Evaluation of status of commercial fish stocks in European marine subareas using mean trophic levels of fish landings and spawning stock biomass

Most of the fish stocks in the world, including European fish stocks, are threatened by overfishing and/or degraded environmental conditions. Although the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the main policy instrument managing fish stocks in Europe, there is continued concern as to whether commercial fish stocks will achieve Good Environmental Status (GEnS) in 2020 in accordance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). In this context, the evaluation of the status of fish stocks in the subareas of FAO fishing area 27 was carried out using mean trophic levels (MTL) in fish landings and spawning stock biomass (SSB). Comparisons were made before and after 2008 to establish whether the trend is positive or negative. The main data sources for landings and SSB were the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advisory reports. MTLs in landing and SSB were determined for each subarea and the subareas were categorized into four groups, according to MTLs after 2008. The first group (subareas I + II, V) had higher MTL in landings and higher MTL in SSB after 2008. Therefore, fisheries in these subareas appear sustainable. The second group was subareas VIII + IX, for which the fish stocks have higher MTL in landings but low MTL in SSB, indicating that SSB was being overfished. The third was subarea (VI), where fish stocks have lower MTL in landings than those in SSB after 2008, which may indicate that fish stocks are recovering. Fish stocks in the fourth group (subareas III, IV and VII) had low MIL in landings and the MTL in SSB was lower than that of landings before 2008. This may be due to heavy fishing. In addition, we estimated the harvest rate (HR) of the fish stocks before and after 2008. The results showed that most of the fish stocks have lower HR after 2008, indicating that the status has improved, perhaps due to improvements in the implementation of CFP. However, some fish stocks showed high HR even after 2008, so that new management options are still needed. Other factors such as eutrophication, seafloor disturbances, marine pollution, invasive species etc., influence SSB ecosystem health options and should also be incorporated in the management criteria. Most of these environmental pressures are of high priority in the MSFD, and therefore the findings of this study will be useful for both CFP and MSFD. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate in Marine and Coastal Management (MACOMA); EC 7FP [308392]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Community pharmacy teams’ experiences of general practice-based pharmacists: an exploratory qualitative study

Background: In England, since 2015, there has been a formal drive to integrate pharmacists into general practice as a new healthcare service. Research efforts have offered insights into how general practice-based professionals and patients view the service, however, they took no account of community pharmacy teams’ opinions. There have been anecdotal statements about opposition from community pharmacies to the service, due to fears of losing business. The aim of the current study was to identify the experiences and perceptions of community pharmacy teams regarding pharmacists’ presence in general practice. Methods: The National Health Service Choices website was used to identify community pharmacies within a radius of two miles from eight West London general practices. The search resulted in 104 community pharmacies which were all contacted via telephone. Pharmacy staff who verbally expressed their interest to participate were then provided with the study’s documents. Qualitative, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted inside the pharmacy from which each participant was recruited. Interviews lasted 30 to 45 minutes and were audio-recorded. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and transcripts analysed thematically. Results: Forty-eight community pharmacy staff participated. Four themes were discerned: awareness (“I knew that [pharmacists] have already been implemented [in general practice] but I haven’t really followed it…where does the pharmacist role come?”); interactions (“I’m just so pleased that there’s a pharmacist professional in the general practice…because we speak the same language!”); patient care (“if I was a patient knowing that there is a general practitioner and a pharmacist [in general practice], I would…think ‘nothing can go wrong at the moment’”); and funding challenges (“if general practices take on the extra responsibility of stop smoking or flu vaccination campaigns…financially, this would affect this pharmacy”). Conclusions: The current study revealed the perceived impact of general practice-based pharmacists on community pharmacies would be improved communication between pharmacies and practices. Findings will inform policy so that any future framing of pharmacists’ presence in general practice considers the needs of community pharmacies

Evaluation of marine subareas of Europe using life history parameters and trophic levels of selected fish populations

