Coral recruitment onto an experimental pulverised fuel ash-concrete artificial reef

An experimental artificial reef was deployed in December 1993 at Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, Hong Kong. This is the first study documenting natural scleractinian coral recruitment onto a stabilised pulverised fuel ash (PFA)-concrete artificial reef. Visible recruits were first recorded 9-10 months after the placement of reef blocks, i.e., in the autumn of 1994. Two scleractinians, Oulastrea crispata and Culicia japonica, were recruited. The recruit density of the former was much greater than the latter. The spatial recruitment pattern of the corals was observed to be affected by the orientation of the attaching surface. O. crispata settled predominantly on the undersides of the reef blocks. There was an edge effect on O. crispata recruitment. C. japonica, however, had a preference for exposed surfaces. O. crispata did not show a preference for block composition whereas C. japonica favoured blocks with high (75% by volume) PFA levels. This shows that PFA-concrete is a potential substratum for artificial reef construction, especially when such reefs aim at rehabilitating corals.     

Achieving a paradigm shift in environmental and living resources management in the Gulf of Guinea: the large marine ecosystem approach

The Gulf of Guinea is situated in the narrow protrusion of eastern Equatorial Atlantic between latitudes 2 degrees S and 5 degrees N and longitudes 8 degrees W to 12 degrees E, spanning a coastline length of approximately 130 nautical miles. The dominant feature of this shallow ocean off the coast of countries in Western Africa is the Guinea Current. The distinctive bathymetry, hydrography, productivity and trophodynamics of this shallow ocean qualify it as a large marine ecosystem (LME) and is indeed recognized as the number 28 of the 64 delineated LMEs globally. This area is one of the world's productive marine areas that is rich in fishery resources, oil and gas reserves, precious minerals and an important global reservoir of marine biological diversity. Unfortunately, pollution from residential and industrial sources has affected the waters of the Gulf of Guinea resulting in habitat degradation, loss of biological diversity and productivity, and degenerating human health. In reversing this trend of marine environmental degradation, the countries of the region adopted an integrated and holistic approach using the LME concept to sustainably manage the environmental and living resources of the region. The concept is predicated on the fact that marine environmental pollution and living resources respect no political or geographical boundaries and so require a holistic and regional approach for its management. The Gulf of Guinea countries through the Global Environment facility funded regional/communal project on water pollution control and biodiversity conservation achieved a paradigm shift in living resources and environmental management in the region using the LME concept.     

Measurements of biomarker levels in flounder (Platichthys flesus) and blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus) from the Gulf of Gdańsk (southern Baltic)

In the framework of the EU funded BEEP project a set of biomarkers, gross morphometric indices and tissue concentrations of selected organic pollutants were measured in flounder (Platichthys flesus) and mussels (Mytilus trossulus) collected twice a year (April and October) from three sites in the inner Gulf of Gdańsk between autumn 2001 and spring 2003. In flounder, seasonal differences in most biomarkers were observed, but no correlations with tissue pollutant levels could be found. In mussels, highly variable levels in biomarker responses were seen, but no clear seasonal or spatial trends, directly related to tissue concentrations, could be established. The observed biomarkers distribution the study sites are probably mostly caused by interannual, seasonal and individual variability and, in case of flounder, possibly by exchange of stocks between the sampling sites.