Why do fishermen discard? Distribution and quantification of the causes of discards in the Southern Bay of Biscay passive gear fisheries

In the context of the Common Fisheries Policy reform, the need for decreasing discards has been highlighted in discussions on the implementation of a discard ban. While most of the research has focused on the quantification of discards by species and métier, identification and quantification of the causes of discards have received little attention. This study presents the results of on-board surveys conducted in the Southern Bay of Biscay fleets of netters and longliners. A large variability of discards was observed. It is also shown that in these passive gear fisheries the main reasons for discarding put forward by fishermen are, firstly, market-related and, secondly, quality-related; discards related to the application of regulations are minor. The results therefore illustrate that decisions to discard can also occur in highly selective fisheries because of economic constraint and the results also show that a part is discarded alive.     

Biogeochemical patterns in the Atlantic Inflow through the Strait of Gibraltar

The effects of tidal forcing on the biogeochemical patterns of surface water masses flowing through the Strait of Gibraltar are studied by monitoring the Atlantic Inflow (AI) during both spring and neap tides. Three main phenomena are defined depending on the strength of the outflowing phase predicted over the Camarinal Sill: non-wave events (a very frequent phenomenon during the whole year); type I Internal wave events (a very energetic event, occurring during spring tides); and type II Internal wave events (less intense, occurring during neap tides).During neap tides, a non-wave event comprising oligotrophic open-ocean water from the Gulf of Cádiz is the most frequent and clearly dominant flow through the Strait. In this tidal condition, the inflow of North Atlantic Central Water (NACW) provides the main nutrient input to the surface layer of the Alboran Sea, supplying almost 70% of total annual nitrate transport to the Mediterranean basin. A low percentage of active and large phytoplankton cells and low average concentrations of chlorophyll (0.3–0.4 mg m⁻³) are found in this tidal phase. Around 50% of total annual phytoplankton biomass transport into the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait presents these oligotrophic characteristics.In contrast, during spring tides, patches of water with high chlorophyll levels (0.7–1 mg m⁻³) arrive intermittently, and these are recorded concurrently with the passage of internal waves coming from the Camarinal Sill (type I internal wave events). When large internal waves are arrested over the Camarinal Sill this implies strong interfacial mixing and the probable concurrent injection of coastal waters into the main channel of the Strait. These processes result in a mixed water column in the AI and can account for around 30% of total annual nitrate transport into the Mediterranean basin. Associated with type I internal wave events there is a regular inflow of large and active phytoplankton cells, transported in waters with relatively high nutrient concentrations, which constitutes a significant supply of planktonic resources to the pelagic ecosystem of the Alboran Sea (almost 30% of total annual phytoplankton biomass transport).     

天津滨海新区的生态环境特征及其对区域经济发展的影响

在天津滨海新区建设过程与发展中,面临着沉积软土地基不稳定、土壤盐碱化和重金属污染、滨海湿地植被退化、近海海水污染和渔业资源衰退等生态环境问题。这些生态环境问题对滨海新区基础设施建设及海洋产业的发展有显著影响,制约着滨海新区经济、特别是海洋经济的持续健康发展。作者提出了采用加筋垫层对沉积软土地基浅层进行处理、提高地基承载力和稳定性、治理土壤重金属污染与盐碱化、保护湿地、治理近海海水污染、保护与恢复近海渔业资源等改善天津滨海新区生态环境的对策。     

Warming and depth convergence of the Arctic Intermediate Water in the Canada Basin during 1985-2006

The warming of the Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW) is studied based on the analyses of hydrographic observations in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean during 1985-2006. It is shown that how the anomalously warm AIW spreads in the Canada Basin during the observation time through the analysis of the AIW temperature spatial distribution in different periods. The results indicate that by 2006, the entire Canada Basin has almost been covered by the warming AIW. In order to study interannual variability of the AIW in the Canada Basin, the Canada Basin is divided into five regions according to the bottom topography. From the interannual variation of AIW temperature in each region, it is shown that a cooling period follows after the warming event in upstream regions. At the Chukchi Abyssal Plain and Chukchi Plateau, upstream of the Arctic Circumpolar Boundary Current (ACBC) in the Canada Basin, the AIW temperature reached maximum and then started to fall respectively in 2000 and 2002. However, the AIW in the Canada Abyssal Plain and Beaufort Sea continues to warm monotonically until the year 2006. Furthermore, it is revealed that there is convergence of the AIW depth in the five different regions of the Canada Basin when the AIW warming occurs during observation time. The difference of AIW depth between the five regions of the Canada Basin is getting smaller and smaller, all approaching 410 m in recent years. The results show that depth convergence is related to the variation of AIW potential density in the Canada Basin.     

