Unravelling the dynamics of a multi-gear fleet – Inputs for fisheries assessment and management under the Common Fisheries Policy

Effective species management requires good knowledge on vessel dynamics, either at a stock basis or through the establishment of multiannual management plans as advisable under the new European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Achieving such knowledge on Portuguese multi-gear fisheries is challenging given the large number of species caught and the different management measures applied to potential target species. The latter ranges from no input or output controls to output controls based on individual vessel quotas (IVQ). To provide accurate regional knowledge to the CFP, the dynamics of vessels involved in the trammel net fishery targeting anglerfish (Lophius spp.) was characterised based on onboard sampling data and logbook reports. The selected vessels were very dynamic, and were found to target other species such as hake (Merluccius merluccius), John Dory (Zeus faber) and octopus (Octopus vulgaris). Anglerfish landing trends can be explained by changes in abundance, quota availability and shifts/changes in fishing effort. Overall, the dynamics of these vessels varied with area of exploitation, IVQ value and anglerfish total allowable catch (TAC). These results show the influence of different management systems in the dynamics of vessels and the advantage of an IVQ management system, where fishers can spatially and temporally allocate effort. Results also highlight a fishing effort shift towards unregulated species in face of IVQ or TAC restrictions.     

Harvesters׳ perspectives on the management of British Columbia׳s giant red sea cucumber fishery

In recent decades, sea cucumber fisheries have rapidly expanded worldwide to meet rising demand in Asian markets. Catch trends have often followed a boom-and-bust trajectory and skyrocketing sea cucumber value has often spurred fishery development that outpaced adequate biological research for informed stock assessment. Currently, the dive fishery for Giant red sea cucumber (Parastichopus californicus) in British Columbia, Canada is considered moderately exploited. However, basic population parameters such as recruitment and mortality rates are still largely unknown, creating important sources of uncertainty in the fishery׳s stock assessment model. This study presents the results of an interview-based survey of experienced commercial harvesters׳ (1) perceptions of local trends in sea cucumber abundance, size, and fishing effort (CPUE), and (2) perceptions of management efficacy. The majority of harvesters perceived abundance (14/20) and CPUE (15/20) to have declined over their careers, and half of the harvesters reported decreased sea cucumber size. The harvesters most commonly cited overfishing as the most pressing problem facing the fishery (13/20), and the majority felt that Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) needed to lower licence and/or area quotas to avoid further declines. Despite many knowledge gaps in the fishery, almost all harvesters (16/20) perceived that they are not adequately consulted and their concerns are not adequately considered by DFO. These results suggest a disjoint between DFO forecasts and perceived local sea cucumber trends, and highlight that the fishery may lack a resource-rights framework with adequate checks to decouple fishing pressure from increasing global market value and demand. Maintaining the long-term health of the BC sea cucumber fishery may depend on working more closely with harvesters to inform future management decisions and, ideally, moving towards a harvester-owned-and-operated licencing system that can better integrate the feedback that comes from attachment to place.     

Japan׳s whaling following the International Court of Justice ruling: Brave New World – Or business as usual?

Since 1987, Japan has conducted extensive special permit whaling (“scientific whaling”) in the Antarctic and North Pacific. This has been viewed by many as a way to circumvent the International Whaling Commission׳s (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling, which was implemented in 1985. Recently, Australia took Japan to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over this issue. Using various criteria, the Court ruled that Japan׳s whaling was not “for purposes of scientific research” as required by Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, and ordered Japan to immediately cease its JARPA II whaling program in the Antarctic. Despite optimism that the Court׳s ruling might spell the end of Japanese whaling in the Antarctic and even elsewhere, Japan has indicated that it will redesign its whaling programs and continue operations. Based upon Japan׳s history at the IWC, I argue here that this was an expected outcome; I predict the course of events over the next months, and suggest that the ICJ ruling, while satisfying as an independent vindication of Japan׳s critics, represents little more than a temporary setback for that nation׳s whaling enterprise.     

The 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries: Adopting,implementing or scoring results?

