Proposal for improving fishing opportunities off Pt. Loma by construction of an artificial reef

(Document pdf contains 42 pages)

Pond construction: selecting good places for ponds

(4pp.)

Pond construction: design and layout of ponds

(4pp.)

Relative tolerance of mat-forming algae to copper

This study documents the relative tolerance of the common, weedy mat-forming green algae Hydrodictyon , Oedogonium , Pithophora , Rhizoclonium , and Spirogyra to copper. In addition, the copper tolerance of the cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) mat-forming Oscillatoria was assessed.

Coral Remote Sensing Workshop: Proceedings and Recommendations, 17-18 September, Sheraton, Brickell Ave, Miami FL

Coral reefs exist in warm, clear, and relatively shallow marine waters worldwide. These complex assemblages of marine organisms are unique, in that they support highly diverse, luxuriant, and essentially self-sustaining ecosystems in otherwise nutrient-poor and unproductive waters. Coral reefs are highly valued for their great beauty and for their contribution to marine productivity. Coral reefs are favorite destinations for recreational diving and snorkeling, as well as commercial and recreational fishing activities. The Florida Keys reef tract draws an estimated 2 million tourists each year, contributing nearly $800 million to the economy. However, these reef systems represent a very delicate ecological balance, and can be easily damaged and degraded by direct or indirect human contact. Indirect impacts from human activity occurs in a number of different forms, including runoff of sediments, nutrients, and other pollutants associated with forest harvesting, agricultural practices, urbanization, coastal construction, and industrial activities. Direct impacts occur through overfishing and other destructive fishing practices, mining of corals, and overuse of many reef areas, including damage from souvenir collection, boat anchoring, and diver contact. In order to protect and manage coral reefs within U.S. territorial waters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce has been directed to establish and maintain a system of national marine sanctuaries and reserves, and to monitor the condition of corals and other marine organisms within these areas. To help carry out this mandate the NOAA Coastal Services Center convened a workshop in September, 1996, to identify current and emerging sensor technologies, including satellite, airborne, and underwater systems with potential application for detecting and monitoring corals. For reef systems occurring within depths of 10 meters or less (Figure 1), mapping location and monitoring the condition of corals can be accomplished through use of aerial photography combined with diver surveys. However, corals can exist in depths greater than 90 meters (Figure 2), well below the limits of traditional optical imaging systems such as aerial or surface photography or videography. Although specialized scuba systems can allow diving to these depths, the thousands of square kilometers included within these management areas make diver surveys for deeper coral monitoring impractical. For these reasons, NOAA is investigating satellite and airborne sensor systems, as well as technologies which can facilitate the location, mapping, and monitoring of corals in deeper waters. The following systems were discussed as having potential application for detecting, mapping, and assessing the condition of corals. However, no single system is capable of accomplishing all three of these objectives under all depths and conditions within which corals exist. Systems were evaluated for their capabilities, including advantages and disadvantages, relative to their ability to detect and discriminate corals under a variety of conditions. (PDF contains 55 pages)

Pre-construction coral survey of the M/V Wellwood Grounding Site: April 23-24, 2002

This report documents abundance and cover for selected elements of the benthic coral reef assemblage at the site of the 1984 grounding of the M/V Wellwood on Molasses Reef, Florida Keys. The purpose of the effort was to establish a pre-construction baseline before the installation of reef modules at the site. The installation process is intended to stabilize fractured substrates that were recently exposed by storm impacts, and to provide three-dimensional relief in order to enhance reef community recovery. It is hoped that the restoration effort will result in a biological assemblage with the character of the transition community that would exist there had the incident not occurred. To date, the assemblage has developed the character of a comparatively featureless hard ground similar in composition to hard ground areas and transition zones surrounding the grounding site. These data will allow scientists and resource managers to better track the trajectory of recovery following the installation of modules. Direct counts of scleractinian and gorgonian corals, hydrocorals of the genus Millepora, and zoanthids of the genus Palythoa were made in three areas within and around the grounding site. The site is poorly developed with respect to scleractinian colony size and cover compared to surrounding areas. Key scleractinian species necessary for the development of topographic relief in the area denuded by the grounding are not well represented in the current community. Though gorgonian cover and richness is similar in all study areas, gorgonian community recovery in the damaged area is not complete. Unlike surrounding areas, one species, Pseudopterogorgia americana, accounts for over half of all corals at the grounding site, over 80% of all gorgonians, and nearly all the coral cover. Based on these findings and other observations made in the 18 years since the grounding, recommendations are made that should be considered in the course of human intervention targeted at stabilizing and enhancing the site. (PDF contains 24 pages.)