河北沿岸微微型浮游植物的分布特征

于2006年7月～ 2007年10月间,分4个季度调查了河北省沿岸微微型浮游植物的丰度和生物量及对浮游植物总生物量的贡献.结果显示:河北近岸海域聚球藻蓝细菌丰度为4.46×103个/mL(0.79×103～ 16.19×103个/mL),生物量(以碳计,下同)为1.31 mg/m3 (0.84～17.47 mg/m3),季节分布特征为秋季＞冬季＞夏季＞春季.微微型光合真核生物丰度为4.43×102个/mL (0.84×102～ 17.47×102个/mL),生物量为1.11mg /m3 (0.21～ 4.37 mg/m3),季节变化变现为秋季＞冬季＞春季＞夏季.微微型浮游植物对浮游植物总生物量的贡献年平均为5.32％(1.84％～ 8.91％),春季最高,秋季最低.温度在较冷季节(冬春季)里是影响聚球藻蓝细菌生长和分布的控制因素.总之,在近岸环境里,微微型浮游植物并不占优势.     

基于QuikSCAT卫星遥感风场的台风最大风速半径反演及个例分析

建立了一种卫星遥感风场的最大风速半径(Rmax )反演方法.该方法基于 QuikSCAT 风场,结合 JTWC 台风参数资料,将遥感平均风剖面与 Holland 台风模型进行最小二乘法拟合来反演 Rmax.2001-2009年13个台风69幅数据反演结果统计分析表明:用气压表征台风强度的 P 算法遥感反演结果与 JTWC 分析结果的标准差为10.7 km,效果较好.此外,通过0513、0519和0221 3个典型台风过程的 Rmax 演变情况分析表明:对于对称性结构较好的成熟台风,反演结果能较好地反映出不同台风的 Rmax 尺寸差别,台风过程中 Rmax 的演变情况符合台风发展情况;台风风场对称性差、地形以及背景流场的影响,是导致 Rmax 反演出现较大偏差主要因素.     

Are Speed Restriction Zones an effective management tool for minimising impacts of boats on dolphins in an Australian marine park?

The small, genetically distinct population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Port Stephens, New South Wales (NSW), is the target of the largest dolphin-watching industry in Australia and falls within the recently created Port Stephens—Great Lakes Marine Park. The effectiveness of Speed Restriction Zones (SRZs) as a management tool in this area was investigated during their second year of implementation by comparing dolphin usage and behaviour to adjacent Control Zones (CZs) of similar habitat. For this purpose, boat-based surveys and focal follows of dolphin groups were carried out in the zones between August 2008 and August 2009. Results showed that SRZs were more intensely used by dolphin-watching boats in summer. There was no change in dolphins’ behaviour and group structure in the presence of dolphin-watching boats in SRZs when compared to dolphin groups within CZs in any season. Dolphin groups including calves used SRZs less during summer. The latter may indicate a shift in area utilisation for those groups during intense boat traffic by dolphin-watching operators. CZs were more important than SRZs as foraging grounds for dolphins in summer. This indicates that SRZs as specified are not effective at minimising boating impacts and that the location of these zones should in time be revised. This is important information for management of dolphin-watching within this marine park and an example of adaptive management in progress. Moreover these results are relevant for conservation of dolphins and the management of dolphin-watching industries elsewhere, particularly new industries, where management strategies may incorporate marine protected areas including zoning plans.     

A software tool for monitoring legal minimum length of landings: Case study of a fishery in southern Spain

The regulation of minimum legal size (MLS) of catches is a tool widely applied in the management of fisheries resources, although the MLS does not always coincide with the length at first maturity (LFM). The optimization of this management tool requires a series of quality control in fish markets and transportation. A software application has been developed to make the control of the landings of several target species easier and faster. In order to test and make this tool operational, six species of commercial interest were selected: four species of fish and two species of bivalves. It is proposed to estimate the proportion of illegal specimens in the studied lot from the proportion of illegal individuals found in the samples taken from this lot. The input data for the application are the minimum legal size (MLS) of the species and the total length (TL) of each specimen sampled. The output data is a statistical summary of the percentage of specimens of size less than the legal minimum (TL≤MLS) within different confidence intervals (90%, 95% and 99%). The software developed will serve as a fast, efficient and easy to manage tool that allows inspectors to determine the degree of compliance on MLS control and to make a decision supported by statistical proof on fishing goods.     

Field Study on the Behavior of Destructive and Non-Destructive Piles Under Compression

This paper presents a series of full-scale load tests on long bored piles instrumented with strain gauges along the shafts, including eight field tests of piles loaded to failure and one non-destructive pile load test. The load-displacement response, skin friction, end resistance, and the threshold of the pile-soil relative displacement for fully mobilizing skin resistance were discussed. A simple softening model was proposed to describe the degradation behavior of the skin friction along the pile-soil interface and the load-displacement relationship developed at the pile base. It is found that the shaft resistance degradation investigated in the non-destructive load test only occurs at a shallow depth, and the skin friction of deeper soil is not fully developed. However, unlike the results of the non-destructive load tests, the softening is accompanied by a reduction in skin friction and observed to be along the whole pile depth. The thresholds of pile-soil relative displacement for fully mobilizing skin resistances in different soils have been found to be in the range 0.6% to 2.4% of the pile diameter. Moreover, in practical applications, a bilinear model is assumed to be feasible in analyzing the load-settlement relationship developed at the end of non-destructive pile, whereas the load transmission curve of the soils below the pile base corresponds to a softening model in the field tests of piles loaded to failure.