The paper presents the results of a major assessment of Code adoption and implementation in nine fishing countries in Asia (China, Thailand, Vietnam), Africa (Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Guinea) and in the Caribbean (Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago), which are part of the international research project ECOST. The main findings are that the Code as an international policy instrument remains relevant and adaptable to the current international fisheries context, and that its guiding principles and provisions have been endorsed and adopted in almost unanimous fashion by the countries covered, and integrated into fisheries policy letters and legal frameworks. However, results also suggest that tackling the truly difficult issues in fisheries, such as combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing or adjusting fishing overcapacity has been a lot less successful. The design and implementation of necessary measures often remains very weak in domains with important economic and political dimensions. The causes for this are attributed to a mix of administrative inertia, lack of political will and stamina, and short-sighted economic considerations.     

The changing face of global fisheries—The 1950s vs. the 2000s

Spatialized catch and effort data, representing the world's marine fisheries in the 1950s and the 2000s are presented in form of cartograms, i.e., global maps in which the surface areas of continents are made proportional to the magnitude of the annual catches and fishing effort by their fleets. This is complemented by an analysis of the flows of seafood between the continents in whose waters the fish were captured, in the 1950s and the 2000s, and the continents where fleets originated. Such broad-brush analyses of temporal changes and trade patterns are helpful to understand major trends of fisheries, which, are increasingly dominated by scarcity of fish, and competition, notably off the coast of West Africa, and in newly accessed polar waters.     

The structure of the Falkland Basin’s lithosphere

The peculiarities of the crustal structure within the Falkland Basin have been discussed. Maps of the free-air and Bouguer (2.3 g/cm³) gravity anomalies and their transforms have been made. The complex analysis of the anomalous gravity field has allowed us to confirm the continental origin of the crust. The zoning of the crust has been performed. The crust is thinned and is enriched in basic and ultrabasic intrusions. A map demonstrating the distribution of the faults within the studied water area has been made. A conclusion has been reached about the leading role played by tension processes throughout the evolution of the crust within the studied water area.     

The influence of the climate’s variability on the deep-water oxygen conditions in the east of the Gulf of Finland

Based on the long-term surveys in 1995?C2010, the influence of the variability of the winter conditions on the interannual dynamics of the content of dissolved oxygen was studied concerning the deep waters (the 40 m isobath line) of the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. The content of oxygen varied within a wide range with a low-pronounced trend to a decrease during the considered period. All the processes affecting the aeration of deep waters, i.e., the advection of oxygen-depleted saline waters from the Baltic Sea and the intensity of the autumnal and winter mixing, correlated with the North Atlantic oscillation index, which determined the close positive correlation between this parameter and the oxygen content (r = +0.87). The hypoxic effects in the gulf were registered in the years of negative anomalies of the North Atlantic oscillation. The conclusion is reached that the deterioration of the oxygen conditions at the inner part of the Gulf of Finland during the late 20th-early 21st century is mainly caused by the large-scale variations in the atmospheric processes.     

Losing ground: The marginalization of the St. Lawrence eel Fisheries in Québec,Canada

The world׳s eel fisheries are in a state of crisis. While an increasing number of studies have documented the biophysical dynamics of the decrease in eel populations in Canada and around the world, studies documenting fishing practices, fisheries management, and the impact of eel declines on the livelihoods of fishermen are still rare. This paper aims to contribute to this discussion by examining the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) fishery in the St. Lawrence River Estuary, positioning it within larger historical, economic, and socio-environmental contexts. More particularly, it explores the issues these fishermen face as a consequence of the declining eel population, changing management practices, global trends in eel commercialization, and initiatives taken to promote eel fishing and the landscape that surrounds it as an important component of natural and cultural heritage. It is argued that these changes, many of which have been amplified by neoliberal policy shifts, have contributed to the marginalization of eel fishers and are making their future increasingly uncertain.     

The wind-induced drift velocity of the freshwater layer on the sea’s surface

The effect of an unsteady river plume on the wind drift was studied. Initially, the plume occurs as a horizontal homogeneous near-surface layer with a low density and different thicknesses being washed around by the wind in the course of time due to the vertical mixing with the underlying waters. This process is described using the one-dimensional Princeton Ocean Model (POM) with the integrated turbulence submodel. A series of numerical experiments yielded the empirical dependence of the normalized surface drift velocity modulus on the nondimensional parameters: the Ekman numbers and the relations between the buoyancy and Coriolis forces.     

