An overview of sea cucumber fishery management in the Fiji Islands

The Fijian sea cucumber fishery began in the early 1800's in response to demand from Asian markets for bêche-de-mer. The fishery has shown classic 'boom and bust' production cycles for much of its life. From 1984-2012 a total of 8,620 t of bêche-de-mer were exported from Fiji. Particularly large volumes were exported in 1987 (>600 t), 1988 (>700 t) and 1996 (>600 t) and declines in export volumes are notable following these peaks. Subsequent export peaks of around 400 t in 2005 and 2011, are considerably lower than those in the 1980s and 1990s and after 2005, annual exports averaged 243 t. Between 2003 and 2012 export volumes of high value species declined from 14-8%, while that of medium value species increased from 50-59%. Sandfish (Holothuria scabra) appeared on export manifests in 2003 and 2004 despite an export moratorium for this species. Despite numerous recommendations to improved sustainability of the Fijian sea cucumber fishery, management measures consist primarily of an export size limit of 7.62 cm for bêche-de-mer. Over-exploitation of the resource and declining sea cucumber stocks have resulted. A historic overview of the Fijian sea cucumber fishery was provided within the context of the various fishery management approached adopted by other South Pacific Island nations. It includes data gathered by interviews with sea cucumber fishermen, bêche-de-mer processors and other stakeholders and makes recommendations for an effective management plan for a fishery that is an important livelihood activity for coastal communities in Fiji

Recovery rates for eight commercial sea cucumber species from the Fiji Islands

Determination of the original weight and length of sea cucumbers processed and dried to become bêche-de-mer (BDM), is an important tool in sea cucumber fishery management. The only management mechanism for the sea cucumber fishery in the Fiji Islands is a minimum length prescribed for BDM for export. However, different commercial species have different shrinkage rates during processing and previous studies have suggested modification of fisheries management for sea cucumbers to include species-specific minimum harvest size limits This study determined weight-based and length-based recovery rates (i.e. the length/weight of BDM recovered after processing from the initial length/weight of fresh sea cucumber), for eight commercial sea cucumber species following processing to BDM; White Teatfish (Holothuria fuscogilva), Black Teatfish (Holothuria whitmaei), Tigerfish (Bohadschia argus), Surf Redfish (Actinopyga mauritiana), Hairy Blackfish (Actinopyga miliaris), Stonefish (Actinopyga lecanora), Prickly Redfish (Thelenota ananas) and Sandfish (Holothuria scabra). Length and weight recovery rates varied between species and ranged from the highest recovery values of 54.9% for length and 11% for weight in Black Teatfish, to the lowest recovery values of 32.6% for length and 3.0% for weight in Sandfish and Tigerfish, respectively. Length-based and weight-based relationships were generated for each species through the various stages of processing from fresh to dried (BDM) allowing estimation of initial fresh weight/length from partially or fully processed BDM and vice versa. Information generated in this study provides a basis for developing more species-specific harvest size restrictions for sea cucumbers in the Fiji Islands, and has application in stock assessment studies, estimation of harvest data, monitoring of harvest size limits and standardizing catch data

Studies in the complexes of anthrones with metal halides. III. Complexes of anthrones with the halides of some metals of groups V, VI and VIII

Benzanthrone forms solid 1:1 complexes with the chlorides and bromides of antimony (V), bismuth(III) and iron(III), and 2:1 adducts with those of tellurium(IV) while anthrone and 10-nitroanthrone react with antimony(V)chloride only to yield 1:1 compounds. Halides of arsenic(III) and antimony(III) do not form solid compounds with anthrones. The antimony(V) halide complexes are non-ionic and monomeric in nitrobenzene; the benzanthrone complex can be sublimed undecomposed at 90°/2 mm. The tellurium(IV) halide complexes decompose into thermally unstable 1:1 products during thermogravimetric analysis. Infra-red spectral studies reveal the formation of metal-oxygen bonds in the complexes and the weakness of bromides as Lewis acids against corresponding chlorides except in case of the tellurium(IV) halides where a reverse order has been indicated. Magnetic susceptibilities of the iron complexes have also been determined which agree with the values calculated for 5 unpaired electrons

Studies in the complexes of anthrones with metal halides-IV complexes of anthrones with the halides of iodine (I), zinc, mercury (II), boron and aluminium

