Science Tools to Implement Ecosystem Based Management in Massachusetts (DRAFT)

In this report we provide a framework for implementing ecosystem based management (EBM) and suggest a range of science information tools and their appropriate application to the decision making process. These tools can be broadly classified as modeling tools, decision analysis tools, and indicators. Modeling tools allow the user to organize data, communicate scientific findings to management and stakeholder audiences, and test alternative management scenarios. When used unwisely, however, models can preclude options, present unusable scenarios, generate results in scales that differ from management needs, and impose huge time, data, and technical requirements (Manno et al., 2008). Decision analysis tools can inform management decisions but should not be relied upon solely; they are valuable aids in the process and provide opportunities for all-stakeholder input, visualization, and scenario analysis. Indicators are scientific measurements of ecological or socio-economic phenomena that provide data for monitoring and evaluating the systems being managed. While indicators are by and large widely accepted, their selection is based on expert opinion and involves a level of subjectivity. Inappropriately selected indicators can misinform management decisions. By helping to identify and mitigate lack of information, these science tools can be of great value in the shift to ecosystem based management

Filling a blank on the map: 60 years of fisheries in Equatorial Guinea

Despite a scarcity of pertinent information, it has been possible to reconstruct time series of marine fisheries catches for Equatorial Guinea from 1950 to 2010 using per capita fish consumption and population numbers for small-scale fisheries, catch rates and number of vessels for industrial fisheries and discard rates to estimate the discarded bycatch. Small-scale fisheries, industrial large-scale fisheries, domestic and legal and illegal foreign fisheries and their discards are all included. Total catches were estimated at 2.7 million tonnes over the time period considered, of which 653 000 t were caught domestically compared to 187 000 t reported by FAO. This shows that fisheries have more importance for Equatorial Guinea's food security than the official data suggest. In contrast to what is suggested by official figures, fisheries were shown to be strongly impacted by civil and political unrest; notably, they declined overall because of civil and political conflicts, socio-demographic dynamics, and a growing role of the newly discovered oil resources, which directly and indirectly threaten the food security of the people of Equatorial Guinea

Payments for ecosystem services in developing world fisheries

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is a powerful economic tool that gives positive conditional incentives for the provision of additional ecosystem services over the status quo, which has been used widely in terrestrial conservation. Interest in the concept of marine PES has recently emerged, but the fluid, transboundary and often common pool nature of marine ecosystems presents challenges for PES design and implementation. Here, we consider the potential role of PES in addressing current gaps in fisheries management. Used in combination with conventional regulatory approaches, PES may increase private sector engagement and generate more sustainable financing for fisheries management whilst spreading accountability throughout the supply chain. The approach is most likely to be feasible and effective in commercially valuable fisheries with: (i) demand for one or more ecosystem service and a threat to supply; (ii) suitable baseline data available and potential management actions underpinned by robust science; (iii) clarity and security of property rights; (iv) capacity for hybrid multi-level governance; (v) capacity for rigorous monitoring, control and surveillance; and (vi) potential for financial sustainability of the scheme. An examination of four contrasting fisheries - Namibian hake, Mozambican shallow-water shrimp, Western and Central Pacific skipjack tuna and Bangladesh hilsa - demonstrates that a developing world fishery will rarely fulfil each of these preconditions a priori, but that the potential for successful application of PES still exists. In practice, PES design will depend on the institutional context and require creative and innovative approaches to the maintenance of conditionality and additionality. © 2014 The Authors

Retrospective stock assessment of the Emperor red snapper (Lutjanus sebae) on the Seychelles Bank between 1977 and 2006

The Emperor red snapper, Lutjanus sebae, known as “Bourzwa” in the Seychelles, is distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific from the southern Red Sea and East Africa to New Caledonia, north to Japan and south to Australia. It occurs near coral or rocky reefs and also over adjacent sand flats and gravel patches between 5 and 180 m deep (Allen, 1985; Anderson, 1986). Juveniles are frequently commensal with sea urchins (Kuiter and Tonozuka, 2001), and are found in nearshore, turbid waters (Williams and Russ, 1992), mangrove areas (Allen, 1985), and around coastal and offshore reefs (Williams and Russ, 1992). Larger L. sebae are generally found deeper, although they are also known to move into shallower water during winter (McPherson et al., 1988; Williams and Russ, 1992). Prey items include fish, crabs, other benthic crustaceans, and cephalopods. Lutjanus sebae is a large, long-lived species, attaining a maximum size of 116 cm fork length (McPherson and Squire, 1992) and maximum age of 34 years (Newman and Dunk, 2002). Despite an absence of data on its population structure, mixing, and identity, the population on the Seychelles Bank has been considered to be a unit stock for assessment purposes because of its remote location (e.g. Lablache and Carrara, 1988; Mees, 1992)

Adjunctive systemic antibiotic effect on periodontal state, salivary enzyme activity, and glycemia imbalance in type-2 diabetics after non-surgical periodontal management

ABSTRACTAim: The current study aimed at analyzing the effect of non-surgical periodontal treatment accompanied by systemic antibiotics on salivary enzyme activities, periodontal parameters, and glycemic control in type−2 diabetic (T2D) patients with chronic periodontitis.Methods: The study included 125 type−2 diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis who had good glycemic control (T2Dc), 125 type−2 diabetics who had bad glycemic control (T2Dpc). The 125 T2Dpc were divided randomly into two groups. The first one enrolled 63 T2Dpc and received a non-surgical periodontal treatment (T2Dpc + NST). The second group enrolled 62 T2Dpc and received the non-surgical treatment accompanied by systemic antibiotics (T2Dpc+NST+A). HbA1c, periodontal indices, and salivary enzyme activities were assessed for all groups. The Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was assessed. The Salivary alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine kinase (CK) activities were measured.Results: The T2Dpc were characterized by the highest probing depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) periodontal scores, as well as ALP, AST, and ALT enzymatic activities. However, BOP did not differ significantly between T2Dc and T2Dpc. Whereas the rest of clinical parameters PI, GI, and OHI-S did not significantly differ between groups. The Pearson’s analysis revealed three correlations between ALP-PPD, ALP-CAL, and ALP-BOP (bleeding on probing) in both T2Dc and T2Dpc (P < 0.05). Interestingly, a significant decrease in periodontal indices, salivary enzyme activities, and HbA1c was recorded in T2Dpc+NST+A group.Conclusion: The increase in ALP, AST, and ALT activities reflects the impact of uncontrolled T2D on periodontal tissue alteration. The ALP activity increase was associated with the severity of periodontal status in diabetic patients. In comparison to non-surgical treatment alone, the adjunct use of systemic antibiotics improves periodontal state, enzyme activity, and glycemic control