A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt – a response to critique of paper MP13 172

Canada's commercial seal hunt warrants close examination in that it is the largest kill of marine mammals on earth, it exists for commercial reasons, it targets deep diving seals with unique physical adaptations, and it is conducted in a particularly remote and uncontrolled environment amidst unstable sea ice and extreme weather conditions. For these reasons, commercial sealing in Canada has been the subject of regular veterinary scrutiny for more than five decades. In that time, despite repeated recommendations and some changes to the regulations, considerable evidence continues to be presented during each new season of poor welfare outcomes for seals.To add to the discussion we (Butterworth and Richardson) (2013) [1] reviewed multiple studies on commercial sealing, government reports, trade journal articles and recommendation reports, in an attempt to answer the question of why, despite the efforts of veterinary advisors and government to improve the situation, seals continue to die in inhumane ways. In examining the available evidence, the environment in which commercial sealing occurs, and the physical adaptations of seals, the authors concluded that generally accepted principles of humane slaughter cannot be implemented effectively and consistently in the context of commercial sealing.     

‘It׳s part of me’; understanding the values,images and principles of coastal users and their influence on the social acceptability of MPAs

Improving the social acceptability or ‘social licence’ of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a key challenge facing countries all around the world. As the world moves slowly towards the establishment of a global network of MPAs, it is increasingly apparent that a greater understanding of social responses to MPAs is required, given they are often met with resistance from local communities. A series of in-depth, semi structured interviews were conducted across coastal users in New South Wales, Australia, including surfers, recreational fishers, professional fishers, spearfishers, walkers, divers, snorkellers, kayakers and other community members. The research identified the values, images and principles at work amongst coastal users to determine the dominant ‘cultural models’ within the community and how these models influenced attitudes towards MPAs. This research indicates that traditional consultation models may not be sufficient to address the full spectrum of community needs, and in fact suggests the need to re-conceive the make -up of ‘the community’ itself. In the context of MPA planning ‘the community’ is not an amalgamation of a range of homogenous stakeholder groups but instead a diverse and complex mix of identities and value systems which are not confined to particular interest groups. Incorporating consideration of the diverse range of values, images and principles found within and across stakeholder groups will require new and innovative approaches to participation and management.     

The impact of OSPAR on protected area management beyond national jurisdiction: Effective regional cooperation or a network of paper parks?

Various international treaty bodies and non-governmental organisations continuously urge States to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (ABNJ). Although this goal is far from being reached, the OSPAR Convention may serve as an example illustrating the efforts made on a regional level for the North-East Atlantic. However, these efforts to effectively protect the marine environment are subject to limitations under the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Likewise, the OSPAR Convention itself restricts the scope of such protected areas. The OSPAR Convention does not adequately cover all human uses of the oceans that may interfere with a protected area, and it lacks opportunities for internationalised enforcement measures. Consequently, the responsibility for effective conservation measures under the OSPAR model ultimately remains with individual Contracting Parties, i.e. their commitment to set stricter standards and to agree on their enforcement. Nevertheless, ‘soft’ obligations such as reporting duties are suitable for collecting data on the need for protection and utilisation of the MPAs. Additionally, cooperation with regional fisheries management bodies allows for better protection of the living resources in these areas. Finally, OSPAR MPAs can draw attention to particularly vulnerable ecosystems and promote conservation standards and measures such as those developed under the auspices of the FAO.     

The Moon is the Source of Unstable Nonstationary Disturbances in the Earth’s Atmosphere

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - By using a nonstationary numerical thermohydrodynamic model of atmospheric tides genesis and evolution in the Earth’s atmosphere, it is shown that...     

The redox profile of the bottom sediments in the Ob River’s mouth area

By the data of cruise 54 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh (September 2007), the results of geochemical studies of the redox processes in the bottom sediments of the Ob River’s near-mouth area as applied to the redox indicator elements such as manganese, iron, and sulfur are presented. The characteristics of the bottom sediments and the distribution of these elements in them testify not only to the significant role of the mixing processes in the formation of the geochemical profile of the bottom sediments in the estuary but also to the role of the postsedimentation (diagenetic) processes.     

The volumes of volcanic seamounts as a factor determining the formation of the ocean floor’s morphostructure

The volumes of formed volcanoes are an important indicator of the formation intensity of the ocean floor volcanogenic morphostructure under different geodynamic conditions. The distribution of the volumes of volcanoes that formed within the oceanic lithosphere of different geological ages is considered to analyze the spatial and time dynamics of the scopes of the seamount formation. The greatest volumes of effused rocks concentrate in volcanoes of different heights on the different-age segments of the lithosphere. The total volumes of volcanogenic substance growing with increasing age and thickness of the lithosphere is caused by the increasing range of the heights of the formed volcanoes and the growing number of big seamounts. Despite that the volcanic seamounts formed within the mid-oceanic ridges, on the divergent boundaries of the lithospheric plates and in the transform faults most often, half of the volcanogenic material was emitted to the earth’s surface during the spreading of the intraplate volcanism. A leading part in the formation of the volcanogenic morphostructure of the ocean floor belongs to the formation of big seamounts with heights of 4–6 km and volumes from 1500 to 5100 km³, respectively, in the provinces with ages from 60 to 90 mln years.     

