EU–Mauritania fisheries partnership in need of more transparency

The new protocol signed in July 2012 by the European Union and Mauritania under the existing Fisheries Partnership Agreement did not produce the expected results. The main component of this protocol consisted of the access rights for 300,000 t/yr of small pelagics. During the first five months after the signature of the protocol, no EU pelagic trawlers used the opportunities created by the protocol. Only after the formal approval of the protocol by the European Council in December 2013, some eastern EU member states started sending their pelagic trawlers back to Mauritania. This resulted in a utilisation of the protocol of 54% for the whole of 2013. Although the EU repeatedly stated that the €70 million/yr paid under the protocol provided good value for money, this assertion was hard to maintain considering the limited utilisation of the agreement. The paper analyses why the EU concluded an agreement with Mauritania that was not wanted by their industry and that was therefore only partially used in the end. It describes the decision making process inside the EU; the different parties involved and their different objectives. It is concluded that the EU decision making process suffers from a lack of transparency and that the combination of a business agreement with development aid resulted in an agreement which did not attain either of the stated objectives. It is proposed that in future the two aspects are clearly separated, and that the development component is extended to other countries in West Africa, including those that have no fish to sell to the EU.     

脂类生物标志物在海洋环境中的应用与研究进展

海洋沉积物中的脂类生物标志物可以提供丰富的信息,包括有机物质源,沉积过程的古环境条件等。由于脂类生物标志物提供的信息准确、稳定,成为研究海洋环境的有力工具。本文介绍了其在古气候效应、河口系统的有机物质检测、降解以及污染物溯源的研究应用进展。     

带乘性噪声系统的多尺度最优滤波融合算法

利用小波变换和多尺度分析的思想,将基于模型的动态系统分析和基于统计特性的多尺度信号变换方法相结合。提出了在线性最小方差意义下的带乘性噪声系统的多尺度最优滤波融合算法。并用计算机仿真说明了融合算法的有效性。     

外源一氧化氮和金属铜对海洋微藻抗氧化系统的影响

以亚心形扁藻为研究对象,通过添加不同浓度一氧化氮(NO)(1.4×10-10～1.4×10-5 mol/L)培养,探讨NO对微藻生长、H2O2和MDA含量以及SOD活性的影响;通过对只添加金属Cu、同时添加Cu与NO实验,对微藻的H2O2和MDA含量以及SOD活性的影响进行了对比研究。结果表明,藻细胞活性氧的代谢有随NO浓度增加的趋势,同时细胞内的抗氧化酶SOD活性和MDA含量都有相应的变化,NO作为环境的"刺激物"提高了细胞内的活性氧水平,对抗氧化系统起到激活或伤害作用。在Cu胁迫下,藻细胞活性氧代谢明显提高,SOD活性提高,并导致细胞膜脂过氧化;但外源NO能明显降低活性氧的水平,并恢复SOD活性和MDA含量,对抗氧化系统起到保护作用,提高微藻的抗氧化能力。研究表明,NO在海洋浮游植物中扮演着"双重角色"——氧化剂和抗氧化剂,从而对微藻的生长起到重要的调节作用。     

A regional analysis of new production on the northwest European shelf using oxygen fluxes and a ship-of-opportunity

Seasonal new production (g C m⁻²) estimates obtained from dissolved oxygen and nitrate concentrations in surface waters (5 m depth) along a track between the UK (Portsmouth) and northern Spain (Bilbao) are compared. An oxygen flux method, in combination with a ship of opportunity (SOO), was tested on the northwest European shelf for its value in distinguishing high production in frontal regions. Dissolved oxygen, nitrate and chlorophyll a samples were collected monthly from February to July 2004, alongside continuous autonomous measurements of salinity, temperature and chlorophyll fluorescence. Depth integrated new production estimates for all the individually analysed hydrographic regions of the route were produced.Results from three widely used gas-exchange parameterizations gave seasonal (February–July) new production estimates of 54–68 g C m⁻² for the Ushant region of the western English Channel and 31–40 g C m⁻² for the shelf slope, averaging 24–31 g C m⁻² for the route. This is double the route average obtained using the nitrate assimilation method (17 g C m⁻²) and within the ranges of previous estimates in the same region. The oxygen flux method gave a fivefold enhancement compared to the nitrate method in the Ushant frontal region and a threefold enhancement in the English Channel and shelf break regions. Determining oxygen fluxes to estimate new production may be more reliable than nitrate assimilation in active tidal or frontal regions of shelves where nitrate may be added to the system post-winter through advection or entrainment.     

