78 research outputs found

    Gillnet colour affects catch efficiency in pearlspot (Etroplus suratensis) tropical estuary fishery

    Get PDF
    Gillnets are one of the most commonly used fishing gears in both marine and inland waters. Different colour filament nettings are often used in gillnets. However, the effect of gillnet colour on catch efficiency is unclear for most fisheries. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effect of gillnet colour on the catch efficiency in pearlspot (Etroplus suratensis) fishery in Vembanad lake, India. Gillnet colours tested were transparent, green and blue. Results showed that in this fishery, the catch efficiency of gillnets of the three colours tested differed significantly. The highest catch efficiency of pearlspot was shown by green gillnets compared to transparent or blue netting. Specifically, green gillnets on average were estimated to be 74% more efficient compared to transparent gillnets. For the green compared to the blue gillnets, the catch efficiency was estimated to be higher by 81%. These results demonstrate that gillnet colour can be an important factor significantly affecting the catch efficiency of this fishing gear

    The effect of white and green LED-lights on the catch efficiency of the Barents Sea snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) pot fishery

    Get PDF
    In commercial snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery, the catch efficiency of the conical pots is important for increasing the profitability of the industry. This study evaluated the effect of adding green and white light emitting diodes (LED) on the catch efficiency of commercially used conical pots. The results from the field experiments showed that inserting artificial lights significantly increases the catch efficiency for snow crab over the minimum landing size of 95 mm carapace width of up to 76% when using green LED, and by 52–53% on average when using white LED. This study shows that it is possible to improve the catch efficiency of the snow crab fishery by applying artificial LED lights to the conical snow crab pots, potentially resulting in an important economic benefit to the snow crab fishery

    Improved bycatch reduction in the mixed demersal trawl fishery for Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarkii)

    Get PDF
    In this study, we compared the bycatch reduction capacity of a trawl fitted with a standard rigid sorting grid with that of a trawl fitted with a newly developed, flexible system called the Excluder. We conducted the fishing trials in the Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarkii) small-meshed trawl fishery in the North Sea. Catch data were analysed by species and length using the catch comparison and catch ratio method. The Excluder significantly reduced the bycatch (in weight) relative to the standard grid for blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) (−35.6%), mackerel (Scomber scombrus) (−93.3%), horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) (−99.3%), herring (Clupea harengus) (−89.9%), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), (−98.6%), whiting (Merlangius merlangus) (−99.3%), cod (Gadus morhua) (−97.1%), European hake (Merluccius merluccius) (−98.0%), and greater argentine (Argentina sphyraena) (−24.5%). For Norway pout there was a marginal decrease in the overall catch efficiency of −1.4%. The observed bycatch reduction efficiency is explained by the larger sorting area of the Excluder relative to the grid's area and by the differences in behaviour between Norway pout and the bycatch species. While it contributes to reduce bycatch of quota regulated species, the Excluder also can potentially affect the profitability of the fishery

    Verification of predicted alternatively spliced Wnt genes reveals two new splice variants (CTNNB1 and LRP5) and altered Axin-1 expression during tumour progression

    Get PDF
    BACKGROUND: Splicing processes might play a major role in carcinogenesis and tumour progression. The Wnt pathway is of crucial relevance for cancer progression. Therefore we focussed on the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway in order to validate the expression of sequences predicted as alternatively spliced by bioinformatic methods. Splice variants of its key molecules were selected, which may be critical components for the understanding of colorectal tumour progression and may have the potential to act as biological markers. For some of the Wnt pathway genes the existence of splice variants was either proposed (e.g. β-Catenin and CTNNB1) or described only in non-colon tissues (e.g. GSK3β) or hitherto not published (e.g. LRP5). RESULTS: Both splice variants – normal and alternative form – of all selected Wnt pathway components were found to be expressed in cell lines as well as in samples derived from tumour, normal and healthy tissues. All splice positions corresponded totally with the bioinformatical prediction as shown by sequencing. Two hitherto not described alternative splice forms (CTNNB1 and LRP5) were detected. Although the underlying EST data used for the bioinformatic analysis suggested a tumour-specific expression neither a qualitative nor a significant quantitative difference between the expression in tumour and healthy tissues was detected. Axin-1 expression was reduced in later stages and in samples from carcinomas forming distant metastases. CONCLUSION: We were first to describe that splice forms of crucial genes of the Wnt-pathway are expressed in human colorectal tissue. Newly described splicefoms were found for β-Catenin, LRP5, GSK3β, Axin-1 and CtBP1. However, the predicted cancer specificity suggested by the origin of the underlying ESTs was neither qualitatively nor significant quantitatively confirmed. That let us to conclude that EST sequence data can give adequate hints for the existence of alternative splicing in tumour tissues. That no difference in the expression of these splice forms between cancerous tissues and normal mucosa was found, may indicate that the existence of different splice forms is of less significance for cancer formation as suggested by the available EST data. The currently available EST source is still insufficient to clearly deduce colon cancer specificity. More EST data from colon (tumour and healthy) is required to make reliable predictions

