An Assessment of the Potential for Mapping Fishing Zones off the Coast of Ghana using Ocean Forecast Data and Vessel Movement

This research assessed the feasibility of mapping potential fishing grounds off the coast of Ghana using vessel trajectories and speeds as proxies for identifying migration patterns and fishing behaviour of inshore trawling vessels. The methods involved the extraction of data from Satellite Automatic Identification System comprising position and speed of the vessel from exactEarth Shipview. Daily oceanographic parameters i.e. sea surface temperature, sea surface height, sea surface salinity, and the current velocity between August 2015- January2016 were obtained from Copernicus (www.marine.copernius.eu). Speed ranges and trajectories indicate that, the vessels steamed between 6.9 to 7.5 knots and fish aggregation mostly occurred closer to the shore predicated on favourable environmental ocean conditions. It was observed that the vessel depicted steaming behaviour in this study, characteristic of a recreational vessel with high speed, moving in straight paths rather than a trawling vessel whose movement occurs in slower and erratic trajectory patterns. The findings strongly suggest that the fishermen operating this trawl vessel have good knowledge of productive fishing grounds. The months with highest probability of catch aggregation were from October 2015 to December 2015, within the geographical locations oflongitude -4o 2 ʹ E and latitude 3.5o 6 ʹ N. The highest probability of catch aggregation was observed in October 2015, probably due to upwelling that occurred during that month. It is concluded that, fishing efficiency of inshore trawling vessels in Ghana could be enhanced with maps indicative of probability of fish aggregation in the ocean

Local Indicator-Based Flood Vulnerability Indices and Predictors of Relocation in the Ketu South Municipal Area of Ghana

Certain communities along the coast of Ketu South Municipality in south-eastern Ghana, remain vulnerable to coastal flood events from storm surges, high tidal waves, lagoon overflow, and heavy rainfall. However, the local conditions that make these communities vulnerable are poorly understood and knowledge on which communities are most vulnerable is lacking. This study improves the conceptual understanding of different dimensions of vulnerability that exist across the communities and the various levels of vulnerability that each exposed community exhibits. The study surveyed 354 household heads from selected flood-prone communities including Blekusu, Agavedzi, Salakope, Amutsinu, and Adina. The survey collected data on demographic, social, economic, physical, exposure, and adaptive capacity to flood hazards. The data was then used to construct composite vulnerability indices at community levels. Results from the study demonstrate that the communities have different levels of vulnerability as a result of differences in their exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity levels. The willingness to relocate as an adaptation strategy was determined by household flood duration, number of livelihoods, and sea defence preference. These results are relevant to flood disaster management programs and the adoption of effective adaptation measures that take into account local knowledge. The findings imply that interventions aimed at reducing vulnerability should take into account household characteristics, as well as flood exposure, and adaptive capacity factors

Adherens junction length during tissue contraction is controlled by the mechanosensitive activity of actomyosin and junctional recycling

During epithelial contraction, cells generate forces to constrict their surface and, concurrently, fine-tune the length of their adherens junctions to ensure force transmission. While many studies have focused on understanding force generation, little is known on how junctional length is controlled. Here, we show that, during amnioserosa contraction in Drosophila dorsal closure, adherens junctions reduce their length in coordination with the shrinkage of apical cell area, maintaining a nearly constant junctional straightness. We reveal that junctional straightness and integrity depend on the endocytic machinery and on the mechanosensitive activity of the actomyosin cytoskeleton. On one hand, upon junctional stretch and decrease in E-cadherin density, actomyosin relocalizes from the medial area to the junctions, thus maintaining junctional integrity. On the other hand, when junctions have excess material and ruffles, junction removal is enhanced, and high junctional straightness and tension are restored. These two mechanisms control junctional length and integrity during morphogenesis.The research leading to the results has received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MEIC) to the EMBL partnership and Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa and to the Plan Nacional, BFU2010-16546 and BFU2015-68754

Local Indicator-Based Flood Vulnerability Indices and Predictors of Relocation in the Ketu South Municipal Area of Ghana

Certain communities along the coast of Ketu South Municipality in south-eastern Ghana, remain vulnerable to coastal flood events from storm surges, high tidal waves, lagoon overflow, and heavy rainfall. However, the local conditions that make these communities vulnerable are poorly understood and knowledge on which communities are most vulnerable is lacking. This study improves the conceptual understanding of different dimensions of vulnerability that exist across the communities and the various levels of vulnerability that each exposed community exhibits. The study surveyed 354 household heads from selected flood-prone communities including Blekusu, Agavedzi, Salakope, Amutsinu, and Adina. The survey collected data on demographic, social, economic, physical, exposure, and adaptive capacity to flood hazards. The data was then used to construct composite vulnerability indices at community levels. Results from the study demonstrate that the communities have different levels of vulnerability as a result of differences in their exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity levels. The willingness to relocate as an adaptation strategy was determined by household flood duration, number of livelihoods, and sea defence preference. These results are relevant to flood disaster management programs and the adoption of effective adaptation measures that take into account local knowledge. The findings imply that interventions aimed at reducing vulnerability should take into account household characteristics, as well as flood exposure, and adaptive capacity factors