Discarding in beam trawl fisheries: optimisation of discard sampling, evaluation of reducing technical measures and sensibilisation of the sector

Beam trawling for flatfish is the dominant activity in the Belgian fisheries fleet. This activity is characterised by a considerable environmental impact and a high discard rate of bottom-dwelling fish and benthic invertebrates. international pressure on beam trawl fisheries leading to future European measures to reduce or potentially even ban Research on discard practices is currently conducted in the framework of the National Data Gathering Program, but is mainly focussed on commercial fishes. Data on noncommercial species are mostly lacking. Such data are indispensable to assess the impact of beam trawling on the marine ecosystem, and to develop and maintain an towards non-commercial species requires substantial adaptations of the existing sampling protocols and analysis methods.Future implementation of discard reducing measures or even a discard ban will have a severe impact on the fisheries sector. Therefore, such measures should be anticipated by the sector by the development of more selective fishing gear or alternative fishing techniques. Either way, research on discards should be conducted in close cooperation with Belgian fleet members and the results should be communicated to all interested parties.TOETS is an interdisciplinary project which aims to meet the needs in discard research by: (1) developing a suitable sampling protocol to monitor discards of commercial and non-commercial species; (2) assessing the bycatch reducing effect of beam trawls rigged with different types of technical adaptations; (3) informing the sector concerning bycatch reducing measures and cooperating with the sector during the development of reducing technical adaptations; (4) investigating the discard practices in different fishing grounds (Southern Bight and central North Sea, English Channel, Irish Sea, Celtic Sea, Bay of Biscay) concerning driving forces and discard raising procedures

Towards describing small scale agriculture: an analysis of diversity and the impact thereof on extension services: the case of the Leliefontein area (Northern Cape, South Africa)

This article reports on a study which was undertaken in one of the historically “coloured reserves” of the Northern Cape Province called Leliefontein. The overall objective of the study was to compile an understanding about the diversity in farming households. Typology analysis was applied on a sample of 108 households. The findings of the study show that there exists substantial diversity among the households in this predominantly farming community. The knowledge of this diversity might be of importance for extension service. There are seven types of households reflecting this diversity namely, Autonomous Households; Livestock Holders; Irregular Income Earners; the Poorest; Regular Income Earners and Social Transfer Dependent types. These findings are then applied to assist with the design of extension services. Keywords: Small-scale agriculture, extension services, farming households, diversity, impact South African Journal of Agricultural Extension Vol. 34(2) 2005: 303-31

Discarding in beam trawl fisheries: quantification and reduction (preliminary results)

Since 2002, the European Union’s Data Collection Regulation requires EU member states to collect discard data on commercial fishing vessels. In response, discard sampling in the Belgian beam trawl fishery is carried out by sea-going observers since 2003, but is mainly focused on commercially valuable fishes. From 2007, the research project TOETS prepares the extension of the data collection programme towards commercially unimportant fish species and non-fish organisms.Four sampling trips were undertaken on Belgian beam trawlers in the TOETS framework so far (October 2007-January 2008). Both volume and composition of the discards were studied for different parts of the North Sea and the English Channel. In two trips, fishing gear type (among the various factors influencing the amount of discarded organisms in a catch) was manipulated on one side of the fishing vessel to evaluate potential reductions in discard yields through technical adaptations. The adaptations involved the use of square mesh codends and the incorporation of a benthos release panel.The variability in volume and composition of discards (primarily changing with fishing vessel, geographic region and period of the year), and in commercial yield-to-discard ratios is illustrated. Furthermore, we compared catches of standard and adapted beam trawl nets to evaluate the alternatives’ potentials to reduce fish and non-fish discardswhile commercial fish yield is retained (preliminary results)

Extracorporeal Treatment in Phenytoin Poisoning: Systematic Review and Recommendations from the EXTRIP Workgroup

The Extracorporeal Treatments in Poisoning (EXTRIP) Workgroup conducted a systematic literature review using a standardized process to develop evidence-based recommendations on the use of extracorporeal treatment (ECTR) in patients with phenytoin poisoning. The authors reviewed all articles, extracted data, summarized findings, and proposed structured voting statements following a predetermined format. A 2-round modified Delphi method was used to reach a consensus on voting statements, and the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method was used to quantify disagreement. 51 articles met the inclusion criteria. Only case reports, case series, and pharmacokinetic studies were identified, yielding a very low quality of evidence. Clinical data from 31 patients and toxicokinetic grading from 46 patients were abstracted. The workgroup concluded that phenytoin is moderately dialyzable (level of evidence = C) despite its high protein binding and made the following recommendations. ECTR would be reasonable in select cases of severe phenytoin poisoning (neutral recommendation, 3D). ECTR is suggested if prolonged coma is present or expected (graded 2D) and it would be reasonable if prolonged incapacitating ataxia is present or expected (graded 3D). If ECTR is used, it should be discontinued when clinical improvement is apparent (graded 1D). The preferred ECTR modality in phenytoin poisoning is intermittent hemodialysis (graded 1D), but hemoperfusion is an acceptable alternative if hemodialysis is not available (graded 1D). In summary, phenytoin appears to be amenable to extracorporeal removal. However, because of the low incidence of irreversible tissue injury or death related to phenytoin poisoning and the relatively limited effect of ECTR on phenytoin removal, the workgroup proposed the use of ECTR only in very select patients with severe phenytoin poisoning