    Prediction of potential net panel selectivity in mesopelagic trawls

    Get PDF
    The growing interest in harvesting mesopelagic fish species has increased the need for knowledge about how trawls should be designed for optimizing the catch efficiency of these resources. Since the net herding efficiency for small mesopelagic fish species is unknown, trawls targeting these species need to consider the potential net panel selectivity along the entire trawl body. Therefore, trawl engineers and net makers who design trawls for harvesting mesopelagic species need to know which design parameters, such as mesh size, mesh opening angles, and trawl tapering angles, can be used along the trawl body to avoid potential net panel selectivity, thus maximizing catch efficiency. This study addresses these knowledge gaps using an approach based on laboratory experiments with mesopelagic fish and a simulation model that can help in predicting the potential net panel selectivity. Three trawl designs that have been used in experimental fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic are investigated in this study. Two of them (trawl 1 and trawl 2) had small-mesh liners in the belly and extension piece while the third trawl didn't. The simulation model shows that trawls with small-mesh liners in the belly and extension piece reduces panel selectivity and can increase catch efficiency.publishedVersio

    Accounting for Uncertainties in Biodiversity Estimations: A New Methodology and Its Application to the Mesopelagic Sound Scattering Layer of the High Arctic

    Get PDF
    Measures of biological diversity (biodiversity) are important for monitoring the state of ecosystems. Several indices and methods are used to describe biodiversity from field observations. Marine faunal biodiversity is often quantified based on analysis of samples collected using a trawl during research surveys. To monitor spatial and temporal changes in biodiversity between surveys, samples are generally collected from a series of stations. Inference regarding changes in biodiversity must account for uncertainties in the estimation of the values for the different biodiversity indices used. Estimation for a single station is affected by spatial-temporal variation in the species composition in the area and by uncertainty due to the finite sample size taken by the trawl. Therefore, variation between stations needs to be accounted for when estimating uncertainty for values of different indices during a survey as total or as mean for the survey. Herein, we present a method based on nested bootstrapping that accounts for uncertainties in the estimation of various indices and which can be used to infer changes in biodiversity. Application of this methodology is demonstrated using data collected in the mesopelagic sound scattering layer in the high Arctic.publishedVersio

    Ghost fishing efficiency by lost, abandoned or discarded pots in snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery

    Get PDF
    Marine pollution by lost, abandoned or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) often has negative impact on the ecosystem through plastic pollution and continuous capture of marine animals, so-called “ghost fishing”. ALDFG in pot fisheries is associated with high ghost fishing risk. The snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) pot fishery is conducted in harsh weather conditions increasing the risk of fishing gear loss. Due to plastic materials used in the pot construction, lost gear can most likely continue fishing for decades. This study presents a method to quantify ghost fishing efficiency relative to catch efficiency of actively fished pots. On average, the ghost fishing pots captured 8.29 % (confidence intervals: 4.33–13.73 %) target-sized snow crab compared to the actively fished pots, demonstrating that lost pots can continue fishing even when the bait is decayed. Given the large number of pots lost each year, the ghost fishing efficiency is a considerable challenge in this fishery.publishedVersio

    Quantification of catch composition in fisheries: A methodology and its application to compare biodegradable and nylon gillnets

    Get PDF
    When evaluating fishing gear catches, the focus is often on a few species as opposed to the entire catch. In some fisheries this can lead to ignoring major part of catch composition. Thus, there is a need for a more holistic approach when evaluating the ecological impact of using a specific fishing gear and when comparing two or more gears. In this context, it is relevant to have a method that describes the total catch and quantifies proportions of the catch being wanted and unwanted. In this study, we outline such a method and demonstrate its applicability to catch data from a small-scale coastal gillnet fishery targeting European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa, Linnaeus, 1758) by comparing catch composition when using nylon and biodegradable gillnets. The results showed no significant differences in catch composition between gillnets made of the two materials. Therefore, the catch composition obtained using the more environmentally friendly biodegradable materials does not represent a barrier in this specific gillnet fishery. However, species selectivity of gillnets is still of concern as the primary target species constituted only half of the total catch composition in numbers while the rest was unwanted catch. The presented approach for quantifying and inferring the differences in catch composition can be further applied for assessing the performance of different fishing gears and their modifications.publishedVersio
    • …
    corecore