Fish production, catches and the carrying capacity of the world oceans

A brief review of the status of the world fisheries is presented with emphasis on the differences between catches (= landings + bycatch), biological production of fish, and predation (= production - catches). The ECOPATH II approach implemented as a new, Windows-based software is then shown to allow construction of a stratified world model accoutinng for global catches, production of and predation on fishes, and thus improved estimates of global potentials. A newly initiated, cooperative project is described through which the foundation for such a global model could be constructed, based on a stratified database with more than 100 trophic models. Collaborators are invited to join in this, and will be assisted in constructing models covering their areas of interest.

Markets, marketing and production issues for aquaculture in East Africa: the case of Uganda

Aquaculture is currently responsible for an insignificant proportion of total fish production in Uganda. However, given the increasing demand for fresh fish in urban and peri-urban araes, and threats to the supply of fish from natural catch fisheries, the potential exists for a strong market in aquaculture. Small-scale fish farmers located relatively close to markets or all-season roads, and who can supply consistent and high quality produce, will have the widest range of marketing opportunities, and will likely be within the area of operation of potential traders and intermediaries that deliver fish to markets. Fish farmers that are not close to roads, or produce unreliable quantities and variable quality products may face high transaction costs of marketing their product, and decreasing net returns to production. The authors found that significant on-farm labor, and access to input markets are important factors leading to positive net returns to fish production. Areas with high population density and relatively low wages will be well suited to labor intensive aquaculture. The authors concluded that aquaculture development has good potential in certain areas of Uganda and should therefore be pursued as a potential development pathway. However, policy makers should consider the importance of the price of fresh fish relative to the cost of labor, as well as other factors including the importance of smallholder credit and access to extension services, when directing investments in aquaculture technology.

"Heroes" and "Villains" of World History across Cultures

Emergent properties of global political culture were examined using data from the World History Survey (WHS) involving 6,902 university students in 37 countries evaluating 40 figures from world history. Multidimensional scaling and factor analysis techniques found only limited forms of universality in evaluations across Western, Catholic/Orthodox, Muslim, and Asian country clusters. The highest consensus across cultures involved scientific innovators, with Einstein having the most positive evaluation overall. Peaceful humanitarians like Mother Theresa and Gandhi followed. There was much less cross-cultural consistency in the evaluation of negative figures, led by Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein. After more traditional empirical methods (e.g., factor analysis) failed to identify meaningful cross-cultural patterns, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify four global representational profiles: Secular and Religious Idealists were overwhelmingly prevalent in Christian countries, and Political Realists were common in Muslim and Asian countries. We discuss possible consequences and interpretations of these different representational profiles.

Lanternfish heaven: the future of world fisheries?

The differences between fishes in their size, behavior and food make them more or less vulnerable to fishing pressure. Large predators, long-lived fish, most trawl species and pelagic schooling fishes will possibly become extinct, to be replaced by small nonschooling unpalatable species such as lanternfish.

A Review of Recent Developments in the World Sea Cucumber Fisheries

Sea cucumbers (Holothuridae and Stichopodidae) have been harvested commercially for at least 1,000 years. The world fisheries for sea cucumbers, however, are not well documented and in general are poorly managed. Depending upon the species exploited, there are two processing procedures for the sea cucumber product. Some species are eaten raw, while most commercial species are processed into a dry product called beche-de-mer or trepang. This dry product is exported to a central market such as Hong Kong and then re-exported to the consumers. In this review, recent statistics on the world sea cucumber fisheries, collected from different services, are detailed for each major fishing area. Case studies for each fishing area are also presented. Recent major changes in the Indo-Pacific fishery include the participation of new producer countries, the shift in the species being exploited, and an increase in the Chinese market. The expansion of the largely monospecific temperate North Pacific fisheries is also described. Statistics from Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Food and Agriculture Organization provide valuable information on the producer and importer countries. Particular attention is paid to the reciprocal trade of beche-de-mer between Hong Kong and Singapore. An evaluation of the world sea cucumber landings and beche-de-mer production is presented. Recent developments include an expansion of the Hong Kong market due to increased demand by China, the importance of Indonesia as a major world producer, and an increase in the fisheries of Tropical Pacific nations. This increase is best documented for New Caledonia and Fiji. Ways to improve the access and the reliability of the statistics for the sea cucumber fishery are discussed, as is the potential for management of artisanal fisheries.

New Products and Markets for Menhaden, Brevoortia spp.

