Size composition of catches of Yellowfin tuna in the Japanese long-line fishery in the eastern tropical Pacific east of 130°W

ENGLISH (pgs. 267-283): In the spring of 1963, the senior author, who is a member of the staff of the Nankai Regional Fisheries Research. Laboratory, Fisheries Agency, Japanese Government, came to the Institute of Marine Resources of the University of California as a visiting investigator, bringing with him catch statistical data from the fishery in the eastern Pacific, which had been collected at the Nankai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory (NRFRL) through September 1962, in order to conduct studies of these data in collaboration with the junior author, and with investigators of the InterAmerican Tropical Tuna Commission. A general review of the long-line fishery, based on the catch statistics of the commercial fishing fleet has been published by Suda and Schaefer (1965). In this paper we present an analysis of data respecting the size-composition of yellowfin tuna taken on long-line gear throughout the eastern Pacific between 1958 and 1962, and make some comparisons with data on size-composition of yellowfin tuna taken in the near-surface fishery, by bait boats and purse-seiners, in waters adjacent to the American coast. As has been shown by Suda and Schaefer (1965), the long-line fishery in the eastern Pacific is primarily directed toward the capture of bigeye tuna. However, considerable quantities of yellowfin tuna are also taken on this gear, and, in addition, there are substantial catches of albacore and of several species of spearfishes in some parts of the range of this fishery. Information respecting the catch rates of yellowfin tuna, and information respecting the size-composition of the stock of yellowfin tuna being exploited by the long-line fishery, is of particular interes~" because the yellowfin tuna population of the eastern Pacific is also subject to an intensive fishery by baitboats and purse-seiners which capture this species, together with skipjack, near the surface along the coast of the Americas, and around the outlying islands, in the region of California to northern Chile. SPANISH (pgs. 311-329): En la primavera de 1963, el autor principal, quien es miembro del personal del Nankai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory, Fisheries Agency del gobierno japonés, vino al Institute of Marine Resources de la Universidad de California en calidad de investigador visitante y trajo consigo datos estadísticos de las capturas de la pesquería en el Pacífico oriental, que habían sido recolectados en el Nankai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory (NRFRL) hasta septiembre de 1962, con el fin de hacer estudios de esos datos en colaboración con el coautor y con investigadores de la Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical. Una revisión general de la pesquería con palangre, basada sobre las estadísticas de captura de la flota pesquera comercial, ha sido publicada por Suda y Schaefer (1965). En este trabajo presentamos un análisis de los datos correspondientes a la composición de tamaños del atún aleta amarilla capturado con equipo palangrero en todo el Pacífico oriental, entre 1958 y 1962, y hacemos algunas comparaciones con los datos sobre la composición de tamaños del atún aleta amarilla cogido en la pesquería superficial cercana, por barcos de carnada y rederos en aguas adyacentes a la costa americana. Como ha sido demostrado por Suda y Schaefer (1965) la pesquería con palangre en el Pacífico oriental tiene como principal objeto la captura del atún ojo grande. Sin embargo, considerables cantidades de atún aleta amarilla son capturadas también por este equipo y, además, hay también considerables capturas de albacora y de diversas especies de peces-espada en algunas partes de la región que abarca esta pesquería. La información respecto a las tasas de captura del atún aleta amarilla, y la relativa a la composición de tamaños del stock de esta especie que explota la pesquería con palangre, es de particular interés, a causa de que la población de atún aleta amarilla del Pacífico oriental es también objeto de una pesca intensiva por barcos de carnada y rederos que capturan esta especie, junto con el barrilete, cerca de la superficie a 10 largo de la costa de las Américas y alrededor de las islas mar afuera, en la región desde California hasta el norte de Chile.

An Integrated Assessment of the Introduction of Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) to the Western Atlantic Ocean.

Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) are venomous coral reef fishes from the Indian and western Pacific oceans that are now found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Adult lionfish have been observed from Miami, Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and juvenile lionfish have been observed off North Carolina, New York, and Bermuda. The large number of adults observed and the occurrence of juveniles indicate that lionfish are established and reproducing along the southeast United States coast. Introductions of marine species occur in many ways. Ballast water discharge, a very common method of introduction for marine invertebrates, is responsible for many freshwater fish introductions. In contrast, most marine fish introductions result from intentional stocking for fishery purposes. Lionfish, however, likely were introduced via unintentional or intentional aquarium releases, and the introduction of lionfish into United States waters should lead to an assessment of the threat posed by the aquarium trade as a vector for fish introductions. Currently, no management actions are being taken to limit the effect of lionfish on the southeast United States continental shelf ecosystem. Further, only limited funds have been made available for research. Nevertheless, the extent of the introduction has been documented and a forecast of the maximum potential spread of lionfish is being developed. Under a scenario of no management actions and limited research, three predictions are made: ● With no action, the lionfish population will continue to grow along the southeast United States shelf. ● Effects on the marine ecosystem of the southeast United States will become more noticeable as the lionfish population grows. ● There will be incidents of lionfish envenomations of divers and/or fishers along the east coast of the United States. Removing lionfish from the southeast United States continental shelf ecosystem would be expensive and likely impossible. A bounty could be established that would encourage the removal of fish and provide specimens for research. However, the bounty would need to be lower than the price of fish in the aquarium trade (~$25-$50 each) to ensure that captured specimens were from the wild. Such a low bounty may not provide enough incentive for capturing lionfish in the wild. Further, such action would only increase the interaction between the public and lionfish, increasing the risk of lionfish envenomations. As the introduction of lionfish is very likely irreversible, future actions should focus on five areas. 1) The population of lionfish should be tracked. 2) Research should be conducted so that scientists can make better predictions regarding the status of the invasion and the effects on native species, ecosystem function, and ecosystem services. 3) Outreach and education efforts must be increased, both specifically toward lionfish and more generally toward the aquarium trade as a method of fish introductions. 4) Additional regulation should be considered to reduce the frequency of marine fish introduction into U.S. waters. However, the issue is more complicated than simply limiting the import of non-native species, and these complexities need to be considered simultaneously. 5) Health care providers along the east coast of the United States need to be notified that a venomous fish is now resident along the southeast United States. The introduction and spread of lionfish illustrates the difficulty inherent in managing introduced species in marine systems. Introduced species often spread via natural mechanisms after the initial introduction. Efforts to control the introduction of marine fish will fail if managers do not consider the natural dispersal of a species following an introduction. Thus, management strategies limiting marine fish introductions need to be applied over the scale of natural ecological dispersal to be effective, pointing to the need for a regional management approach defined by natural processes not by political boundaries. The introduction and success of lionfish along the east coast should change the long-held perception that marine fish invasions are a minimal threat to marine ecosystems. Research is needed to determine the effects of specific invasive fish species in specific ecosystems. More broadly, a cohesive plan is needed to manage, mitigate and minimize the effects of marine invasive fish species on ecosystems that are already compromised by other human activities. Presently, the magnitude of marine fish introductions as a stressor on marine ecosystems cannot be quantified, but can no longer be dismissed as negligible. (PDF contains 31 pages)

Bag and size limit analyses for red drum in Northern and Southern Regions of the U.S. Atlantic

Assessments of the Atlantic red drum for the northern (North Carolina and north) and southern (South Carolina through east coast of Florida) regions along the U. S. Atlantic coast were recently completed. The joint Red Drum Technical Committee (SAFMC/ASMFC) selected the most appropriate catch matrix (incorporating an assumption on size of recreationally-released fish), selectivity of age 3 relative to age 2, and virtual population analysis (FADAPT). Given gear- and age-specific estimates of fishing mortality (F) for the 1992-1998 period, analyses were made of potential gains in escapement through age 4 and static spawning potential ratio (SPR) from further reductions in fishing mortality due to changes in slot and bag limits. Savings from bag limits were calculated given a particular slot size for the recreational fishery, with no savings for the commercial fisheries in the northern region due to their being managed primarily through a quota. Relative changes in catch-at-age estimates were used to adjust age-specific F and hence calculated escapement through age 4 and static SPR. Adjustment was made with the recreational savings to account for release mortality (10%, as in the stock assessment). Alternate runs for the northern region commercial fishery considered 25% release mortality for lengths outside the slot (instead of 0% for the base run), and 0% vs. 10% gain or loss across legal sizes in F. These results are summarized for ranges of bag limits with increasing minimum size limit (for fixed maximum size), and with decreasing maximum size limit (for fixed minimum size limit). For the southern region, a bag limit of one-fish per angler trip would be required to attain the stated target of 40% static SPR if the current slot limit were not changed. However, for the northern region, a bag limit of one-fish per angler trip appears to be insufficient to attain the stated target of 40% static SPR while maintaining the current slot limit. (PDF contains 41 pages)

Collision tumour involving a rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumour with invasion of the prostate and a prostatic adenocarcinoma

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are the most common primary mesenchymal neoplasia in the gastrointestinal tract, although they represent only a small fraction of total gastrointestinal malignancies in adults (<2%). GISTs can be located at any level of the gastrointestinal tract; the stomach is the most common location (60-70%), in contrast to the rectum, which is most rare (4%). When a GIST invades into the adjacent prostate tissue, it can simulate prostate cancer. In this study, we report on a case comprising the unexpected collision between a rectal GIST tumour and a prostatic adenocarcinoma. Findings: We describe the complexity of the clinical, endoscopic and radiological diagnosis, of the differential diagnosis based on tumour biopsy, and of the role of neoadjuvant therapy using imatinib prior to surgical treatment. Conclusions: Although isolated cases of coexisting GISTs and prostatic adenocarcinomas have reviously been described, this is the first reported case in the medical literature of a collision tumour involving a rectal GIST and prostatic adenocarcinoma components.