The Mechanism of Formation of Mesoscale Pulsating Jet Streams in the Earth’s Atmosphere

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The formation mechanism of local pulsatile jet streams is considered. It may in general be reduced to the following sequence: (i) a breaking gravity...     

Repair and revitalisation of Australia׳s tropical estuaries and coastal wetlands: Opportunities and constraints for the reinstatement of lost function and productivity

Tropical fisheries are in decline around world as a result of diverse anthropogenic threats. These threats are intimately linked to biodiversity and conservation values because of the heavy dependence of both fisheries and high value marine and coastal wetlands on coastal ecosystem health. Consequently, if the widespread degradation of coastal ecosystems can be halted and remediated, there are substantial benefits to fisheries output, ecosystem resilience, food security, livelihoods, recreation and the protection of ecological assets of national and global significance. The extent, intactness and quality of Australia׳s tropical coastal ecosystems has declined markedly since European settlement, due to the cumulative impact of many small encroachments and local barrier construction on the extent and productivity of coastal wetlands, mangroves and seagrass meadows. Additionally, coastal ecosystem dependent biota has been excluded from large areas of critical habitats. Despite these changes, coastal fisheries show no clear declines that could not be explained by changes in effort. This lack of detectable decline is probably partly attributable to the short history of available fisheries catch data. However, it is also likely that it reflects the offsetting of lost natural productivity by greatly increased anthropogenic nutrient loads; a substantial problem as governments are committed to large scale, long term efforts to reduce discharges of nutrients to coastal waters. This possibility underlines the importance of rejuvenating lost coastal productivity. Evaluation of past remediation efforts show that documented success is rare, due to a complex of factors including ineffective prioritisation, a lack of necessary knowledge and resources, and inefficient monitoring and evaluation. Past experiences from Australia׳s tropics and around the world, together with current ecological understanding, suggests some generally desirable characteristics to enhance the likelihood of successful remediation and repair actions.     

The assessment of the hydrocarbon potential and maturity of Silurian intervals from eastern part of Moesian Platform – Romanian sector

The aim of this paper is the assessment of the hydrocarbon potential and maturity of Silurian intervals from the Călăraşi-Bordei Verde-Biruinţa perimeter – East Moesian Platform. All the information gathered from the wells drilled in the mentioned perimeter is used for the evaluation of the “shale gas” potential, too. This major sedimentary basin has all geological conditions for hydrocarbons generation, migration and accumulation. The main conclusions of the all geo-analyses are the following: the XRD analyses show that the samples consist of clay minerals with organic material, the organic matter contained in the samples of the wells shows widely distributed type of organoclasts. In absence of true vitrinite originating from higher plants in these Lower Paleozoic series, the various encountered organic remains consist of Tasmanites, microporous or homogeneous fragments, structured fragments of graptolites, oxidized or naturally rich in oxygen organoclasts inherited from the continent (phytoclasts, fungal remains). The maturity of the Silurian at Ţăndărei borehole is established taking into account the fluorescence of the Tasmanites and the reflectance of graptolites; the maturity increases with depth between 0.70 and 1% eq. VRo. The organic matter of Biruinţa and Călăraşi boreholes is overmature with maturity of around 1.40–1.55% at 400 m in Biruinţa and a maturity increase with depth between 1.85 and 2.05% eq. VRo in Călăraşi borehole. Those values are mainly deduced from vitrinite/graptolite correlation. According to the maturity trend deduced of Călăraşi and Ţăndărei boreholes, the high maturity of Biruinţa for such a low burial (around 400 m) indicates a possible erosion around 3400 m due to uplift. The Silurian studied samples consist of carbonated claystones with an organic matter of type II with relatively low residual TOC content: less than 1.2% weight for the overmature boreholes (Biruinţa and Călăraşi) and less than 1.6% weight in Ţăndărei borehole.