Although menhaden, Brevoortia spp., represent 23.5 percent of United States commercial fishery landings, they represent only about 2.6 percent of the total landed value of fishery products. New food products and markets are needed to increase the economic value of the menhaden resource. This paper describes investigations of menhaden as a raw material for both traditional and new forms of food products. Canned menhaden is a logical food product, but the production of a menhaden surimi with good functionality has recently been demonstrated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has placed partially hydrogenated menhaden oil on the GRAS list of ingredients for food products, but a decision on the status of nutritionally beneficial refined menhaden oil is not yet available. Refined menhaden oil is currently the raw material for biomedical test materials being used in research approved by the National Institutes of Health to determine the health benefits of fish oils and omega-3 fatty acids. The test materials are being produced, with strict quality controls, at the NMFS Charleston Laboratory.

A Review of World Salmon Culture

World farmed salmon production reached 145,000 metric tons (t) in 1988 and an estimated 217,000 t in 1989. The latter figure is comparable to the U. S. annual salmon catch (about 250,000 t) and is approaching one-third the size of the world wild salmon catch (about 700,000 t). The rapid expansion of farmed salmon supplies in the late 1980's has led to sharp price decreases. Lower prices have forced some farmers out of business, but at the same time, a large number of farmers first began harvesting salmon on a commercial scale as the 1980's ended. Farmed salmon production could exceed 270,000 t in 1990.

Economic and Trade Strategies in World Fisheries

This special section of the Marine Fisheries Review contains the edited proceedings of a symposium held on 16 September 1987 at the annual meetings of the American Fisheries Society in Winston-Salem, N.C. The symposium was sponsored by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade. The aim of this session was to provide an overview of several international trade issues that affect the development of fisheries economic policy. Thus, the general areas of discussion included: The role of fisheries in the U.S. balance of trade, current negotiations on fisheries trade and tariffs, and U.S. and foreign economic trade strategies and policies.

O ensino médio integrado no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Sul-rio-grandense: perspectivas contra-hegemônicas num campo em disputas

O presente trabalho tem como tema as disputas que ocorrem no interior de uma instituição (IFSul) da Rede Federal de Educação Profissional, Científica e Tecnológica a respeito da pertinência e da concepção dos cursos técnicos integrados. Para tanto, discute as transformações que ocorrem no mundo do trabalho e suas especificidades no Brasil, bem como as implicações das novas relações de produção sobre as necessidades de formação humana. Aproxima as propostas de Gramsci para a escola unitária da realidade educacional brasileira e da proposta que se constrói como travessia para uma educação integral ou omnilateral o ensino médio integrado , além de apontar os espaços de contradição existentes na instituição estudada e que permitem avanços em direção à politecnia ou educação tecnológica. Utilizou-se da ampla bibliografia já existente para as formulações referentes às transformações no mundo do trabalho; à situação social, política e econômica brasileira; às opções ontológico-históricas, filosóficas e epistemológicas que constroem a proposta de ensino médio integrado. Para as análises das disputas no interior do instituto, utilizou-se de entrevistas semi-estruturadas e de um método de análise inspirado na metodologia da análise textual discursiva. Foram entrevistados 20 professores/gestores de três campi do IFSul, escolhidos por terem sido criados em diferentes momentos históricos. Tais professores ocupam os cargos de responsáveis pelo ensino do campus ou de coordenadores de cursos técnicos integrados ou de áreas do conhecimento do ensino médio. Foram escolhidos por catalizarem as opiniões de seus pares nos processos decisórios que se referem à oferta e ao currículo dos cursos. Na execução da análise, este trabalho utilizou-se das ferramentas do materialismo histórico e dialético. Partiu da análise mais geral das disputas de rumos, baseadas em projetos societários diferenciados, no interior do IFSul. Ao mesmo tempo, procurou ambientar o leitor com a instituição e o processo investigativo percorrido pelo autor. Em um segundo momento buscou aprofundar a análise, estudando as mudanças que ocorrem no mundo a partir da crise que se inicia na década de 1970 e que trouxe grandes transformações nos processos produtivos, além da financeirização dos mercados. Seguindo este processo de ida às categorias mais abstratas que organizam o todo social, manifestou as dificuldades históricas do modelo desenvolvimentista que se aplica no Brasil e apresentou as novas necessidades formativas na visão hegemônica e na visão dos trabalhadores, ao propor reformas educacionais que apontem numa perspectiva revolucionária. Assim, voltando ao concreto pensado, aprofundou algumas discussões a respeito da concepção de ensino médio integrado. Mesmo partindo do pressuposto de que a debilidade da formulação burguesa para a educação que se articula com o trabalho dificulta a formulação de um discurso contra-hegemônico, por parte da classe trabalhadora, este trabalho verificou as potencialidades de rupturas existentes neste processo histórico que vivemos. A concepção de politecnia se caracteriza como uma possibilidade de superação da polivalência perseguida pelo discurso educacional hegemônico. Tal superação, tarefa nas mãos da classe trabalhadora, poderá contribuir para a superação do capitalismo dependente brasileiro, resultado insólito das limitações revolucionárias de nossa burguesia