National Marine Debris Management Strategy to conserve marine ecosystems

Marine debris which is defined as any persistent,manufactured or processed solid material discarded,disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastalenvironment is one of the most pervasive, yetpotentially solvable, pollution affecting the world’soceans, coastal ecosystems and rivers. Whereasimpacts of most anthropogenic activities are usuallyfound near the point source, marine debris has beenfound to impact even distant locations, oftenaffecting uninhabited areas also. According toUnited Nations Joint Group of Experts on theScientific Aspects of Marine EnvironmentalProtection (GESAMP), 60 to 80%, of the global litterfound in the coastal and marine ecosystems hasoriginated from land and only the rest from seabased activities. The slow degradable nature ofmarine litter and the potential to pollute all spheresof oceans irrespective of point source has raisedthe alarm bells

National Marine Debris Management Strategy to conserve marine ecosystems

Marine debris which is defined as any persistent,manufactured or processed solid material discarded,disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastalenvironment is one of the most pervasive, yetpotentially solvable, pollution affecting the world’soceans, coastal ecosystems and rivers. Whereasimpacts of most anthropogenic activities are usuallyfound near the point source, marine debris has beenfound to impact even distant locations, oftenaffecting uninhabited areas also. According toUnited Nations Joint Group of Experts on theScientific Aspects of Marine EnvironmentalProtection (GESAMP), 60 to 80%, of the global litterfound in the coastal and marine ecosystems hasoriginated from land and only the rest from seabased activities. The slow degradable nature ofmarine litter and the potential to pollute all spheresof oceans irrespective of point source has raisedthe alarm bells

Overfishing and Climate Drives Changes in Biology and Recruitment of the Indian Oil Sardine Sardinella longiceps in Southeastern Arabian Sea

The recent fluctuations in abundance of the Indian oil sardine Sardinella longiceps, a tropical small pelagic clupeid fish, was investigated in the light of overfishing and variations in its habitat ecology in southeastern Arabian Sea. In 2012, its landings peaked to an all-time record making it the fifth largest sardine fishery in the world, and within 3 years the catches were reduced to nearly a tenth of that level. This study examined the fishery dependant factors such as effort, catch rates and expansion of fishing area; the biological variations in fish size, maturity and recruitment; and tried to relate this to the environmental variations in the sardine habitat and food availability. The 2012 mega harvest was a result of a 2-time increase in gear size and engine capacity of fishing crafts and a 3.7-time increase in fishing effort. The female maturation process was strongly influenced primarily by rainfall and then by upwelling and the resulting influx of cold nutrient-rich water in the habitat from April much before the start of the monsoon in June. After 2013, the weak monsoons and the 2015 El Nino Southern Oscillation resulted in a warmer (by an average of 1.1°C) period which negatively impacted the maturation process. The abundance of jellyfishes which are larval and young fish predators in the habitat negatively affected recruitment after 2013. The mismatch in timing of phytoplankton productivity and sardine larvae in the habitat also affected the recruitment success. These environmental divergences coupled with the excessive capture (beyond maximum sustainable yields) of spawning stock and juveniles from 2010 has resulted in this biological catastrophe which has affected the livelihood of thousands of small-scale fishers. A more responsive fisheries administration with timely restriction on fishing effort and protection of spawning stocks by way of fishery closure would have helped minimize the impacts

Impact of Endophytic Microorganisms on Plants, Environment and Humans

Endophytes are microorganisms (bacteria or fungi or actinomycetes) that dwell within robust plant tissues by having a symbiotic association. They are ubiquitously associated with almost all plants studied till date. Some commonly found endophytes are those belonging to the genera Enterobacter sp., Colletotrichum sp., Phomopsis sp., Phyllosticta sp., Cladosporium sp., and so forth. Endophytic population is greatly affected by climatic conditions and location where the host plant grows. They produce a wide range of compounds useful for plants for their growth, protection to environmental conditions, and sustainability, in favour of a good dwelling place within the hosts. They protect plants from herbivory by producing certain compounds which will prevent animals from further grazing on the same plant and sometimes act as biocontrol agents. A large amount of bioactive compounds produced by them not only are useful for plants but also are of economical importance to humans. They serve as antibiotics, drugs or medicines, or the compounds of high relevance in research or as compounds useful to food industry. They are also found to have some important role in nutrient cycling, biodegradation, and bioremediation. In this review, we have tried to comprehend different roles of endophytes in plants and their significance and impacts on man and environment

Vitamin E prevents deleterious effects of di (2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate, a plasticizer used in PVC blood storage bags

871-875Vitamin E administration prevented DEHP induced deleterious effects like (i) degenerative changes in the brain and thyroid, (ii) decrease in the activity of neuronal membrane Na+- K+ ATPase, (iii) decrease in the concentration of insulin, cortisol and TSH, and (iv) the increase in T3 and T4 in female Albino rats. The results suggest use of vitamin E to prevent harmful effects of repeated transfusion of DEHP containing blood as in thalassemia patient. The possibility of using vitamin E to prevent the harmful effects of repeated transfusion of DEHP containing blood, as in thalassemia patients, is discussed

‘Drought in the sea’ - Sardine habitat changes in the Southeastern Arabian Sea - Reasons and consequences

‘Drought in the sea’ - Sardine habitat changes in the Southeastern Arabian Sea - Reasons and consequence