Relation between responses in the neutral red retention test and the comet assay and life history parameters of Daphnia magna.

Responses of the neutral red retention (NRR) assay as test for lysosomal stability and the comet assay as test for DNA integrity were measured in the water flea, Daphnia magna, and compared with mortality and effects on population growth rate during short- or long-term exposure to seven different toxicants. The NRR test and the comet assay were performed with fresh preparations of pieces of tissue from the digestive tract or with cell preparations from whole daphnias. Five toxicants caused responses of the NRR test or the comet assay after short-term exposure at concentrations below the acute toxicity level. Preliminary results of long-term exposure experiments suggest that these biomarker responses can be related to chronic effects on survival and/or reproduction of D. magna. This type of research should provide the basis for future use of the NRR test and the comet assay as early warning biomarkers for effects of toxicants on Daphnia populations.     

Water wave interaction with a floating porous cylinder

The interaction of water waves with a freely floating circular cylinder possessing a side-wall that is porous over a portion of its draft is investigated theoretically. The porous side-wall region is bounded top and bottom by impermeable end caps thereby resulting in an enclosed fluid region within the structure. The problem is formulated based on potential flow and linear wave theory and assuming small-amplitude structural oscillations. An eigenfunction expansion approach is then used to obtain semi-analytical expressions for the hydrodynamic excitation and reaction loads on the structure. Numerical results are presented which illustrate the effects of the various wave and structural parameters on these quantities. It is found that the permeability, size and location of the porous region may have a significant influence on the horizontal components of the hydrodynamic excitation and reaction loads, while its influence on the vertical components in most cases is relatively minor.     

A time-dependent radiation condition for transient wave-structure interactions

An extrapolated version of a time-dependent nonreflecting boundary condition is developed for use at artificial boundaries to truncate infinite/semi-infinite domains for transient water wave problems. Test examples include single- and multiple-frequency flap wavemaker problems and free vibrations of a floating circular cylinder. The finite element results compare favorably to analytical solutions. It is shown that with the proposed boundary condition the numerical simulations have little reflections from the artificial boundaries.     

Risks of shifting baselines highlighted by anecdotal accounts of New Zealand's snapper (Pagrus auratus) fishery

Anecdotal data sources may constitute an important component of the information available about an exploited species, as record keeping may not have occurred until after exploitation began. Here, we aimed to fill any gaps in the exploitative history of the sparid snapper (Pagrus auratus), using social and historical research methods. Social research consisted of interviews with recreational fishers, focusing on the most and largest snapper they had caught. In addition, the diary‐logs of two recreational fishers were analysed. Historical research consisted of investigation of old books, photos, archives and unpublished sources unconventional to fishery science. Interviews with fishers demonstrated no or weak trends in snapper abundance or size, and were likely impeded by a lack of ability to detect change in a fish stock that may still be considered abundant. The fishers’ perception of change, however, largely reflected recent experiences (last c. 10 years), when biomass is understood to have increased, and mostly did not consider experiences before the 1980s. Alternatively, diary‐logs of fisher catch rates produced a pattern that matched formal stock assessments of snapper biomass, suggesting declines in abundance up until the 1990s and an increase in biomass after that time. Historical research, although more qualitative, had the ability to investigate periods where formal records were not kept and described a fishery vastly different from the current one. Snapper were easily caught, in great abundance and in unusual locations. Localised depletion of snapper was first noticed in the early 20th century, despite spectacular catches of snapper occurring after that time. Snapper behaviour was also likely different, with visual sightings of snapper by onlookers a common occurrence. Although predictions from stock assessment models are consistent with that of the anecdotes listed here (i.e., high biomass in the past), these anecdotes are valuable as they explain lost biomass in a perspective meaningful to all. This perspective may be valuable for managers trying to consider the non‐financial value of a shared fishery but, if unrecognised, represents a shifting baseline.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus in New Zealand streams and rivers: Control and impact of eutrophication and the influence of land management

Abstract

Given sufficient light and heat, the growth of aquatic macrophytes and algae associated with eutrophication is generally controlled by the concentration, form and ratio between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Data from 1100 freshwater sites monitored for the last 10 years by New Zealand's regional councils and unitary authorities were assessed for streams and rivers with mean nitrate/ nitrite‐N (NNN), dissolved reactive P (DRP), total N (TN) and total P (TP) concentrations in excess of New Zealand guidelines, and to generate a data set of N:P ratios to predict potential periphyton response according to the concentration of the limiting nutrient. The frequency of sites exceeding the guidelines varied from 0 to 100% depending on the parameter and region, but South Island regions were generally more compliant. The dissolved inorganic N (DIN) to dissolved reactive P (DRP) ratio was used to group data into three nutrient limitation classes: <7:1 (N‐limited), between 7:1 and 15:1 (co‐limited), and>15:l (P‐limited), by mass. P‐limitation was the most frequent scenario in New Zealand streams (overall, 76% of sites were P‐limited, 12% N‐limited, and 12% co‐limited). The mean concentration of the limiting nutrient for each site was combined with empirical relationships to predict periphyton densities (the average of N‐and P‐limited growth was used for sites with co‐limitation). This assessment predicted that 22 sites were likely to exceed the periphyton guideline for protecting benthic biodiversity (50 mg chlorophyll a m^?2), but this assessment is likely to be highly changeable in response to climatic conditions and present and future land use. As an example, we modelled N and P losses from an average sheep and a dairy farm in Southland (South Island, New Zealand) in 1958, 1988, 2008 and 2028. We predicted that with time, as farm systems have and continue to intensify, N losses increase at a greater rate than P losses. Since the pathway for N to reach fresh waters may be more tortuous and take longer than P to reach a stream or river, focusing mitigation on P losses may have a quicker effect on potential algal growth. In addition, with time, it is expected that P‐limitation in New Zealand's rivers and streams will be more widespread as N‐losses are unabated. Hence, although strategies to decrease N losses should be practised, mitigating P losses is also central to preventing eutrophication.