Estimating Daily Egg Production of European Anchovy in the Adriatic Sea: A Critical Appraisal

Abstract. We discuss the critical problem of estimating daily egg production in the Daily Egg Production Method (DEPM), a widely used technique for the stock assessment of multiple spawning pelagic fishes. Data collected in 1999 for the stock of European anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ) in the Southern Adriatic Sea are used to study the effects of different calibration techniques. We analyze the performances of the mortality model from which daily egg production is estimated. All these calibrations are based on the Bootstrap method. Nonlinear fitting (vs. linear regression on log-transformed data) is shown to guarantee more reliable parameter estimation. We show that specifying the function assigning age to staged eggs is crucial.     

Contribution of benthic and epiphytic diatoms to clam and oyster production in the Akkeshi-ko estuary

The species composition and dynamics of phytoplankton in the water column and its contribution to clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, and oyster, Crassostrea gigas, production were studied in the Akkeshi-ko estuary, eastern part of Hokkaido, Japan. A total 128 taxa of diatoms were identified, with 103 and 102 species occurring on the surface sediments and in the water column, respectively. Amphora sp., Bacillaria paradoxa var paxilifer, Cocconeis scutellum, Navicula sp., Nitzschia sigma, Paralia sulcata, Rhoicosphenia curvata, Synedra ulna and Thalassiosira sp. were most common and dominant in all stations in both water column and surface sediment. Benthic diatoms were most dominant in both water column and surface sediment. The species composition of epiphytes was, in part, similar to diatom assemblage of the water column and also to that of the surface sediment. The benthic and pelagic ratio in the diatom assemblage of the water column was very high. Benthic diatoms were able to resuspend into water column by turbulence stimulated by wind. Chlorophyll a concentration in the water column increased as wind speed increased. Seventy and 67% of the gut contents oysters consisted of benthic diatoms in 2003 and 2004 and also 78 and 87% of clams in 2003 and 2004, respectively. The availability of benthic and epiphytic diatom assemblages contributes significantly to food resources for clam and oyster mariculture due to resuspension by disturbance in the Akkeshi-ko estuary.     

Effects of low tide rainfall on the erodibility of intertidal cohesive sediments

Low tide rainfall may represent an important but little studied process affecting sediment fluxes on intertidal mudflats. In this study, we simulated rainfall events on an intertidal mudflat (median grain size=18.4 μm) of low slope (1 in 300) then quantified effects on sediment erodibility. Treatments consisted of a high (4.1 mm min⁻¹ for 6 min) and low (0.36 mm min⁻¹ for 60 min) rain intensity, chosen to match naturally occurring events and experiments were conducted seasonally (May and August) to encompass variations in ambient sediment stability. Changes in bed elevation due to rainfall were estimated using marked rods and sediment erodibility parameters (mass of sediment eroded at a flow velocity of 0.3 m s⁻¹ (ME-30, g m⁻²) and critical erosion velocity (U_crit, m s⁻¹)) were determined in annular flumes (bed area=0.17 m²). Ambient/control sediment erodibility in May (ME-30=211 g m⁻², U_crit=0.18 m s⁻¹) was higher than in August (ME-30=30 g m⁻², U_crit=0.26 m s⁻¹) and was correlated with changes in biological activity. In May, surface sediment was influenced by high densities of the bioturbating snail Hydrobia ulvae (1736 ind. m⁻²) and low biomass of the sediment stabilising microphytobenthos (5.7 μg chlorophyll a cm⁻²). In contrast, in August H. ulvae densities were low (52 ind. m⁻²) and microphytobenthic biomass higher (9.2 μg chlorophyll a cm⁻²). The high rain treatment caused a decrease in bed elevation of between 1.5 mm (May) and 4.4 mm (August) and significantly reduced sediment organic content and microphytobenthic biomass. Rainfall increased sediment erodibility; compared to ambient sediments ME-30 increased by a factor of 1.4× in May and 8.8× in August and caused a 10–30% decline in U_crit. The seasonal difference in treatment effect was due to the change in ambient sediment stability. The low rain treatment in August had no effect on bed elevation, microphytobenthic biomass or sediment erodibility. In May, the same treatment caused a reduction in bed elevation (0.5 mm) and microphytobenthic biomass but counter-intuitively, a decrease in sediment erodibility (ME-30 was reduced by 40%, U_crit increased by 5%) compared to controls. We attribute this result to removal by rainfall of easily eroded surface flocs and biogenic roughness which resulted in an underlying sediment with a smoother surface and greater resistant to erosion. Results suggest that high intensity rain events may destabilise intertidal sediments making them more susceptible to erosion by returning tidal currents and that the sediment eroded during such events may represent a considerable fraction (up to 25%) of the seasonal variation in shore elevation. The impact of natural rain events are likely to vary considerably due to variations in droplet size, intensity and duration and the interaction with ambient sediment stability.     

