43 research outputs found

    Predicting habitat suitability for basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) in UK waters using ensemble ecological niche modelling

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    This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is an endangered species in the north-east Atlantic, having been historically over exploited. Whilst near-shore aggregation hotspots in the UK have been identified, robust knowledge on species distribution and abundance outside these areas remains limited. Research techniques, such as habitat modelling, could however be used to gain a greater knowledge of the species distribution to inform management plans to aid population recovery. For large mobile species gathering wide-scale distribution data can be financially and logistically challenging. In lieu of conducting a UK-wide expensive strategic survey for basking sharks, we use data from two regional-scale surveys, which were conducted in southwest England and western Scotland, and use an Ensemble Ecological Niche Model (EENM) to produce a spatially explicit map of habitat suitability. When compared against a ~20-year database of public sightings of basking sharks across UK coastal seas (to 6 nautical miles offshore), patterns of habitat suitability yielded a statistically significant agreement with areas known to support basking shark sightings. EENMs could be used to advise Marine Protected Area (MPA) selection, as well as to inform environmental impact assessments for offshore developments. The application of EENM outputs could be wide-reaching and benefit not only basking sharks but other large mobile marine species in the north-east Atlantic

    Investigating the distribution and regional occurrence of anthropogenic litter in English Marine Protected Areas using 25 years of citizen-science beach clean data

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    This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated to enable the management of damaging activities within a discrete spatial area, and can be effective at reducing the associated impacts, including habitat loss and over-exploitation. Such sites, however, may be exposed to the potential impacts from broader scale pressures, such as anthropogenic litter, due to its diffuse nature and lack of constraint by legislative and/or political boundaries. Plastic, a large component of litter, is of particular concern, due to increasing evidence of its potential to cause ecological and socio-economic damage. The presence of sensitive marine features may mean that some MPAs are at greater potential risk from the impacts of plastic pollution than some non-protected sites. Understanding the abundance, distribution and composition of litter along coastlines is important for designing and implementing effective management strategies. Gathering such data, however, can be expensive and time37 consuming but litter survey programmes that enlist citizen scientists are often able to resolve many of the logistical or financial constraints. Here, we examine data collected over 25-years (1994 – 2018), by Marine Conservation Society volunteers, for spatial patterns in relation to the English MPA network, with the aim of highlighting key sources of litter and identifying management priority areas. We found that MPAs in southeast (Kent) and southwest (Cornwall and Devon) England have the highest densities of shore-based litter. Plastic is the main material constituent and public littering the most common identifiable source. Items attributed to fishing activities were most prevalent in southwest MPAs and sewage related debris was highest in MPAs near large rivers and estuaries, indicating localised accumulation. When comparing inside and outside of MPAs, we found no difference in litter density, demonstrating the need for wider policy intervention at local, national and international scales to reduce the amount of plastic pollution.Natural EnglandNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

    Making Brexit Work for the Environment and Livelihoods : Delivering a Stakeholder Informed Vision for Agriculture and Fisheries

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    1. The UK’s decision to leave the EU has far-reaching, and often shared, implications for agriculture and fisheries. To ensure the future sustainability of UK agricultural and fisheries systems, we argue that it is essential to grasp the opportunity that Brexit is providing to develop integrated policies that improve the management and protection of the natural environments, upon which these industries rely. 2. This article advances a stakeholder informed vision of the future design of UK agriculture and fisheries policies. We assess how currently emerging UK policy will need to be adapted in order to implement this vision. Our starting point is that Brexit provides the opportunity to redesign current unsustainable practices and can, in principle, deliver a sustainable future for agriculture and fisheries. 3. Underpinning policies with an ecosystem approach, explicit inclusion of public goods provision and social welfare equity were found to be key provisions for environmental, agricultural and fishery sustainability. Recognition of the needs of, and innovative practices in, the devolved UK nations is also required as the new policy and regulatory landscape is established. 4. Achieving the proposed vision will necessitate drawing on best practice and creating more coherent and integrated food, environment and rural and coastal economic policies. Our findings demonstrate that β€œbottom-up” and co-production approaches will be key to the development of more environmentally sustainable agriculture and fisheries policies to underpin prosperous livelihoods. 5. However, delivering this vision will involve overcoming significant challenges. The current uncertainty over the nature and timing of the UK’s Brexit agreement hinders forward planning and investment while diverting attention away from further in-depth consideration of environmental sustainability. In the face of this uncertainty, much of the UK’s new policy on the environment, agriculture and fisheries is therefore ambitious in vision but light on detail. Full commitment to co-production of policy with devolved nations and stakeholders also appears to be lacking, but will be essential for effective policy development and implementation

