system (GIS) using visual interpretation of orthorectified IKONOS satellite imagery. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 263 square kilometers. In all, 281 square kilometers of unconsolidated sediment, 122 square kilometers of submerged vegetation, and 82.3 square kilometers of coral reef and colonized hardbottom were mapped.

A preliminary report on Chanos fry surveys carried out in the brackish water areas of Mannar, Puttalam and Negombo

This paper records the results of the Chanos fry surveys carried out in Mannar, Puttalam and Negombo lagoon areas since 1967, and gives a summary of the earlier surveys. The maximum amount of Chanos fry was obtained from Mannar area during April and May. All three areas have their main commercial fry season in April and May with a second commercially negligible season in October–November. The quantity of fry collected has been utilized to evaluate the potential fry production figures. Mannar 400,000,000 fry/annum. Puttalam 200,000,000 fry/annum. It would be extremely difficult to estimate the number of eggs laid, the larvae hatched and the fry available each year along the coastal areas of Ceylon. It is necessary to obtain biological, meteorological and oceanographical data so as to provide a basis for the prediction and estimation of fry populations in the coastal waters of Ceylon. The suggested ideal season for commercial catches of Chanos fry is April–May with operations to be carried out simultaneously all along the west coast.

Physical variables, nutrient status and primary productivity of Kyoga Basin lakes of Lemwa, Omunuo, Gawa, Adois and Owapet

The review report on Kyoga basin lakes (NAFIRRI 2007) described Kyoga basin lakes as important natural resource for the communities within the basin and the surrounding areas. Fisheries of the basin provide a source of protein, income, and employment to generally poor communities in the area. The lakes also generate revenue to the local Governments within the catchment. This indicates that the fisheries of Kyoga basin lakes are a key instrument in poverty eradication and food security. The lakes also act as a source of water for domestic, agricultural and transport purposes. Some of the Kyoga small lakes harbour fish species, which have disappeared from the main lakes Victoria and Kyoga and are therefore important for biodiversity conservation

A characterization of community fish refuge typologies in rice field fisheries ecosystems

In rural Cambodia, fish is a source of food and income to millions of people. However, there has been a real threat to fish populations in natural wetlands due to the degradation of aquatic biodiversity and habitat, illegal fishing, increase of population and demand for fish, and the use of harmful pesticides for agriculture. The Rice Field Fisheries Enhancement Project (RFFEP) seeks to rebuild and protect the fish populations through innovative methods. The project works with communities to sustainably strengthen the rice field fisheries near their villages by improving protected habitats called "community fish refuges". This handbook characterizes rice field fisheries that are connected to community fish refuges. Community fish refuges are designated fish conservation areas promoted by the Fisheries Administration of the Royal Cambodian Government. It also examines the characteristics of rain-fed rice field ecosystems that are connected to community fish refuges in order to further refine descriptive criteria and better understand potential benefits and management strategies.