Use of Continuous Plankton Recorder information in support of marine management: applications in fisheries, environmental protection, and in the study of ecosystem response to environmental change

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey was conceived from the outset as a programme of applied research designed to assist the fishing industry. Its survival and continuing vigour after 70 years is a testament to its utility, which has been achieved in spite of great changes in our understanding of the marine environment and in our concerns over how to manage it. The CPR has been superseded in several respects by other technologies, such as acoustics and remote sensing, but it continues to provide unrivalled seasonal and geographic information about a wide range of zooplankton and phytoplankton taxa. The value of this coverage increases with time and provides the basis for placing recent observations into the context of long-term, large-scale variability and thus suggesting what the causes are likely to be. Information from the CPR is used extensively in judging environmental impacts and producing quality status reports (QSR); it has shown the distributions of fish stocks, which had not previously been exploited; it has pointed to the extent of ungrazed phytoplankton production in the North Atlantic, which was a vital element in establishing the importance of carbon sequestration by phytoplankton.The CPR continues to be the principal source of large-scale, long-term information about the plankton ecosystem of the North Atlantic. It has recently provided extensive information about the biodiversity of the plankton and about the distribution of introduced species. It serves as a valuable example for the design of future monitoring of the marine environment and it has been essential to the design and implementation of most North Atlantic plankton research.     

Industry participation in stock assessment: the New Zealand SNA1 snapper (Pagrus auratus) fishery

We describe industry funded contributions to the assessment of the SNA1 snapper (Pagrus auratus) fishery during the 1990s and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of industry funded research. We also provide background on the history of fisheries management in New Zealand, on the current assessment and management processes, and on the SNA1 snapper fishery. In the SNA1 fishery, the contributions of industry and the cooperation with Government scientists has resulted in high quality assessments. In our opinion, the advantages of industry funded research out weigh the disadvantages and suggest that industry funded assessments are highly desirable and should be an integral part of any management system.     

French marine technology policy : Industrializing ocean depths

This paper outlines the structure of the institutions involved in scientific and technological development in France. It points to new trends in French marine policy, and gives details of the country's offshore petroleum technology and nodule mining.     

南四湖湖内浅槽工程施工对水环境的影响及控制措施

南四湖湖内工程是沂沭泗河洪水东调南下续建工程的单项工程,工程区位于山东省省级自然保护区内;挖泥船施工将对湖内水环境产生一定影响。本文从排泥场回水污染物、生产废水和生活污水三个方面阐述了工程施工对水环境的影响程度,并且提出了相应的控制措施。     

Stability of Temperature and Conductivity Sensors of Argo Profiling Floats

After recalibration of the temperature and conductivity sensors of three Argo profiling floats recovered after operations for four to nine months, the results indicate that the floats basically showed no significant drift, either in temperature or salinity, and adequately fulfilled the accuracy requirement of the Argo project (0.005°C for temperature and 0.01 psu for salinity). Only the third float showed a significant offset in salinity of about −0.02 psu, as expected from comparison between the float data and the shipboard conductivity-temperature-depth data. This offset was caused by the operational error of the PROVOR-type float, in which the surface water was pumped immediately after the launch, fouling the conductivity sensor cell. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A brief catalogue of failures: Framing evaluation and learning in fisheries resource management

We propose a framework for enabling a systematic evaluation of a fisheries resource management system, which we define as a feed-back mechanism coupled to a fishery. The resource management system includes four basic functions: diagnostics, intervention, goal setting, and decision making. This model allows for the development of an evaluation framework for fisheries resource management by facilitating a typology of failures. We suggest that the potential for systemic and interdisciplinary learning will be significantly enhanced through the process of developing such a framework.     

Sea Grant in Latin America?: Adapting the US Sea Grant model of linked applied research,extension, and education to a Latin American Context—Is there a fit?

This paper explores the application of the US Sea Grant model of applied research, extension, and education to two case studies in Latin America: Coastal Ecuador and the Gulf of Fonseca. The analysis is based on a series of meetings and roundtables with in-country partners and leaders of the US Sea Grant program. We conclude that the Sea Grant model provides an institutional structure that Latin America lacks and the model's features would improve governance of marine and coastal resources through more effective linkages between coastal communities, universities, and policy/decision makers at local, national, and international levels.