Bridges to best management: Effects of a voluntary bycatch avoidance program in a mid-water trawl fishery

The catch of non-target species or discarding of target species (bycatch) in commercial fisheries can result in negative species level and ecosystem wide impacts as well as adverse social and economic effects. Bycatch has become one of the foremost, global issues of fishery managers and conservationists, especially when the non-target species is from a protected or threatened population. However, the impact and spatial distribution of bycatch is frequently unknown making it difficult to develop effective, justifiable mitigation regulations. This challenge is exemplified by the bycatch of river herring (alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, and blueback herring, A. aestivalis) and American shad (A. sapidissima) in the northwest Atlantic mid-water trawl fishery targeting Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus). As an alternative to immediate management action, a voluntary bycatch avoidance program was established through an industry, state government, and university partnership. Here the program is described and its impact is evaluated by comparing fleet behavior and bycatch prior to and during the program. The combined results suggest that consistent communication, facilitated by the avoidance program, positively influenced fishing habits and played a role in the approximately 60% decrease in total bycatch and 20% decrease in the bycatch ratio observed during the program. However, the success of small scale move-along strategies to reduce bycatch ratios varied greatly in different areas of the fishery and years. This suggests the program is best viewed as an intermediate or complimentary solution. Overall, this project exemplifies of how collaborative programs can help alleviate difficult management scenarios.     

The Levant Slumps and the Phoenician Structures: collapse features along the continental margin of the southeastern Mediterranean Sea

Two distinct series of slumps deform the upper part of the sedimentary sequence along the continental margin of the Levant. One series is found along the base of the continental slope, where it overlies the disrupted eastern edge of the Messinian evaporites. The second series of slumps transects the continental margin from the shelf break to the Levant Basin. It seemed that the two series were triggered by two unrelated, though contemporaneous, processes. The shore-parallel slumps were initiated by basinwards flow of the Messinian salt, that carried along the overlying Plio-Quaternary sediments. Seawater that percolated along the detachment faults dissolved the underlying salt to form distinctly disrupted structures. The slope-normal slumps are located on top of large canyons that cut into the pre-Messinian sedimentary rocks. A layer of salt is found in the canyons, and the Plio-Quaternary sediments were deposited on that layer. The slumps are bounded by large, NW-trending faults where post-Messinian faulted offset was measured. We presume that the flow of the salt in the canyons also drives the slope-normal slumps. Thus thin-skinned halokynetic processes generated the composite post-Tortonian structural patterns of the Levant margin. The Phoenician Structures are a prime example of the collapse of a distal continental margin due to the dissolution of a massive salt layer.     

冬季南海北部中尺度涡旋的数值研究

南海环流的一个主要特征是上层海洋环流具有多涡结构,海洋中尺度涡旋的演变(时间上的生消和空间上的迁移)是南海环流季节调整的可能方式。文中依据卫星遥感海面高度资料和实际海洋观测所揭示的南海北部存在中尺度涡旋体系的基本事实,采用一个改进了涡分辨(eddy-resolving)普林斯顿海洋模式(POM),对冬季处于强盛的东北季风强迫以及黑潮在巴士海峡入侵的共同作用下的南海北部环流的中尺度涡旋体系进行了数值研究,初步再现了冬季南海北部中尺度涡的生命史。计算结果表明,在实际的气候冬季风应力驱动下,具有的实际侧边界地形的南海北部呈现有强烈的中尺度涡旋。文中探讨了中尺度涡的垂直结构、温盐场的配置以及大尺度水平辐合辐散、海洋垂直运动与之相关的时空结构。由此可以得知,在冬季南海北部中尺度涡旋生命史的不同阶段,上述动力学因子的重要性是相对的。不同的敏感性试验表明,斜压调整是形成冬季南海中尺度涡旋体系的决定性因子;边界的入流和风应力驱动是影响中尺度涡旋运动的主要因素。     

