Studies on the fishery of the penaeid prawn Metapenaeus affinis (Milne Edwards) Along the Mangalore coast

Tbe fishery anl certain features of the population structures of M. affiMs caught by the trawlers fran 1962 through 1971 are reported. The fishery was chiefly i^odal and was dominated by large size groups early in the season and smaller size groups later. The maximum number of broods entering the fishery was observed to be four. Age and growth studies indicated that tbe males attain a length of about 95, 140 and 160 mm and females, lOO, 143 and 170 mm at the end of one, two and three years, respectively. The miniminn size at first maturity for males was found tp be 116 mm. The average annual instantaneous fishing mwtality was found to be 3.76 for males and 2.50 for females between one and two year olds

Trophic model of the coastal fisheries ecosystem of the southwest coast of India

The Ecopath approach and software were used to construct a trophic model of the coastal fisheries ecosystem of the southwest (SW) coast of India. The model consisted of 11 ecological groups and used estimated landings from all areas along the southwest coast (based on the sample surveys conducted by Coastal Marine Fisheries Research Institute for the years 1994, 1995 and 1996). The trophic model suggests high catch levels, particularly for the large and medium predators, demersal feeders and detritivores. The biomass estimates in the trophic model were comparable to the biomass estimates from trawl surveys based on the swept area method for the southwest coast.Fishery resources, Demersal fisheries, Fishery surveys, