Remote electronic monitoring as a potential alternative to on-board observers in small-scale fisheries

This is the final version of the article. Available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Small-scale fisheries can greatly impact threatened marine fauna. Peru's small-scale elasmobranch gillnet fishery captures thousands of sharks and rays each year, and incidentally captures sea turtles, marine mammals and seabirds. We assessed the ability of a dedicated fisheries remote electronic monitoring (REM) camera to identify and quantify captures in this fishery by comparing its performance to on-board observer reports. Cameras were installed across five boats with a total of 228 fishing sets monitored. Of these, 169 sets also had on-board fisheries observers present. The cameras were shown to be an effective tool for identifying catch, with > 90% detection rates for 9 of 12 species of elasmobranchs caught. Detection rates of incidental catch were more variable (sea turtle = 50%; cetacean = 80%; pinniped = 100%). The ability to quantify target catch from camera imagery degraded for fish quantities exceeding 15 individuals. Cameras were more effective at quantifying rays than sharks for small catch quantities (x ≤ 15 fish), whereas size affected camera performance for large catches (x > 15 fish). Our study showed REM to be effective in detecting and quantifying elasmobranch target catch and pinniped bycatch in Peru's small-scale fishery, but not, without modification, in detecting and quantifying sea turtle and cetacean bycatch. We showed REM can provide a time- and cost-effective method to monitor target catch in small-scale fisheries and can be used to overcome some deficiencies in observer reports. With modifications to the camera specifications, we expect performance to improve for all target catch and bycatch species.This work was supported by the Darwin Initiative Project EIDP0046 and the Whitley Fund for Nature Grant 150626 CF15. David C. Bartholomew is supported by a NERC studentship NE/L002434/1

Illuminating gillnets to save seabirds and the potential for multi-taxa bycatch mitigation

This is the final version. Available from Royal Society via the DOI in this record. Bycatch in net fisheries is recognized as a major source of mortality for many marine species, including seabirds. Few mitigation solutions, however, have been identified. We assessed the effectiveness of illuminating fishing nets with green light emitting diodes (LEDs) to reduce the incidental capture of seabirds. Experiments were conducted in the demersal, set gillnet fishery of Constante, Peru and compared 114 pairs of control and illuminated nets. We observed captures of a total of 45 guanay cormorants (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii), with 39 caught in control nets and six caught in illuminated nets. Seabird bycatch in terms of catch-per-unit-effort was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in control nets than in illuminated nets, representing an 85.1% decline in the cormorant bycatch rate. This study, showing that net illumination reduces seabird bycatch and previous studies showing reductions in sea turtle bycatch without reducing target catch, indicates that net illumination can be an effective multi-taxa bycatch mitigation technique. This finding has broad implications for bycatch mitigation in net fisheries given LED technology's relatively low cost, the global ubiquity of net fisheries and the current paucity of bycatch mitigation solutions.Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)NOAA Fisheries ServiceNational Fish and Wildlife Foundatio

Reducing green turtle bycatch in small-scale fisheries using illuminated gillnets: The Cost of Saving a Sea Turtle

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Gillnet fisheries exist throughout the oceans and have been implicated in high bycatch rates of sea turtles. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of illuminating nets with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), placed on floatlines in order to reduce sea turtle bycatch in a small-scale bottom-set gillnet fishery. In Sechura Bay, Northern Peru, 114 pairs of control and illuminated nets were deployed. The predicted mean Catch Per Unit of Effort (CPUE) of target species, standardized for environmental variables using generalized additive model analysis, was similar for both control and illuminated nets. In contrast, the predicted mean CPUE of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) was reduced by 63.9% in illuminated nets. One hundred twenty-five green turtles were caught in control nets while 62 were caught in illuminated nets. This statistically significant reduction (GAM analysis, p<0.05) in sea turtle bycatch suggests that net illumination could be an effective conservation tool. Challenges to implementing the use of LEDs include equipment costs, increased net handling times, and limited awareness among fishermen regarding the effectiveness of this technology. Cost estimates for preventing a single sea turtle catch are as low as $34 USD, while the costs to outfit the entire gillnet fishery in Sechura Bay can be as low as$9200 USD. Understanding these cost challenges emphasizes the need for institutional support from national ministries, international non-governmental organizations and the broader fisheries industry to make possible widespread implementation of net illumination as a sea turtle bycatch reduction strategy.ProDelphinusDarwin InitiativeNational Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationUniversity of Hawaii Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Researc

On-surface synthesis of a dicationic diazahexabenzocoronene derivative on the Au(111) surface

The atomically precise control over the size, shape and structure of nanographenes (NGs) or the introduction of heteroatom dopants into their sp2-carbon lattice confer them valuable electronic, optical and magnetic properties. Herein, we report on the design and synthesis of a hexabenzocoronene derivative embedded with graphitic nitrogen in its honeycomb lattice, achieved via on-surface assisted cyclodehydrogenation on the Au(111) surface. Combined scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy and non-contact atomic force microscopy investigations unveil the chemical and electronic structures of the obtained dicationic NG. Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements reveal a considerable variation of the local contact potential difference toward lower values with respect to the gold surface, indicative of its positive net charge. Altogether, we introduce the concept of cationic nitrogen doping of NGs on surfaces, opening new avenues for the design of novel carbon nanostructure

Plan de negocio de una empresa dedicada a la venta de productos de higiene y limpieza a granel mediante envases reutilizables y m?quinas dispensadoras en Lima Norte

Se propone la venta a granel de productos de higiene y limpieza mediante m?quinas dispensadoras y envases recargables. El objetivo es poder reducir la emisi?n de pl?sticos en cuarento toneladas en los primeros cinco a?os de funcionamiento de la empresa. De igual modo, se busca generar ahorros en el ticket de consumo del rubro de higiene y limpieza en un 55% por familia. Finalmente, se busca una rentabilidad de S/101,176 y una TIR de 17.85%

Post-release movements of leatherback turtles captured by the Peruvian small-scale driftnet fishery: insights from satellite telemetry

This is the final version. Available on open access from Inter-Research Science Publisher via the DOI in this recordThe subpopulation of leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea in the eastern Pacific Ocean is classified as Critically Endangered due to multiple anthropogenic threats, the most urgent of which remains mortality at sea from fisheries interactions. Here we used satellite telemetry to assess the post-capture movements of leatherbacks in foraging grounds off Peru and attempt to evaluate post-release mortality. The 16 turtles tracked were bycatch from small-scale driftnet fishing vessels from the Peruvian ports of San Jose, Salaverry, and Parachique between 2014 and 2018. Sampled individuals included juveniles, subadults, and adults (curved carapace length range: 100.0 to 150.0 cm). Post-release overlap with driftnet fishing grounds was low and, upon release, all but one leatherback tracked for >30 d (n = 10) moved offshore beyond the continental shelf. From the subset of 6 tags with dive data, turtles spent 39.1 ± 11.8% of their time (range: 27.5 to 55.9%) within 10 m of the surface. Turtles spent significantly more time conducting shallow dives compared to deep dives during the day and night, carried out significantly more shallow dives compared to deep dives during the day and night, and carried out significantly more shallow dives during the day compared to night. Of the 16 tracks, biofouling (n = 3) and turtle injury or death (n = 3) were identified as the possible cause of tag cessation. Study results can inform ongoing population modeling and bycatch mitigation initiatives and efforts to predict and prevent bycatch interactions and mortality of this population.NOAA Pacific Island Fisheries Science CenterUniversity of ExeterNational Fish and Wildlife Foundatio