Production of asari (Manila) clams, Ruditapes philippinarum, during the period of harvest decrease in the 2000s in the Banzu tidal area, Tokyo Bay

In Tokyo Bay, the harvestable quantity of asari (Manila) clams Ruditapes philippinarum has been decreasing since the late 1990s. We conducted a field investigation on clam density in the Banzu culture area from April 1988 to December 2014 and collected records spanning January 1986 to September 2017 from relevant fisheries cooperative associations to clarify the relationship between the temporal variation in stock abundance and the production activities of fishermen. The yearly variation in clam abundance over the study period was marked by larger decreases in the numbers of larger clams. A large quantity of juvenile clams, beyond the biological productivity of the culture area, may have been introduced as seed stock in the late 1980s despite the high level of harvestable stock. The declines in harvested quantity began in the late 1990s and may have been caused by decreases in harvestable stock despite the continuous addition of seed stock clams. The harvested quantity is likely to be significantly dependent upon the wild clam population, even within the culture area, as the harvestable quantity was not correlated with the quantity of seed stock introduced during the study period. These declines in harvested quantity may have resulted from a decreasing number of operating harvesters due to the low level of harvestable stock and consequently reduced profitability. Two findings were emphasized. A certain management style, based on predictions of the contributions of wild and introduced clams to future stock biomass, is essential for economically-feasible culturing. In areas with less harvestable stock, actions should be taken to maintain the incomes of harvesters while avoiding overexploitation, even if the total harvest quantity decreases

Production of asari (Manila) clams,

In Tokyo Bay, the harvestable quantity of asari (Manila) clams Ruditapes philippinarum has been decreasing since the late 1990s. We conducted a field investigation on clam density in the Banzu culture area from April 1988 to December 2014 and collected records spanning January 1986 to September 2017 from relevant fisheries cooperative associations to clarify the relationship between the temporal variation in stock abundance and the production activities of fishermen. The yearly variation in clam abundance over the study period was marked by larger decreases in the numbers of larger clams. A large quantity of juvenile clams, beyond the biological productivity of the culture area, may have been introduced as seed stock in the late 1980s despite the high level of harvestable stock. The declines in harvested quantity began in the late 1990s and may have been caused by decreases in harvestable stock despite the continuous addition of seed stock clams. The harvested quantity is likely to be significantly dependent upon the wild clam population, even within the culture area, as the harvestable quantity was not correlated with the quantity of seed stock introduced during the study period. These declines in harvested quantity may have resulted from a decreasing number of operating harvesters due to the low level of harvestable stock and consequently reduced profitability. Two findings were emphasized. A certain management style, based on predictions of the contributions of wild and introduced clams to future stock biomass, is essential for economically-feasible culturing. In areas with less harvestable stock, actions should be taken to maintain the incomes of harvesters while avoiding overexploitation, even if the total harvest quantity decreases

Stocks and fisheries of asari in Japan

Asari clam is one of the most important fishery resources in Japan. The clam has been utilized as not only a food but also a recreational harvestable species. Main habitat of the asari extends from tidal area to shallow subtidal area of sandy soft bottom. Asari is harvested by hand raking or short-handled basket raking in tidal areas and long-handled basket raking, dredging, helmet diving in subtidal areas. Major areas of asari harvest are Tokyo Bay, Mikawa Bay, Ise Bay, Suo Nada and Ariake Bay. Annual harvest of the asari in the major areas, however, decreased largely after late 1980s except Mikawa Bay. Stock decline of natural asari is remarkable and seriously problematic for coastal fisheries in Japan. Along with application of the various countermeasures intended to restore the natural stocks of asari, a number of factors have been discussed to be responsible for the asari decline. Some of these are decrease of suitable habitat areas, deterioration of water and substrate quality, erosion of the clams by strong wave disturbance, new predators and parasites, oligotrophication, and excess harvesting. We still have not determined significant factors responsible for the asari decline in Japan. In the discussed factors, we compared the effect of five factors; blue tide, river flood, strong wave disturbance, infection of sea spider, and hypoxia on clam larvae, based on the studies in Tokyo Bay. The impacts (mortalities) of the factors for the total asari stock by the blue tide in Sanbanze in 2008, the river flood in Sanbanze in 2007, winter wave mortality in the three areas in 2009–2010, and infection of sea spider in Kisarazu in 2009 were calculated to be 0.16，0.07，0.95，0.30, respectively. Among these factors, winter wave mortality showed the most significant effect on the asari stock in Tokyo Bay. Comparing the properties of the estimated factors, the factors that affected wider areas and longer period with higher mortality were supposed to give severer impact for the asari stock. In order to take effective countermeasures for the decline of asari stock in Japan, further assessment of the impact of the suspected factors is required to be progressed

Incidence of esophageal injury after pulmonary vein isolation in patients with a low body mass index and esophageal temperature monitoring at a 39 °C setting

Background: Esophageal injury following catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is reported to occur in 35% of patients. Even with a low energy setting (20–25 W), lesions develop in 10% of patients. Body mass index (BMI) has been reported to be a predictor of esophageal injury, indicating that patients with a low BMI (<24.9 kg/m2) are at a higher risk. We hypothesized that catheter ablation with a lower energy setting of 20 W controlled by esophageal temperature monitoring (ETM) at 39 °C could prevent esophageal injury even in patients with a BMI <24.9 kg/m2. Methods: Twenty patients with AF were included (age, 63±8 years; BMI, 22.9±1.3 kg/m2, left atrium diameter, 44±11 mm). If the esophageal temperature probe registered a temperature of >39 °C, radiofrequency (RF) application was stopped immediately. RF application could be performed in a “point by point” manner for a maximum of 20 s. Endoscopy was performed 1–5 days after ablation. Results: Esophageal mucosal injury was not observed in any patient in the study. Conclusions: Catheter ablation using ETM reduced the incidence of esophageal injuries, even in patients with a low BMI