Precision and accuracy of fish length measurements obtained with two visual underwater methods

During the VITAL cruise in the Bay of Biscay in summer 2002, two devices for measuring the length of swimming fish were tested: 1) a mechanical crown that emitted a pair of parallel laser beams and that was mounted on the main camera and 2) an underwater auto-focus video camera. The precision and accuracy of these devices were compared and the various sources of measurement errors were estimated by repeatedly measuring fixed and mobile objects and live fish. It was found that fish mobility is the main source of error for these devices because they require that the objects to be measured are perpendicular to the field of vision. The best performance was obtained with the laser method where a video-replay of laser spots (projected on fish bodies) carrying real-time size information was used. The auto-focus system performed poorly because of a delay in obtaining focus and because of some technical problems

Cross-validation of ELISA and a portable surface plasmon resonance instrument for IgG antibody serology with SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals.

We report on the development of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors and matching ELISAs for the detection of nucleocapsid and spike antibodies specific to the novel coronavirus 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) in human serum, plasma and dried blood spots (DBS)

Towards ecosystem-based management: identifying operational food-web indicators for marine ecosystems

Modern approaches to Ecosystem-Based Management and sustainable use of marine resources must account for the myriad of pressures (interspecies, human and environmental) affecting marine ecosystems. The network of feeding interactions between co-existing species and populations (food webs) are an important aspect of all marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Here we describe and discuss a process to evaluate the selection of operational food-web indicators for use in evaluating marine ecosystem status. This process brought together experts in food-web ecology, marine ecology, and resource management, to identify available indicators that can be used to inform marine management. Standard evaluation criteria (availability and quality of data, conceptual basis, communicability, relevancy to management) were implemented to identify practical food-web indicators ready for operational use and indicators that hold promise for future use in policy and management. The major attributes of the final suite of operational food-web indicators were structure and functioning. Indicators that represent resilience of the marine ecosystem were less developed. Over 60 potential food-web indicators were evaluated and the final selection of operational food-web indicators includes: the primary production required to sustain a fishery, the productivity of seabirds (or charismatic megafauna), zooplankton indicators, primary productivity, integrated trophic indicators, and the biomass of trophic guilds. More efforts should be made to develop thresholds-based reference points for achieving Good Environmental Status. There is also a need for international collaborations to develop indicators that will facilitate management in marine ecosystems used by multiple countries.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Effets directs et indirects de la pêche sur des groupes trophiques de poissons démersaux, définis par une approche écomorphologique

La dynamique de groupes fonctionnels dans une communauté peut permettre de mieux comprendre les impacts d une perturbation sur le fonctionnement du système. Nous nous attendons en particulier à ce que les groupes fonctionnels répondent différemment à la pression de pêche, en fonction de leur exposition directe et de leurs interactions (effets indirects). Une méthode basée sur une approche écomorphologique a été développée, en se focalisant sur les fonctions de prédation, pour définir des groupes fonctionnels basés sur la taille et la taxonomie des individus, dans les communautés de poissons démersaux de mer Celtique et de mer du Nord. Onze traits fonctionnels ont été utilisés pour définir 12 groupes fonctionnels en mer Celtique (basés sur 930 individus appartenant à 33 espèces) et 7 en mer du nord (basés sur 710 individus de 22 espèces). En mer Celtique, les groupes fonctionnels expliquent mieux le régime alimentaire que des groupes de taille tandis que le régime alimentaire en mer du Nord semble davantage gouverné par la taille des individus. Des séries temporelles de biomasse des groupes fonctionnels ont été reconstituées d après des données de campagnes scientifiques de chalutage de fond. Dans les deux communautés, la pêche semble affecter inégalement différentes fonctions trophiques. Nous montrons par ailleurs (i) une propagation des effets de la pêche des hauts vers les bas nivaux trophiques (effets top-down) en mer du Nord et (ii) des phénomènes de compensation écologique intra-groupe en mer Celtique. Le fonctionnement des deux communautés paraît affecté par la pêche. La mer Celtique semble toutefois plus résiliente aux perturbations que la mer du Nord.Functional groups dynamics in marine communities may help to understand how perturbations impact the functioning of an ecosystem. It is notably expected that functional groups respond differently to fishing pressure owing to their direct exposure to fishing and interactions between groups (indirect effects). A method was developed, based on an ecomorphological approach focusing on predation functions, to define size- and taxonomy-driven functional groups in demersal fish communities from Celtic and North seas. Eleven functional traits were used to define 12 functional groups in Celtic sea (based on measurements on 930 individuals from 33 species) and seven groups in North sea (710 individual from 22 species). In Celtic sea, the functional groups better explained diet than size groups whereas diet in North sea appeared rather size-driven. Functional groups biomass time-series were assessed using ground-fish surveys data. Fishing seems to unequally affect different ecological functions in both communities. It was furthermore shown that (i) fishing effects propagate from high to low trophic levels (top-down effects) in North sea and (ii) ecological compensation may occur within functional groups in Celtic sea. The functioning of both communities appeared impacted by fishing pressure. Nevertheless, the Celtic sea fish community appeared more resilient to perturbation than the one from North sea.BREST-BU Droit-Sciences-Sports (290192103) / SudocPLOUZANE-Bibl.La Pérouse (290195209) / SudocSudocFranceF

Bacterial Strain Characterization Using Mathematical Modelling of Growth

International audienc

Use of avoidance behaviours to reduce the economic impacts of the EU Landing Obligation: the case study of a mixed trawl fishery

International audienceThe EU Landing Obligation (LO) is designed to reduce bycatch (i.e. unwanted catch) through more selective fishing practices, such as avoidance behaviours which consist in allocating fishing effort to other species, fishing grounds or seasons. Incentives for fishers to change their behaviours depend on their economic performances as well as their ability to avoid bycatch. Changes in economic performances under the LO are evaluated based on cost and revenue equations. The nested grid method is then used to explore the spatial and temporal distribution of landings and discards, and to suggest alternative effort allocation to avoid bycatch. This article is focussed specifically on the French otter trawl fishery in the eastern English Channel and southern North Sea. Results suggest that under the LO the choke species problem will curtail fishing activities earlier in the year, leading to significant economic losses. In the absence of significant quota top-ups (at least 75%), a change in fishing practices consisting in reducing overall bycatch by 30% is insufficient to reduce losses. With a particular attention to choke species, more economically efficient avoidance strategies can be found thanks to the nested grid method