南海头足类资源开发利用研究

南海头足类资源丰富 ,文献报道的种类有 89种。在水深 40m以浅海域分布数量较多的种类为杜氏枪乌贼Loligoduvaucelii(Orbigny) ,在水深 40m以深海域分布数量较多的种类为中国枪乌贼L .chinensis(Gray)。渔汛期为夏、秋季。统计历年生产资料表明 ,头足类的年产量和占渔获物比例有逐年上升的趋势。随着底拖网捕捞技术的提高 ,头足类的密度指数有所增加 ,但并不说明头足类的资源就很丰富。若不注意合理开发利用 ,将导致头足类资源的衰退。限制和废除损害头足类资源的渔具十分重要。     

Demersal Continental Shelf and Upper Slope Cephalopod Assemblages from the Balearic Sea (North-Western Mediterranean). Biological Aspects of Some Deep-Sea Species

The analysis of 79 hauls performed by commercial bottom trawlers from 50 to 800 m depth in the Balearic Sea (north-western Mediterranean) from June 1995 to September 1996 yielded a total of 30 cephalopod species belonging to 12 families. Cluster analysis of these data gave as a result two main groups 50–200 m and 200–800 m each subdivided into two other groups (50–100 vs. 100–200 m and 200–600 vs. 600–800 m). These results suggested the existence of two assemblages that could be associated to the continental shelf (50–100 m) and the upper slope (600–800 m) separated by a wide transitional zone (100–600 m) representing a region of overlapping shelf and slope faunas (ecotone). The faunistic bathymetric gradient showed a continuous substitution of species with depth rather than discrete assemblages separated by distinct boundaries. The more coastal species such as Eledone moschata, Loligo vulgarisSepia officinalis and Octopus vulgaris were found on the continental shelf; on the transitional zone, apart from species characteristic of this zone (Illex coindetii, Sepietta oweniana, Rossia macrosoma, Scaeurgus unicirrhus and Pteroctopus tetracirrhus), we also observed species from both the continental shelf and slope. The upper slope was characterized by typical species of deeper waters, such asBathypolypus sponsalis , Histioteuthis reversa, H. bonnellii, Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii andOnychoteuthis banksii . The octopod O. vulgaris was the dominant species on the continental shelf and upper transitional zone, being substituted by T. sagittatus on the lower transitional zone and upper slope. Mean biomass decreased abruptly from the continental shelf to the transitional zone and from there to the upper slope. Mean species richness and species diversity were higher in the transitional zone than in the continental shelf and upper slope. Finally, some biological aspects of the more abundant deep-sea cephalopod species are studied: Bathypolypus sponsalis, Octopus salutii,Pteroctopus tetracirrhus , Histioteuthis reversa and H. bonnellii.     

1998年夏季南海水团分析

根据 1 998年夏季“南海季风试验 ( SCSMEX)”期间所获的 CTD资料 ,使用系统聚类、Fuzzy模式聚类、Bayes判别分析和 Fuzzy分析等水团分析方法 ,对南海水体的结构和水团配置状况等进行了分析 ,划出了南海存在的 9个主要水团 ,并对各水团的温、盐度特征进行了初析。在调查期间 ,南海本地水 (南海水 )几乎控制了整个调查海区 ,而黑潮水仅出现在台湾岛的西南海域 ;海水强烈混合发生在吕宋海峡附近 ;在中南半岛以东和吕宋岛以西海域 ,表层水明显下沉 ;在南海东南部可能有来自苏禄海的海水 ,其温、盐度特征类似于吕宋海峡中的黑潮水     

自然延伸概念及相关地质要素在海域划界中的影响效力分析

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea entitled the coastal States to naturally extend the continental shelf, which has caused more drastic disputes of maritime delimitation. This paper devotes to clarifying the significant concept of natural prolongation through an effect method combing the legal principles and technical analysis. Firstly, the classic samples with respect of the development of geological features are traced. Based on these samples, the classification with a model is proposed in order to affirm the concept''s significance under certain geomorphologic situations. Lastly, scientific analysis is used to present two potential prolongation situations and emphasize that all the technical analysis on maritime delimitation should be complied with international law and protect the common interest of all the mankind.     

南海北部表层颗粒有机碳的季节和年际变化遥感分析

海洋颗粒有机碳（POC）是海洋固碳的一个关键参数。为了研究南海北部陆架及海盆表层POC浓度的时空分布特征以及变化趋势,本文利用2009-2011年4个季节的实测数据,对NASA发布的MODIS/AQUA卫星月平均POC遥感产品,进行了验证和校正;并利用校正后的遥感数据分析了2003-2014年POC的时空分布特征和变化趋势。发现POC遥感产品与南海北部实测数据具有较好的线性关系（R2=0.72）,但存在系统性偏高,需利用实测数据对遥感数据进行区域性校正。分析校正后的遥感数据发现,南海北部陆架POC浓度较高,平均为（33.34±8.02）mg/m3;吕宋海峡西南海域浓度较低,平均为（29.25±6.20）mg/m3;中央海盆区浓度最低,平均为（27.02±4.84）mg/m3。春夏季POC浓度较低,最低值一般出现在5月,冬季（12月至翌年1月）POC浓度达到最高。利用2003-2014年的长时间序列遥感叶绿素（Chl a）和海表温度（SST）、混合层深度（MLD）模式数据,以及实测数据对南海北部POC浓度的影响机制进行了分析。发现POC与Chl a在秋冬呈现较好的相关关系（R2=0.51）,但在春夏季较离散,表明秋冬季生物作用对POC影响较大。2003-2014年期间,POC与Chl a、MLD及SST存在明显的年际变化,但并没有显著的上升或下降趋势。     

Geochemistry of the High Dam Lake sediments,south Egypt： implications for environmental significance

The goal of the present work is to perform a geochemical assessment of High Dam Lake bottom sediments for determining the fate, dispersion and levels of trace elements causing environmental pollution, and provided an access to their probable sources. The sediment samples were analyzed using ICP-MS for 20 elements; Ag, Ba, Cr, Cu, Ga, Hf, Mn, Pb, Rb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta Th Ti, T1, U, V and Zr, and their obtained data were treated using statistical, graphical and mapping techniques. The results showed the data set of all analyzed elements affected by outliers and extreme values that caused deviation away from normality. Kruskal-Wallis test revealed that median of some trace element levels in Lake sediments, was not significantly different and other elements rejected the Null hypothesis. Most analyzed elements had high values of median and mean in sediments of Lake Nubia rather than Lake Nasser and their normalization gave the same results of calculated environment factors. Subsequently, Lake Nubia sediments possessed high combined EF levels ofTh, Sc, Sn, Ag, Zr, Hf, Ta, Sr, U, Ti, V, Cr, and Mn, causing significant contamination, which was great potentially related to industrial, agricultural, urbanization and mining activities. Whereas, combined EF of Se, Cu, Ga, Pb, Ba, Rb, and Tl, which are highly elevated in southern Lake Nasser sediments owing to their source are great possibly derived from Lake Nubia and geogenic activities. With decreasing distance towards the High Dam body, the contaminant elements were diminished due to reduction in the environmental factors and Sudanese pollution sources leading to the northern Lake Nasser considered to be less contaminated. Overall, the present study is an environmental alert for contaminated sediments that carried contaminants and considered the secondary source of pollution impact on ecosystem, and subsequently, their environmental risk on Human health.     

Investigation of upper crust anisotropy in Ghaen-Birjand region, east-central Iran

IntroductionWhenpropagatingthroughananisotropicmedium,ashearwavesplitsintotwo(quasi)shearwaveswithdifferentpropagationspeedsandpolarizedorthogonally.Owingtotherecentdevel-opmentofseismicobservationsystem,detectionofshearwavessplittingwithverysmalldelaytimesbetweenfasterandslowershearwavesbecameavailableandprovidedpowerfulapproachfordetectionofcrustalanisotropy.Crampin(1978)emphasizedtheroleofalignedmicrocracksasacauseofcrustalanisotropyandpointedoutthatforverticallyalignedmicrocracksthedirecti…