New perspectives in small-scale fisheries management: challenges and prospects for implementation in South Africa

Worldwide, the past 15–20 years has seen a significant shift in thinking and approaches to the management of small-scale fisheries. This is in response to the recognition that conventional fisheries management is not equipped to deal with the complexities, uncertainties and challenges prevalent in small-scale fishery systems. Consequently, a new fisheries paradigm is emerging based on the principles and ideas underpinning systems thinking, complexity theory, participatory democracy and adaptive management. Although fishery science is required to inform management decisions, it must be seen as one of the inputs needed for effective governance. Incorporation of other disciplinary perspectives, knowledge sources and local information is considered necessary for understanding the fishery system and identifying appropriate management responses. Although South Africa has incorporated many of these ideas and principles into broad policies and legislation governing resource management, implementation of this new paradigm in the context of small-scale fisheries is proving difficult. However, recent developments such as the recognition of the socio-economic rights of this group of fishers, the formulation of a new draft small-scale fisheries policy, efforts to identify and address human dimensions in fisheries through research and stakeholder workshops, as well as opportunities for greater participation in policy formulation and management, are all indicative of a shift in institutional culture and approach to this sector. This paper aims to provide an overview of the main ideas underpinning the new small-scale fisheries paradigm and explores the application of these ideas in the context of small-scale fisheries in South Africa. Challenges and prospects for implementing this new management paradigm are discussed, as well as some practical ideas for progressing this new approach.     

极地吊舱推进船舶回转性能的离散元分析

吊舱推进装置在极地船舶中被广泛应用,其转舵模块可以带动螺旋桨摆动从而产生任意方向的推进力,使船舶操纵更为灵活。提出了一种吊舱推进船舶冰区操纵的离散元方法,对具有吊舱推进装置的冰区船舶破冰过程进行了数值模拟。以“雪龙2”号破冰船为研究对象,计算分析了船舶定速直航时的冰阻力,并通过与Lindqvist经验公式的对比验证了冰阻力计算的合理性。在此基础上进一步对船舶在不同冰厚、不同吊舱转向角下的回转破冰运动进行了离散元模拟,分析了回转半径与船长比值随冰厚的变化规律。计算结果表明：船舶的回转性能随冰厚的增大而降低,并随吊舱转向角的增大而显著提高。     

带乘性噪声系统的极大似然最优估计算法

对带乘性噪声系统（ＳＭＮ）在乘性噪声及其统计参数未知的情况下,基于极大似然准则,提出了一种分块组合优化估计算法（ＢＣＯＥＡ）。该算法不需要事先知道乘性噪声的统计参数,可同时进行状态最优估计以及乘性噪声序列和其统计参数的最优估计。     

Stability analysis of the heave motion of marine cable-body systems

The dynamic stability of the heave motion of marine cable-body systems operating in alternating taut–slack conditions is considered, based upon a single-degree-of-freedom model. In this model the fluid damping is linearised and the cable is replaced by a spring of bi-linear stiffness. The period-one Poincare map is derived, and its stability is analysed by examining its Jacobian matrix. Numerical simulations are also carried out to show the transition from a periodic response to a chaotic one through period doubling.     

A decision support system for floating platform design

This paper describes a methodology developed for the preliminary design of floating production platforms. The preliminary design approach interlinks the mathematical design model with global optimization techniques. To illustrate the design procedure, the initial intermediate and final results are presented. They provide a clear understanding of the mathematical model and the decision support system. The preliminary design approach described here is based on the commercial software which is interfaced to what is called the FPS system and linked to a SEARCH package for design solutions. The paper summarizes the preliminary design approach, the mathematical model optimization and presents semisubmersible and TLP platform examples.