Zimbabwe’s land reform: challenging the myths

Most commentary on Zimbabwe’s land reform insists that agricultural production has almost totally collapsed, that food insecurity is rife, that rural economies are in precipitous decline, that political ‘cronies’ have taken over the land and that farm labour has all been displaced. This paper however argues that the story is not simply one of collapse and catastrophe; it is much more nuanced and complex, with successes as well as failures. The paper provides a summary of some of the key findings from a ten-year study in Masvingo province and the book Zimbabwe’s Land Reform: Myths and Realities. The paper documents the nature of the radical transformation of agrarian structure that has occurred both nationally and within the province, and the implications for agricultural production and livelihoods. A discussion of who got the land shows the diversity of new settlers, many of whom have invested substantially in their new farms. An emergent group ‘middle farmers’ is identified who are producing, investing and accumulating. This has important implications – both economically and politically – for the future, as the final section on policy challenges discusses.ESR

The politics of evidence: methodologies for understanding the global land rush

Since the most recent ‘land rush’ precipitated by the convergent ‘crises’ of fuel, feed and food in 2007-08, the debate on the consequences of land investments has been massively heightened, with widespread media coverage, policy commentary and civil society engagement. The ‘land rush’ of recent years has been accompanied by a ‘literature rush’, with a fast-growing body of reports, articles, tables and books with varied purposes, metrics and methods. ‘Land grabbing’ is now a hot political topic around the world, discussed amongst the highest circles. This is why getting the facts right is really important, and having effective methodologies is crucial. Several global initiatives have set out to aggregate information on land deals, and to describe their scale, character and distribution. All have contributed to building a better picture of the phenomenon, but all have struggled with methodology. This JPS Forum identifies a profound uncertainty about what it is that is being counted, questions methods used to collate and aggregate ‘land grabs’, and calls for a second phase of land grab research which abandons the aim of deriving total numbers of hectares in favour of more specific, grounded and transparent methods.ESR

Legged Robots

International audienc

The new enclosures: critical perspectives on corporate land deals

The contributions to this collection use the tools of agrarian political economy to explore the rapid growth and complex dynamics of large-scale land deals in recent years, with a special focus on the implications of big land deals for property and labour regimes, labour processes and structures of accumulation. The first part of this introductory essay examines the implications of this agrarian political economy perspective. First we explore the continuities and contrasts between historical and contemporary land grabs, before examining the core underlying debate around large- versus small-scale farming futures. Next, we unpack the diverse contexts and causes of land grabbing today, highlighting six overlapping mechanisms. The following section turns to assessing the crisis narratives that frame the justifications for land deals, and the flaws in the argument around there being excess, empty or idle land available. Next the paper turns to an examination of the impacts of land deals, and the processes of inclusion and exclusion at play, before looking at patterns of resistance and constructions of alternatives. The final section introduces the papers in the collection.ESR

Governing the Global Land Grab: Multipolarity, Ideas and Complexity in Transnational Governance

Since 2008, a series of new regulatory initiatives have emerged to address large-scale land grabs. These initiatives are occurring simultaneously at multiple levels of social organization instead of a single, overarching institutional site. A significant portion of this activity is taking place at the transnational level. We suggest that transnational land governance is indicative of emerging shifts in the practice of governance of global affairs. We analyze such shifts by asking two related questions: what does land grabbing tell us about developments in transnational governance, particularly with regard to North-South relations, and what do these developments in transnational governance mean for regulating land grabbing?Desde 2008, ha surgido una serie de nuevas iniciativas regulatorias para tratar acaparamientos de tierra a gran escala. Estas iniciativas están sucediendo simultáneamente a niveles múltiples de la organización social en vez de un lugar institucional predominante. Una porción importante de esta actividad está tomando lugar al nivel transnacional. Sugerimos que la gobernanza de tierras trasnacionales es indicativa de los cambios que están surgiendo en la práctica de gobernanza de los asuntos globales. Analizamos tales cambios haciendo dos preguntas relacionadas: ¿qué nos dice el acaparamiento de tierras sobre los desarrollos en la gobernanza trasnacional, particularmente con las relaciones norte-sur?, y ¿qué significan estos desarrollos en gobernanza trasnacional para regular el acaparamiento de tierras