Voyages and travels into Brasil and east-Indies : containing an exact description of the dutch Brasil and divers parts of the east-Indies, their provinces, cities, living creatures, and products, the manners, customs, habits and religion the inhabitants : with a particular account of all the remarkable passages that happened during the author's stay of nine years in Brasil, especially in relation to the revolt of the portugueses, and the intestine war carried on there from 1640 to 1649 : as also a most ample description of the most famous city of batavia in the east-Indies

Joan Nieuhoff, viajante alemão, nasceu em Usen, Vesfália, em 1618, e morreu em Madagascar, em 1672. Trabalhou na Companhia das Índias Orientais, foi nomeado agente em Batávia, em 1654. Em 1655, foi à China tratar da abertura dos portos daquele país ao comércio holandês. Governou o Ceilão de 1662 a 1667. Em 1672, desembarcando em Madagascar, foi morto pelos nativos.

Case study: Encouraging use of mobile devices at East Berkshire College

Case study about East Berkshire College and how they are encouraging the use of mobile devices to empower student learning and prepare students for the workplace.

Case study: NETSPass: north east tutor and student passport

Case study about how Gateshead Council is working with a number of adult learning and skills providers to develop and recognise digital literacy through continuous professional development (CPD), online resources and online badges that acknowledge staff achievement.

Stock Composition of Some Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, Catches in Southeast Alaska, Based on Incidence of Allozyme Variants, Freshwater Ages, and a Brain-Tissue Parasite

The incidence of four discrete characters of individual sockeye salmon -two genetically inherited proteins (PGM-1*and PGM-2*), freshwater age at migration, and the presence of the brain-tissue parasite Myxobolus arcticus-in weekly samples from two Alaskan fisheries (Noyes Island in 1986 and Sumner Strait in 1987) were used to infer stock composition of the catches based on corresponding character samples from 73 Alaskan and Canadian stocks. Estimated contributions of 13 stock groups, formed on the basis of character similarity of their members, were roughly consistent with expectations from tagging experiments, knowledge of stock magnitudes, and similar assessments from scales. Imprecision of the estimated contributions by the 13 stock groups limited their practical value; but variability was much reduced for combined estimated contributions by two inclusive categories, namely stock groups whose members had either high or low brainparasite prevalence. Noyes Island catches consisted predominantly of unparasitized fish, most of which were probably of Canadian origin. The majority of Sumner Strait catches consisted of parasitized fish, whose freshwater origins may have been in Alaska or Canada. (PDF file contains 27 pages.)

Ecology of east Florida sea turtles: Proceedings of the Cape Canaveral, Florida Sea Turtle Workshop Miami, Florida February 26-27, 1985

The Cape Canaveral, Florida, marine ecosystem is unique. There are complex current and temperature regimes that form a faunal transition zone between Atlantic tropical and subtropical waters. This zone is rich faunistically and supports large commercial fISheries for fish, scallops, and shrimp. Canaveral is also unique because it has large numbers of sea turtles year-round, this turtle aggregation exhibiting patterned seasonal changes in numbers, size frequency, and sex ratio. Additionally, a significant portion of this turtle aggregation hibernates in the Canaveral ship channel, a phenomenon rare in marine turtle populations. The Cape Canaveral area has the largest year-round concentration of sea turtles in the United States. However, the ship channel is periodically dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in order to keep Port Canaveral open to U.S. Navy vessels, and preliminary surveys showed that many sea turtles were incidentally killed during dredging operations. In order for the Corps of Engineers to fulfill its defense dredging responsibilities, and comply with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, an interagency Sea Turtle Task Force was formed to investigate methods of reducing turtle mortalities. This Task Force promptly implemented a sea turtle research plan to determine seasonal abundance, movement patterns, sex ratios, size frequencies, and other biological parameters necessary to help mitigate dredging conflicts in the channel. The Cape Canaveral Sea Turtle Workshop is a cooperative effort to comprehensively present research results of these important studies. I gratefully acknowledge the support of everyone involved in this Workshop, particularly the anonymous team of referees who painstakingly reviewed the manuscripts. The cover illustration was drawn by Jack C. Javech. (PDF file contains 86 pages.)

Shark catches from selected fisheries off the U.S. East Coast

(PDF file contains 28 pages.)

