UK small-scale fisheries:status, devolved responsibility and the challenge of sustainability

Coastal waters around the UK provide richly diverse fishing opportunities for small-scale enterprises that make up 79% of the active fishing fleet but account for only 11% of overall landing value. In terms of size, fishing activity and governance the small-scale sector exhibits marked regional variation. Fisheries administration is devolved to the four constituent ‘nations’ (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and the analysis pays particular attention to contrasting systems of devolved local governance for inshore/small-scale fisheries in England and Scotland. Sustainable futures for small-scale fisheries are under threat from internal and external pressures: social renewal faces uncertain recruitment; fishing activity confronts increasing competition for space from conservation, recreation and renewable energy interests; and traditional forms of adaptive behaviour are challenged by restrictive legislation. An ideal governance landscape for building resilience within the sector is posited on the integration and empowerment of local institutional networks

Older Workers and Occupational Identity in the Telecommunications Industry : Navigating Employment Transitions through the Life Course

The article examines the relationship between restructuring and work-based identity among older workers, exploring occupational identity, occupational community and their roles in navigating transitions in the life course. Based on working-life biographical interviews with late career and retired telecoms engineers, the article explores the role of occupational identity in dealing with change prior to and following the end of careers at BT, the UK’s national telecommunications provider. Restructuring and perpetual organizational change undermined key aspects of the engineering occupational identity, inspiring many to seek alternative employment outside BT. For older workers, some seeking bridge employment in the transition to retirement, the occupational community not only served as a mechanism for finding work but also provided a sustained collective identity resource. Distinctively, the research points to a dialectical relationship between occupational identity and the navigation of change as opposed to the former simply facilitating the latter.

Basic histological techniques for planarians

The chapter provides a concise account of collecting techniques, and basic histological techniques for investigating planarians, intended for use by practicing scientists and postgraduate students new to the field. Selected hands-on methods are described that will lead to well-stained preparations suitable for light microscopic examination for subsequent taxonomic identification or general investigations into planarian functional cytology and histology. Major equipment items that are minimal essential requirements of a functional histological laboratory are indicated. The chapter includes sectioning and staining troubleshooting guides that will be very helpful for those who must work in the laboratory without the opportunity to consult qualified and experienced technicians or microscopists