Ecosystem-based Management for Protected Species in the North Pacific Fisheries

In the North Pacific Ocean, an ecosystem-based fishery management approach has been adopted. A significant objective of this approach is to reduce interactions between fishery-related activities and protected species. We review management measures developed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service to reduce effects of the groundfish fisheries off Alaska on marine mammals and seabirds, while continuing to provide economic opportunities for fishery participants. Direct measures have been taken to mitigate known fishery impacts, and precautionary measures have been taken for species with potential (but no documented) interactions with the groundfish fisheries. Area closures limit disturbance to marine mammals at rookeries and haulouts, protect sensitive benthic habitat, and reduce potential competition for prey resources. Temporal and spatial dispersion of catches reduce the localized impact of fishery removals. Seabird avoidance measures have been implemented through collaboration with fishery participants and have been highly successful in reducing seabird bycatch. Finally, a comprehensive observer monitoring program provides data on the location and extent of bycatch of marine mammals and seabirds. These measures provide managers with the flexibility to adapt to changes in the status of protected species and evolving conditions in the fisheries. This review should be useful to fishery managers as an example of an ecosystem-based approach to protected species management that is adaptive and accounts for multiple objectives

On the Determination of a1a_1 and a2a_2 from Hadronic Two Body BB Decays

{}From Class I decays : B^o \ra \pi^+ ( \rho^+ ) + D^- ( {D^*}^- ), we determine $a_1$, and from Class III decays : B^+ \ra \pi^+ ( \rho^+ ) + \ol{D}^o ( {\ol{D}^*}^o ), we determine an allowed domain in the $( a_1, a_2 )$ plane. We find that within one standard deviation errors, the allowed band of $a_1$ from Class I decays is at least three standard deviations removed from the allowed domain $( a_1, a_2 )$ from Class III decays.If we expand the experimental errors to two standard deviations we do find a small intersection between the $a_1$ band and the allowed $( a_1, a_2 )$ domain. The results usually quoted in the literature lie in this intersection. We suggest : (1) an independent measurement of the branching ratio for the Class III decay, B^+ \ra \rho^+ \ol{D}^o , (2) a high-statistics measurement of the branching ratio of the Class I decay, B \ra \ol{D} ( \ol{D}^* ) + D_s ( D_s^* ) in both charged states, and (3) a measurement of the longitudinal polarization fraction in the Class III decay B^+ \ra \rho^+ {\ol{D}^*}^o to shed more light on the questions involved .Comment: 9pages(Latex)+4 figures(PS file appended), PAR/LPTHE/94-2

Implications of factorization for the determination of hadronic form factors in D_s^+ \ra \phi transition

Using factorization we determine the allowed domains of the ratios of form factors, $x = A_2(0)/A_1(0)$ and $y = V(0)/A_1(0)$, from the experimentally measured ratio R_h \equiv \Gamma(D_s^+ \ra \phi \rho^+)/\Gamma(D_s^+ \ra \phi \pi^+) assuming three different scenarios for the $q^2$-dependence of the form factors. We find that the allowed domains overlap with those obtained by using the experimentally measured ratio R_{s\ell} = \Gamma(D^+_s \ra \phi \ell^+ \nu_{\ell})/\Gamma(D^+_s \ra \phi \pi^+) provided that the phenomenological parameter $a_1$ is $1.23$. Such a comparison presents a genuine test of factorization. We calculate the longitudinal polarization fraction, \Gamma_L/\Gamma \equiv \Gamma(D_s^+ \ra \phi_L \rho^+_L)/\Gamma(D_s^+ \ra \phi \rho^+), in the three scenarios for the $q^2$-dependence of the form factors and emphasize the importance of measuring $\Gamma_L/\Gamma$. Finally we discuss the $q^2$-distribution of the semileptonic decay and find that it is rather insensitive to the scenarios for the $q^2$-dependence of the form factors, and unless very accurate data can be obtained it is unlikely to discriminate between the different scenarios. Useful information on the value of $x$ might be obtained by the magnitude of the $q^2$-distribution near $q^2 = 0$. However the most precise information on $x$ and $y$ would come from the knowledge of the longitudinal and left-right transverse polarizations of the final vector mesons in hadronic and/or semileptonic decays.Comment: Latex 10 pages( 4 figures), PAR/LPTHE/94-3

Nonfactorization and the decays Ds+→ϕπ+,ϕρ+D_s^+ \to \phi \pi^+, \phi \rho^+ and ϕl+νl\phi l^+ \nu_l

In six chosen scenarios for the $q^2$ dependence of the form factors involved in $D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi$ transition, we have determined the allowed domain of $x = A_2(0) / A_1(0)$ and $y = V(0)/A_1(0)$ from the experimentally measured ratios $R_{sl} = \Gamma(D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi l^+ \nu_l)/\Gamma(D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi \pi^+)$ and $R_h = \Gamma(D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi \rho^+)/\Gamma(D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi \pi^+)$ in a scheme that uses the $N_c =3$ value of the phenomenological parameter $a_1$ and includes nonfactorized contribution. We find that the experimentally measured values of $x$ and $y$ from semileptonic decays of $D_s^+$ favor solutions which have significant nonfactorized contribution, and, in particular, $R_{sl}$ favors solutions in scenarios where $A_1(q^2)$ is either flat or decreasing with $q^2$.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, four figure (available on request)

Radiative Leptonic Decays of Heavy Mesons

We compute the photon spectrum and the rate for the decays $B(D)\to l\nu_l\gamma$ These photonic modes constitute a potentially large background for the purely leptonic decays which are used to extract the heavy meson decay constants. While the rate for D\to l\n\g is small, the radiative decay in the $B$ meson case could be of comparable magnitude or even larger than B\to\m\n. This would affect the determination of $f_B$ if the $\tau$ channel cannot be identified. We obtain theoretical estimates for the photonic rates and disscuss their possible experimental implications.Comment: 12 pages, RevTex, 3 uuencoded figures include

Resonant Two-body D Decays

The contribution of a $K^*(1430)$ $0^+$ resonance to $D^0\to K^-\pi^+$ is calculated by applying the soft pion theorem to $D^+ \to K^* \pi^+$, and is found to be about 30% of the measured amplitude and to be larger than the $\Delta I=3/2$ component of this amplitude. We estimate a 70% contribution to the total amplitude from a higher $K^*(1950)$ resonance. This implies large deviations from factorization in D decay amplitudes, a lifetime difference between D^0 and D^+, and an enhancement of $D^0-\bar D^0$ mixing due to SU(3) breaking.Comment: To be published in Physical Review Letters, some corrections, references update