Sampling statistics in the Atlantic menhaden fishery

Atlantic menhaden, Brrvoortia tyrannus, the object of a major purse-seine fishery along the U.S. east coast, are landed at plants from northern Florida to central Maine. The National Marine Fisheries Service has sampled these landings since 1955 for length, weight, and age. Together with records of landings at each plant, the samples are used to estimate numbers of fish landed at each age. This report analyzes the sampling design in terms of probablity sampling theory. The design is c1assified as two-stage cluster sampling, the first stage consisting of purse-seine sets randomly selected from the population of all sets landed, and the second stage consisting of fish randomly selected from each sampled set. Implicit assumptions of this design are discussed with special attention to current sampling procedures. Methods are developed for estimating mean fish weight, numbers of fish landed, and age composition of the catch, with approximate 95% confidence intervals. Based on specific results from three ports (port Monmouth, N.J., Reedville, Va., and Beaufort, N.C.) for the 1979 fishing season, recommendations are made for improving sampling procedures to comply more exactly with assumptions of the sampling design. These recommendatlons include adopting more formal methods for randomizing set and fish selection, increasing the number of sets sampled, considering the bias introduced by unequal set sizes, and developing methods to optimize the use of funds and personnel. (PDF file contains 22 pages.)

Increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security

The objectives of these Technical Guidelines are to provide a focus on small-scale fisheries and their current and potential role in contributing to poverty alleviation and food security by expanding on the guidance on small-scale fisheries offered by the Code. The Guidelines are complementary to existing Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. Most small-scale fishers are in developing countries and many live in communities characterized by poverty and food insecurity. Small-scale fishing communities are faced with an array of serious problems, including overexploitation and depletion of resources, lack of alternative sources of employment, rapid population growth, migration of populations, displacement in coastal areas due to industrial development and tourism, pollution and environmental degradation and conflicts with large commercial fishing operations. However, small-scale fisheries are critical for food security and poverty alleviation in many countries. The first part of the Guidelines discusses the current contribution, role and importance of small-scale fisheries in poverty alleviation and food security. It examines the importance of small-scale fisheries for poverty alleviation at a national, local and household level. It also notes the nutritional qualities of fish and thus the particular role of fish in nutritional aspects of food security. The fact that about half of all fish caught for human consumption comes from small-scale fisheries underlines the importance of this subsector for the world fish supply. In many countries small-scale fisheries contribute to national food security both directly – where fish is a crucial part of the daily diet, and indirectly – by generating foreign exchange earnings that enable the purchase through trade of a range of food products. The second part of the Guidelines explores ways through which the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security could be enhanced. A vision for the future of small-scale fisheries is presented as a goal towards which the subsector should develop. Ensuring greater participation by small-scale fishers and their communities in the formulation of policies, the development of related legislation and regulations, and in management decision-making and implementation processes, is vital to the realization of this vision. The central role of effective fisheries management, the importance of considering cross sectoral uses of fisheries and related resources, the special role of women in fish marketing, processing and value addition, the significant scope for trade, the critical role that adequate financing may have in enabling transitions for effective fisheries management and the role of knowledge in making informed decisions are all discussed in these Guidelines. (PDF contains 97 pages)

Size composition, growth and sexual maturity of bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus (Lowe), from the Japanese long-line fishery in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Size composition data of bigeye tuna taken from the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean by Japanese Prefectural experimental training vessels from 1958 to 1964 are examined. A gradient of increasing fish size from east to west is noted. Males increase in ratio over females for the entire range of lengths examined, and beyond 170 cm comprise more than 75 per cent of the total. The first semester of the year is important as a bigeye spawning season. A general relationship between sexual maturity and thermal structure of the water is discussed. At the end of their 12th quarter of life bigeye are about 114 cm long, by the 16th quarter, 137 cm and at the end of 20 quarters, about 153 cm. The long-line fishery in the eastern Pacific has had a marked effect on the size composition of the stocks of bigeye, but whether the fishing has driven the stocks below a point which could afford a maximum sustainable yield could not be determined. (PDF contains 55 pages.)

Fang, Anlandungen, Discard und Bestand der Nordsee-garnele (Crangon crangon L.)

Landings of brown shrimp (Crangon crangon) for human consumption are not the only part that is taken from the North Sea shrimp stocks. Small amounts of industrial shrimps taken in the second half of a year in Germany add as well to the total amount that is taken from the stocks as the moribund animals discarded all over the year during the first sieving process on board, as the cooked and discarded ones in the second sieving on board and as those from the third sieving process ashore normally being crushed and used for animal feed stuff. All these fractions of the total catch of brown shrimps give a total of approximately 74 000 tonnes that were taken from the North Sea in 2005. Nevertheless, due to low predator abundance and changing climate conditions Crangon stocks show no signs of overexploitation so far with increasing LPUE values in the north-eastern part of the German Bight and decreasing ones in the south-east and Channel. There is the need of further investigations of these changes in the life history and distribution of shrimp as well as in the fishing behaviour and effort of the shrimp fleets .