European marine waters include four regional seas that provide valuable ecosystem services to humans, including fish and other seafood. However, these marine environments are threatened by pressures from multiple anthropogenic activities and climate change. The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) was adopted in 2008 to achieve good environmental status (GEnS) in European Seas by year 2020, using an Ecosystem Approach. GEnS is to be assessed using 11 descriptors and up to 56 indicators. In the present analysis two descriptors namely "commercially exploited fish and shellfish populations" and "food webs" were used to evaluate the status of subareas of FAO 27 area. Data on life history parameters, trophic levels and fisheries related data of cod, haddock, saithe, herring, plaice, whiting, hake and sprat were obtained from the FishBase online database and advisory reports of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Subareas inhabited by r and K strategists were identified using interrelationships of life history parameters of commercially important fish stocks. Mean trophic level (MTL) of fish community each subarea was calculated and subareas with species of high and low trophic level were identified. The Fish in Balance (FiB) index was computed for each subarea and recent trends of FiB indices were analysed. The overall environmental status of each subarea was evaluated considering life history trends, MTL and FiB Index. The analysis showed that subareas I, II, V, VIII and IX were assessed as "good" whereas subareas III, IV, VI and VII were assessed as "poor". The subareas assessed as "good" were subject to lower environmental pressures, (less fishing pressure, less eutrophication and more water circulation), while the areas with "poor" environment experienced excessive fishing pressure, eutrophication and disturbed seabed. The evaluation was based on two qualitative descriptors ("commercially exploited fish and shellfish populations" and "food webs") is therefore more robust (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate in Marine and Coastal Management (MACOMA); EC 7FP grant [308392]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estimating the Worldwide Extent of Illegal Fishing

Illegal and unreported fishing contributes to overexploitation of fish stocks and is a hindrance to the recovery of fish populations and ecosystems. This study is the first to undertake a world-wide analysis of illegal and unreported fishing. Reviewing the situation in 54 countries and on the high seas, we estimate that lower and upper estimates of the total value of current illegal and unreported fishing losses worldwide are between $10 bn and$23.5 bn annually, representing between 11 and 26 million tonnes. Our data are of sufficient resolution to detect regional differences in the level and trend of illegal fishing over the last 20 years, and we can report a significant correlation between governance and the level of illegal fishing. Developing countries are most at risk from illegal fishing, with total estimated catches in West Africa being 40% higher than reported catches. Such levels of exploitation severely hamper the sustainable management of marine ecosystems. Although there have been some successes in reducing the level of illegal fishing in some areas, these developments are relatively recent and follow growing international focus on the problem. This paper provides the baseline against which successful action to curb illegal fishing can be judged

Scholarly publishing depends on peer reviewers

The peer-review crisis is posing a risk to the scholarly peer-reviewed journal system. Journals have to ask many potential peer reviewers to obtain a minimum acceptable number of peers accepting reviewing a manuscript. Several solutions have been suggested to overcome this shortage. From reimbursing for the job, to eliminating pre- publication reviews, one cannot predict which is more dangerous for the future of scholarly publishing. And, why not acknowledging their contribution to the final version of the article published? PubMed created two categories of contributors: authors [AU] and collaborators [IR]. Why not a third category for the peer-reviewer

Using Evolutionary Conserved Modules in Gene Networks as a Strategy to Leverage High Throughput Gene Expression Queries