Benzanthrone, anthrone, 10-nitroanthrone, 10-benzalanthrone and 10,10-dibenzylanthrone from 1:1 complexes with some of the halides of iodine (I), zinc, mercury (II), boron and aluminium. The molar conductance of iodine (I) halide complexes in nitrobenzene suggests that although the complexes are not strictly uni-univalent electrolytes yet they are appreciably ionized. The i.r. spectra of benzanthrone complexes of iodine (I) and mercury (II) halides indicate that the bond formation is through the carbonyl oxygen and that the chlorides appear to be stronger electron acceptors than the corresponding bromides

Studies in the complexes of anthrones with metal halides-II complexes of anthrones with halides of tin (IV) and zirconium (IV)

Tin (IV) and zirconium (IV) chlorides form coloured complexes with benzanthrone, anthrone, nitroanthrone and benzalanthrone and the corresponding bromides with benzathrone only in non-aqueous solvents in the ratio 1:2. The iodides do not form adducts with these anthrones. Tin (IV) halide complexes are non-ionic and monomeric in nitrobenzene. The 1:2 adducts decompose into thermally unstable 1:1 products on heating. Studies on the i.r. spectra of these complexes reveal the complex formation through carbonyl oxygen and the following relative order of Lewis acid strengths: chloride > bromide > iodide and tin > zirconium

Bromine cyanide as titrimetric oxidant in non-aqueous media

Bromine cyanide has been used for the potentiometric determination of sulphide, sulphite, thiocyanate, iodide, tin(II), arsenic(III),hydrazine hydrate, phenylhydrazine, 1,1-methylphenyldrazine and chloralhydrazine in glacial acetic acid and 1:1 acetic acid-acetic anhydride mixture, of thiourea, ethylthiourea, isopropylthiourea, benzylthiourea, α-phenylthiourea and o-tolythiourea in methanol, and of sodium methyl-, ethyl-,dimethyl-, diehtyl- and isopropyldithiocarbamates in ehtanol and acetonitrile media. The behaviour of bromine cyanide in these non-aqueous solvents has been compared with its behaviour in aqueous medium and with that of iodine cyanide in these non-aqueous solvents

Structure of donor-acceptor complexes-IX coordination compounds of imides with metal halides

Preparation of the addition compounds of phthalimide, succinimide and isatin with antimony(V) chloride, tin(IV) chloride and bromide, titanium(IV) chloride, zirconium(IV) chloride, aluminium chloride and bromide is reported. Composition of the adducts has been determined by chemical analysis and their structure elucidated by a study of their i.r. spectra, molar conductance and molecular weight

Structure of donor-acceptor complexes. XI. Compounds of diacetyl and dibenzoyl hydrazines with some group (III) halides

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Ethylacetate as a polar solvent. V. Solvolytic reactions in ethylacetate and the nature of the solvolysed products

The Lewis acids, TiCl4, SnCl4, TeCl4, ZrCl4, SiCl4, MoCl5, SbCl5, AlCl3 and FeCl3 have been solvolysed in ethylacetate and the corresponding chloroethoxides have been isolated. The reaction type is explained on the basis of the existence of a low concentration of (OC2H5)- in pure ethylacetate according to CH3COOC2H5 CH3CO+ + OC2H5-. Conductivities of the solutions of chloroethoxides formed in ethylacetate also indicate that they act as Lewis acids in this solvent. Conductometric titrations of bases with SnCl2(OC2H5)2, SbCl3(OC2H5)2 and AlCl2(OC2H5) are also reported

Titrimetric determination of mercaptans with chloramine-T

Propyl mercaptan, allyl mercaptan, 2-mercaptoethanol, cysteamine hydrochloride, thio-p-cresol, 2-aminobenzenethiol, 2-mercaptopropionic acid and thioglycollic acid react with chloramine-T in 2:1 molar ratio in the presence of iodide, forming the corresponding disulphides. Mercaptans having a free β-carbonyl group do not react quantitatively. The oxidation of the mercaptans is a function of time, and the corresponding sulphonic acids are formed on allowing them to stand with excess of chloramine-T. The oxidation to sulphonic acid is, however, instantaneous in the presence of iodine cyanide which acts as a catalyst and preoxidizer. This method is simple, accurate and rapid, and as little as 0.5 mg of the mercaptan can be determined with ±0.25% error