    The role of the myosin ATPase activity in adaptive thermogenesis by skeletal muscle

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    Resting skeletal muscle is a major contributor to adaptive thermogenesis, i.e., the thermogenesis that changes in response to exposure to cold or to overfeeding. The identification of the β€œfurnace” that is responsible for increased heat generation in resting muscle has been the subject of a number of investigations. A new state of myosin, the super relaxed state (SRX), with a very slow ATP turnover rate has recently been observed in skeletal muscle (Stewart et al. in Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107:430–435, 2010). Inhibition of the myosin ATPase activity in the SRX was suggested to be caused by binding of the myosin head to the core of the thick filament in a structural motif identified earlier by electron microscopy. To be compatible with the basal metabolic rate observed in vivo for resting muscle, most myosin heads would have to be in the SRX. Modulation of the population of this state, relative to the normal relaxed state, was proposed to be a major contributor to adaptive thermogenesis in resting muscle. Transfer of only 20% of myosin heads from the SRX into the normal relaxed state would cause muscle thermogenesis to double. Phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain was shown to transfer myosin heads from the SRX into the relaxed state, which would increase thermogenesis. In particular, thermogenesis by myosin has been proposed to play a role in the dissipation of calories during overfeeding. Up-regulation of muscle thermogenesis by pharmaceuticals that target the SRX would provide new approaches to the treatment of obesity or high blood sugar levels

    Revisiting UK Marine Protected Areas governance: A case study of a collaborative approach to management of an English MPA

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    This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordCase studies of Marine Protected Area (MPA) upscaling were solicited from participants of a workshop at the International Marine Protected Areas Conference held in Autumn 2013 in Marseille. One such case study was Solandt, Jones, Duval‐Diop, Kleiven, and Frangoudes (2014; Governance challenges in scaling up from individual MPAs to MPA networks. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 24, 145–152) which illustrated the role of science, non‐governmental organizations, government and local regulators in applying systemic management measures for local MPAs based on risk, highlighting the importance of balancing top‐down and bottom‐up drivers. Here we follow up on the UK example, illustrating the incentives and actors involved in developing centralized and subsequent fisheries management measures in UK waters. Forty local laws were created to protect features in 143 inshore MPAs between 2013 and 2019. We illustrate best practice in delivering management, focusing on multiple practitioner involvement in a single MPA and the monitoring put in place after trawling and dredging were banned. We reflect on how the governance mechanisms in place in English inshore waters can be used as a template to allow for progressive MPA management in other coastal states.Marine Conservation SocietyPigShed TrustPrincess Yacht

    Spatial distribution patterns of basking sharks on the European shelf: Preliminary comparison of satellite-tag geolocation, survey and public sightings data.

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    Current concerns about the population levels of the basking shark (cetorhinus maximus) in the north-east atlantic have prompted a need to understand population distribution, habitat preference and centres of abundance. in this study, spatial distribution maps derived from satellite-tag geolocations, boat surveys and public sightings data were compared. the broad distribution patterns revealed by these different methods are similar, but there are considerable differences in density distributions. surface sightings data show high densities, or β€˜hotspots’ in the hebridean sea, clyde sea, irish sea and close inshore around devon and cornwall. tag geolocations, in contrast, identified two areas where individuals spent considerable time outside the distributions indicated by surveys and public sightings: the celtic sea and western approaches of the english channel. the reason for this disparity and its implications for population estimates for the species are discussed

    Spatial distribution patterns of basking sharks on the European shelf: Preliminary comparison of satellite-tag geolocation, survey and public sightings data.

    No full text
    Current concerns about the population levels of the basking shark (cetorhinus maximus) in the north-east atlantic have prompted a need to understand population distribution, habitat preference and centres of abundance. in this study, spatial distribution maps derived from satellite-tag geolocations, boat surveys and public sightings data were compared. the broad distribution patterns revealed by these different methods are similar, but there are considerable differences in density distributions. surface sightings data show high densities, or β€˜hotspots’ in the hebridean sea, clyde sea, irish sea and close inshore around devon and cornwall. tag geolocations, in contrast, identified two areas where individuals spent considerable time outside the distributions indicated by surveys and public sightings: the celtic sea and western approaches of the english channel. the reason for this disparity and its implications for population estimates for the species are discussed
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