东海浮游介形类(Ostracods)分布特征

根据1997~2000年东海(23°30'~33°00'N,118°30'~128°00'E)海域四季海洋调查资料,探讨了东海浮游介形类分布特征及与环境的关系.结果表明:东海浮游介形类丰度占浮游动物总丰度的3.47%;春、夏、秋和冬四季平均丰度分别为0.70,1.72,2.57和0.90个/m3;冬春季的短棒真浮萤(Euconchoecia chierchiae),夏季的后圆真浮萤(Euconchoecia maimai)和秋季的齿形海萤(Cypridi-na dentata)分别是各季的主要优势种;夏、秋季介形类总丰度与水文环境因子的线性相关性不显著,春季与表层盐度相关,冬季与表层温度相关.东海北部外海四季均有介形类高丰度区出现,但在东海北部近海长江口及其邻近舟山水域,介形类数量相对较低.在东海南部,冬春季高丰度区位于外海,夏秋季在近海.东海浮游介形类基本上是一大类较为典型的暖水性且具有集群行为的海洋浮游动物.介形类秋季高丰度区和较高丰度区的分布与太平洋褶柔鱼(Todarodes pacificus)、绿鳍马面鲀(Navodon Septentrionalis)、鲐鯵鱼类等渔场的位置基本一致,在渔业上有重要的意义.     

Dynamic Simulation of Pelagic Longline Retrieval

To improve fishing gear efficiency, it is important to understand the interactions among sea current, fishing vessel, line hauler, and catches during pelagic longline gear retrieval. In this study, fishing gear configuration parameters, operational parameters, and 3 D ocean current data were collected from Indian Ocean. Dynamic models of pelagic longline gear retrieval were built using the lumped mass method and solved using the Euler-Trapezoidal method. From the results, the pulling force of line hauler exerted on the gear was 2800–3600 N. There were no significant differences(P > 0.05) between the time of the hook retrieval measured at sea and that obtained from the simulation. The absolute values of the movement velocity at representative nodes along the X, Y, and Z axes were 0.01–25.5 m s^-1. These results suggest that the dynamic model of longline fishing gear retrieval can be used to analyze the interactions among sea current, fishing vessel, line hauler, longline gear, and catches, and to acquire the basic data for optimizing the design of the line hauler. Moreover, the model can serve as a reference to study the hydrodynamic performance of other fishing gears during the hauling process.     

汉江中下游梯级枢纽联合生态调度对产漂流性卵鱼类自然繁殖的效应研究

为促进汉江中下游鱼类繁殖,2018年6月汉江中下游首次实施梯级联合生态调度试验.该研究在汉江中下游钟祥、沙洋、泽口、仙桃江段设置监测断面,采集鱼类早期资源,并在兴隆枢纽泄洪闸上、下开展鱼类溯流集群情况监测,以分析生态调度对促进汉江中下游鱼类繁殖的效果.监测结果表明汉江中下游鱼卵种类共有26种(属),其中产漂流性卵鱼类22种.监测期间漂流性卵径流量为143411万粒,其中四大家鱼卵径流量为4887万粒,占3.41%,推测汉江中下游有6处成规模的产漂流性卵鱼类产卵场.生态调度期间,坝下鱼类溯流集群随兴隆枢纽调度过程发生变化,钟祥和仙桃江段均出现两次鱼类产卵高峰,鱼卵径流量占总径流量的61.66%,并监测到四大家鱼卵,表明梯级联合生态调度结合区间来水,对汉江下游鱼类,特别是四大家鱼的繁殖具有积极的作用.