Financial value-chain analysis : tuna, shrimp, soy and beef

This study is a detailed analysis of which parts of the tuna, shrimp, soy and beef supply chains are most open to constructive engagement through financial vehicles and mechanisms. The study indentifies the largest market shares in the various supply chains. For the retail sector, the objective was to analyse the openness of the retail sector to financial influence taking into account the latest sector trends

Rare but Not Gone: A Relict Population of the Black Sea Ship Sturgeon <i>Acipenser nudiventris</i> Persists in the Rioni River, Georgia

Historically, the ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris) occurred in the Aral, Caspian, Azov, and Black Sea basins. However, its numbers decreased dramatically during the 20th century. It is now considered extirpated from the Aral, Azov, and Black Seas, and has almost disappeared in the Caspian Sea. A. nudiventris is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and, in Georgia, the species has been undetected for the last three decades. We collected 22 sightings, including nine genetic samples taken from fin clips of ship sturgeon from the Rioni River in Georgia during 2020–2022. For the genetic samples, the mitochondrial DNA control region was used for species identification. Because cases of sturgeon inter-species hybridization have been reported in the Rioni River, we used species-specific diagnostic markers and ship sturgeon-specific microsatellite markers for detecting hybridization with other sturgeon species. In addition, we used a sex-specific marker for sex identification. Based on the maternal identification, all nine individuals are identified as ship sturgeon, representing one haplotype, and the haplotype is different from all other A. nudiventris haplotypes available in GenBank. Based on genetic analysis, the specimens did not show signs of hybridization with other locally occurring species. We conclude that ship sturgeon still live in the Rioni River, and are a remnant of an older, preexisting Black Sea ship sturgeon population

Rare but Not Gone: A Relict Population of the Black Sea Ship Sturgeon Acipenser nudiventris Persists in the Rioni River, Georgia

Historically, the ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris) occurred in the Aral, Caspian, Azov, and Black Sea basins. However, its numbers decreased dramatically during the 20th century. It is now considered extirpated from the Aral, Azov, and Black Seas, and has almost disappeared in the Caspian Sea. A. nudiventris is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and, in Georgia, the species has been undetected for the last three decades. We collected 22 sightings, including nine genetic samples taken from fin clips of ship sturgeon from the Rioni River in Georgia during 2020&ndash;2022. For the genetic samples, the mitochondrial DNA control region was used for species identification. Because cases of sturgeon inter-species hybridization have been reported in the Rioni River, we used species-specific diagnostic markers and ship sturgeon-specific microsatellite markers for detecting hybridization with other sturgeon species. In addition, we used a sex-specific marker for sex identification. Based on the maternal identification, all nine individuals are identified as ship sturgeon, representing one haplotype, and the haplotype is different from all other A. nudiventris haplotypes available in GenBank. Based on genetic analysis, the specimens did not show signs of hybridization with other locally occurring species. We conclude that ship sturgeon still live in the Rioni River, and are a remnant of an older, preexisting Black Sea ship sturgeon population

Decades of Global Sturgeon Conservation Efforts Are Threatened by an Expanding Captive Culture Industry

After centuries of overexploitation and habitat loss, many of the world's sturgeon (Acipenseridae) populations are at the brink of extinction. Although significant resources are invested into the conservation and restoration of imperiled sturgeons, the burgeoning commercial culture industry poses an imminent threat to the persistence of many populations. In the past decade, the number and distribution of captive sturgeon facilities has grown exponentially and now encompasses diverse interest groups ranging from hobby aquarists to industrial-scale commercial facilities. Expansion of sturgeon captive culture has largely fallen outside the purview of existing regulatory frameworks, raising concerns that continued growth of this industry has real potential to jeopardize conservation of global sturgeon populations. Here, we highlight some of the most significant threats commercial culture poses to wild populations, with particular emphasis on how releases can accelerate wild population declines through mechanisms such as hybridization, introgression, competition, and disease transmission. We also note that in some circumstances, commercial captive culture has continued to motivate harvest of wild populations, potentially accelerating species' declines. Given the prevalence and trajectory of sturgeon captive culture programs, we comment on modifications to regulatory frameworks that could improve the ability of captive culture to support wild sturgeon conservation

Upregulation of skeletal muscle inflammatory genes links inflammation with insulin resistance in women with the metabolic syndrome

Contains fulltext : 119217.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)The metabolic syndrome, a combination of interrelated metabolic risk factors, is associated with insulin resistance and promotes the development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. There is a close link between inflammation and metabolic disease, but the responsible mechanisms remain elusive. The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed genes in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle tissue of women with the metabolic syndrome compared with healthy control women. Women with the metabolic syndrome (n = 19) and healthy control women (n = 20) were extensively phenotyped, insulin sensitivity was measured using a hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp, and a skeletal muscle biopsy was obtained. Gene expression levels were compared between the two groups by microarrays. The upregulated genes in skeletal muscle of the women with the metabolic syndrome were primarily enriched for inflammatory response-associated genes. The three most significantly upregulated of this group, interleukin 6 receptor (IL6R), histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) and CD97 molecule (CD97), were significantly correlated with insulin resistance. Taken together, these findings suggest an important role for a number of inflammatory-related genes in the development of skeletal muscle insulin resistance