Changes to regulations and the gear used in the South African commercial fishery for Jasus lalandii

Alterations to the operational fishing gear used in the South African west coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii fishery and their resultant impacts are investigated. The most important developments have been: (i) a change during the 1960s from hand-hauled hoopnets to winch-hauled traps, with a concomitant modification of vessels; (ii) the introduction of deck-grid sorters in 1975; (iii) an increase during 1984 of minimum mesh aperture from 62 to 100 mm (stretched), with a concomitant decrease in the length of the trap codend; (iv) a decrease in the minimum legal size during the early1990s; and (v) the introduction of bottom-grid traps in 1994. Most of these alterations have been driven by a tradeoff between the need for greater operational efficiency and concerns surrounding the issue of how best to deal with the problem of catching and releasing specimens smaller than the minimum legal size.Keywords: fishing gear, fishing regulations, Jasus lalandii, rock lobsterAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2002, 24: 365–36

Trap selectivity and the effects of altering gear design in the South African rock lobster Jasus lalandii commercial fishery

The current trap fishery for the West Coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii in South African waters results in the capture, sorting and release of large numbers of undersized animals. Once removed from the water, they are vulnerable to damage from numerous sources. Even sub-lethal injury may result in a considerable reduction to individual productivity through decreased growth or reproductive potential. Given that the J. lalandii resource is heavily depleted, such wastage may have severe repercussions for the sustainability of the fishery. In an attempt to reduce these losses, 20% of the fishing gear used by the rock lobster industry has been modified to include grids designed to allow undersized rock lobsters (mainly females) to escape the traps before they are hauled. The efficiency of this gear (and two alternatives) was assessed by comparison with standard commercial gear over a range of fishing grounds. Results indicated that, in comparison to standard commercial traps, none of the alternative trap designs would be beneficial to the fishery in the long term, provided that overnight sets remain the most common fishing method. SELECT models were used to evaluate the fishing properties of commercial and bottom-grid traps relative to those of control (fine-mesh) traps. The results indicated that, given the choice, a rock lobster would preferentially enter a commercial trap, followed by a control trap, with bottom-grid traps being the least attractive. This suggests some level of saturation of control traps, a possibility that is of particular concern because the control trap design is used in a fishery-independent monitoring survey.Keywords: escape gaps, Jasus lalandii, rock lobster, SELECT models, trap selectivityAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2002, 24: 37–4

Congenital hip dysplasia treated by total hip arthroplasty using cementless tapered stem in patients younger than 50 years old: results after 12-years follow-up

Background Congenital hip dysplasia may lead to severe acetabular and femoral abnormalities that can make total hip arthroplasty a challenging procedure. We assessed a series of patients affected by developmental hip dysplasia treated with total hip arthroplasty using cementless tapered stem and here we report the outcomes at long-term follow-up. Materials and methods Twenty-eight patients (24 women and 4 men) aged between 44 and 50 years (mean 47 years) were observed. Clinical evaluation was rated with the Harris Hip Score. Radiographic evaluation consisted in standard anteroposterior and axial view radiographs of the hip. According to Crowe’s classification, 16 hips presented dysplasia grade 1, 14 grade 2, and 4 grade 3. All patients were treated with total hip arthroplasty using a cementless tapered stem (Wagner Cone Prosthesis). Six patients were operated bilaterally, with a totally of 34 hips operated. After surgery, the patients were clinically and radiographically checked at 3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter until an average follow-up of 12 years (range 10–14 years). Results Average Harris Hip Score was 56 ± 9 (range 45–69) preoperatively, 90 ± 9 (range 81–100) 12 months after surgery, and 91 ± 8 (range 83–100) at last follow-up. Radiographic evaluation demonstrated excellent osteointegration of the implants. Signs of bone resorption were present in 6 hips, nevertheless no evidence of loosening was observed and none of the implants has been revised. Conclusions Even in dysplasic femur, the tapered stem allowed adequate stability and orientation of the implant. We consider tapered stem a suitable option for total hip arthroplasty in developmental hip dysplasia, also in case of young patients, thanks to the favourable long-term results

A note on reduced rock lobster growth rates and related environmental anomalies in the southern Benguela, 1988-1995

A series of environmental perturbations in the southern Benguela upwelling system off the Cape west coast as had dramatic effects on the productivity of the rock lobster Jasus lalandii, a keystone predator of the nearshore ecosystem. Reduced lobster growth rates adversely affected annual recruitment to the legal size range, and Total Allowable Catches were drastically reduced during the early 1990s. The widespread nature ofthe reduction in lobster growth rates indicate a large-scale environmental perturbation. Productivity changes in the southern Benguela, associated with the anomalous El Niño years of 1990-1993, are believed to be the maincause of the phenomenon

Determination of moulting events in rock lobsters from pleopod clipping

Rock lobster growth is routinely measured for research to optimise management measures such as size limits and quotas. The process of estimating growth is complicated in crustaceans as growth only occurs when the animal moults. As data are typically collected by tag-recapture methods, the timing of moulting events can bias results. For example, if annual moulting events take place within a very short time-at-large after tagging, or if time-at-large is long and no moulting occurs. Classifying data into cases where moulting has / has not occurred during time-at-large can be required and can generally be determined by change in size between release and recapture. However, in old or slow growth individuals the moult increment can be too small to provide surety that moulting has occurred. A method that has been used since the 1970's to determine moulting in rock lobsters involves clipping the distal portion of a pleopod so that any regeneration observed at recapture can be used as evidence of a moult. We examined the use of this method in both tank and long-duration field trials within a marine protected area, which provided access to large animals with smaller growth increments. Our results emphasised that determination of moulting by change in size was unreliable with larger lobsters and that pleopod clipping can assist in identifying moulting events. However, regeneration was an unreliable measure of moulting if clipping occurred less than three months before the moult

Phytoplankton community structure and primary production in small intertidal estuarine-bay ecosystem (eastern English channel, France).

FR2116International audienceFrom May 2002 to October 2003, a fortnightly sampling programme was conducted in a restricted macrotidal ecosystem in the English Channel, the Baie des Veys (France). Three sets of data were obtained: (1) physico-chemical parameters, (2) phytoplankton community structure illustrated by species composition, biovolume and diversity, and (3) primary production and photosynthetic parameters via P versus E curves. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal variations of primary production and photosynthetic parameters in this bay and to highlight the potential links with phytoplankton community structure. The highest level of daily depth-integrated primary production Pz (0.02–1.43 g C m–2 d–1) and the highest maximum photosynthetic rate PB max (0.39– 8.48 mg C mg chl a–1 h–1) and maximum light utilization coefficient aB [0.002–0.119 mg C mg chl a–1 h–1(lmol photons m–2 s–1)] were measured from July to September. Species succession was determined based on biomass data obtained from cell density and biovolume measurements. The bay was dominated by 11 diatoms throughout the year. However, a Phaeocystis globosa bloom (up to 25 mg chl a m–3, 2.5 · 106 cells l–1) was observed each year during the spring diatom bloom, but timing and intensity varied interannually. Annual variation of primary production was due to nutrient limitation, light climate and water temperature. The seasonal pattern of microalgal succession, with regular changes in composition, biovolume and diversity, influenced the physico-chemical and biological characteristics of the environment (especially nutrient stocks in the bay) and thus primary production. Consequently, investigation of phytoplankton community structure is important for developing the understanding of ecosystem functioning, as it plays a major role in the dynamics of primary production