Distribution, relative abundance and developmental morphology of paralarval cephalopods in the Western North Atlantic Ocean

Paralarval and juvenile cephalopods collected in plankton samples on 21 western North Atlantic cruises were identified and enumerated. The 3731 specimens were assigned to 44 generic and specific taxa. This paper describes their spatial and temporal distributions and their developmental morphology. The smallest paralarvae recognized for a number of species are identified and illustrated. The two most abundant and most frequently collected taxa were identifiable to species based on known systematic characters of young, as well as on distribution of the adults. These were the neritic squids Loligo pealeii and Illex illecebrosus collected north of Cape Hatteras, both valuable fishery resources. Other abundant taxa included two morphotypes of ommastrephids, at least five species of enoploteuthids, two species of onychoteuthids, and unidentified octopods. Most taxa were distributed widely both in time and in space, although some seasonal and mesoscale-spatial patterns were indicated. The taxa that appeared to have distinct seasonal distribution included most of the neritic species and, surprisingly, the young of the bathypelagic cranchiids. In eight seasonal cruises over the continental shelf of the middle U.S. Atlantic states, neritic taxa demonstrated approximately the same seasonal patterns during two consecutive years. Interannual differences in the oceanic taxa collected on the shelf were extreme. The highest abundance and diversity of planktonic cephalopods in the oceanic samples were consistently found in the vicinity of the Gulf Stream. Only eight of the oceanic taxa appeared to have limited areal distributions, compared with twelve taxa that were found throughout the western North Atlantic regions sampled in this study. Many taxa, however, were not collected frequently enough to describe seasonal or spatial patterns. Comparisons with published accounts of other cephalopod surveys indicate both strengths and weaknesses in various sampling techniques for capturing the young of oceanic cephalopods. Enoploteuthids were abundant both in our study and in other studies using midwater trawls in several areas of the North Atlantic. Thus, this family probably is adequately sampled over its developmental range. In contrast, octopoteuthids and chtenopterygiids are rare in collections made by small to medium-sized midwater trawls but are comparatively common in plankton samples. For families that are relatively common in plankton samples, paralarval abundance, derived similarly to the familiar ichthyoplankton surveys of fisheries science, may be the most reliable method of gathering data on distribution and abundance. (PDF file contains 58 pages.)

Species composition, distribution, and relative abundance of fishes in the coastal habitat off the southeastern United States

Ichthyofauna of the coastal «10 m depth) habitat of the South Atlantic Bight were investigated between Cape Fear, North Carolina, and the St. John's River, Florida. Trawl collections from four nonconsecutive seasons in the period July 1980 to December 1982 indicated that the fish community is dominated by the family Sciaenidae, particularly juvenile forms. Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) were the two most abundant species and dominated catches during all seasons. Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortin tyrannus) was also very abundant, but only seasonally (winter and spring) dominant in the catches. Elasmobranch fIShes, especially rajiforms and carcharinids, contributed to much of the biomass of fishes collected. Total fish abundance was greatest in winter and lowest in summer and was influenced by the seasonality of Atlantic menhaden and Atlantic croaker in the catches. Biomass was highest in spring and lowest in summer, and was influenced by biomass of spot. Fish density ranged from 321 individuals and 12.2 kg per hectare to 746 individuals and 25.2 kg per hectare. Most species ranged widely throughout the bight, and showed some evidence of seasonal migration. Species assemblages were dominated by ubiquitous year-round residents of the coastal waters of the bight. Diversity (H') was highest in summer, and appeared influenced by the evenness of distribution of individuals among species. (PDF file contains 56 pages.)

Distribution and relative abundance of pelagic nonsalmonid nekton Off Oregon and Washington, 1979-84

Fifteen fine-mesh (32-mm mesh) pelagic purse seine surveys were conducted between 1979 and 1984 off the Oregon and Washington coasts. Environmental conditions varied greatly among the years sampled, and even within years, due to variability in upwelling conditions and productivity and the effects of a strong El Nino from late 1982 to the middle of 1984. In the 843 sets made, a total of 115,891 specimens from 69 taxa was collected. Most individuals collected belonged to nine dominant taxa. Seasonal and interannual variations in the abundance and distribution patterns of these dominant taxa are presented in detail. A recurrent group analysis delineated four major groupings of nekton. (PDF file contains 91 pages.)

Advances in Click Chemistry for Single-Chain Nanoparticle Construction

Single-chain polymeric nanoparticles are artificial folded soft nano-objects of ultra-small size which have recently gained prominence in nanoscience and nanotechnology due to their exceptional and sometimes unique properties. This review focuses on the current state of the investigations of click chemistry techniques for highly-efficient single-chain nanoparticle construction. Additionally, recent progress achieved for the use of well-defined single-chain nanoparticles in some promising fields, such as nanomedicine and catalysis, is highlighted.