Background: Large-scale gene expression studies have not yielded the expected insight into genetic networks that control complex processes. These anticipated discoveries have been limited not by technology, but by a lack of effective strategies to investigate the data in a manageable and meaningful way. Previous work suggests that using a pre-determined seednetwork of gene relationships to query large-scale expression datasets is an effective way to generate candidate genes for further study and network expansion or enrichment. Based on the evolutionary conservation of gene relationships, we test the hypothesis that a seed network derived from studies of retinal cell determination in the fly, Drosophila melanogaster, will be an effective way to identify novel candidate genes for their role in mouse retinal development. Methodology/Principal Findings: Our results demonstrate that a number of gene relationships regulating retinal cell differentiation in the fly are identifiable as pairwise correlations between genes from developing mouse retina. In addition, we demonstrate that our extracted seed-network of correlated mouse genes is an effective tool for querying datasets and provides a context to generate hypotheses. Our query identified 46 genes correlated with our extracted seed-network members. Approximately 54% of these candidates had been previously linked to the developing brain and 33% had been previously linked to the developing retina. Five of six candidate genes investigated further were validated by experiments examining spatial and temporal protein expression in the developing retina. Conclusions/Significance: We present an effective strategy for pursuing a systems biology approach that utilizes an evolutionary comparative framework between two model organisms, fly and mouse. Future implementation of this strategy will be useful to determine the extent of network conservation, not just gene conservation, between species and will facilitate the use of prior biological knowledge to develop rational systems-based hypotheses

Persistence to Treatment with Novel Antidiabetic Drugs (Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors, Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 Inhibitors, and Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists) in People with Type 2 Diabetes

INTRODUCTION: Adequate persistence to antidiabetic treatment is highly important to achieve proper glycemic control. In this study we evaluate the persistence to treatment with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in a nationwide cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Using a central database in Hungary, we analyzed the persistence to the treatment with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (n = 59,900), sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (n = 26,052), and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (n = 17,332) at treatment intensification between 2014 and 2016. We also compared the persistence of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (n = 9163) and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (n = 1257) in initial therapy to that of metformin (n = 79,305) or sulfonylureas (n = 29,057). The rates of persistence to treatment and risk of non-persistence are reported. RESULTS: The persistence rates of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists at treatment intensification were 69.6%, 67.8%, and 66.3% at year 1 which decreased to 57.3%, 56.8%, and 52.1% by year 2, respectively. The risk of non-persistence was higher by 6.6% (95% CI 3.6-9.6) for sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors and by 8.3% (95% CI 5.0-11.5) for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists as compared to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. Novel oral antidiabetic drugs in fixed versus free add-on combinations with metformin had higher persistence. The persistence to treatment with novel oral antidiabetic drugs in initial therapy was better (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, 59.6% and 47.6%; sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors, 61.9% and 47.0%) than that of initial monotherapy with metformin (47.0% and 39.1%) or sulfonylureas (52.4% and 41.8%) at years 1 and 2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Analysis of persistence of treatment with novel glucose-lowering medications revealed differences between drug classes, favoring dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors vs. sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. Persistence data of novel antihyperglycemic agents may be useful for guiding the decision at initiation of antidiabetic treatment. FUNDING: Hungarian Diabetes Association. Plain language summary available for this article

Species composition and habitat preferences of the nearshore fish fauna of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland

Determining biodiversity baseline is the first step toward establishing species monitoring and conservation programs. In this study we report on a 10-year survey of the fish fauna of Bonne Bay, a fjord surrounded by the Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The objectives of our study were: 1) to determine the fish fauna of Bonne Bay using standardized sampling methods; 2) to gather information on the habitats of fishes of conservation concern; and 3) to provide baseline information on Bonne Bay as a potential candidate for a National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA). Methods A survey of the fish fauna of the inner Bonne Bay was conducted each summer from 2002 to 2011 at multiple sites representing a range of fish habitats within the fjord. Sampling gears included two types of beach seine, gillnets with various mesh sizes and a bottom trawl. Species composition was statistically compared across sites within the fjord. Results We collected and identified 29 fish species from 17 families. Fish assemblages comprised anadromous, estuarine, and marine fish species, including a late-maturing type of winter skate (Leucoraja ocellata) that is rarely found in the adjacent waters of the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Similarity in species composition across sites reflected salinity, substrate composition, and presence of eelgrass (Zostera marina), but not the geographic distance between sites. Conclusions Bonne Bay’s adjacency to a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, its diverse fish fauna that includes several species of conservation concern, its potential for education and enjoyment, and its stewardship by local people are suggestive of the future candidacy as a NMCA. The data presented here will help managers assess the potential of Bonne Bay as a National Marine Conservation Area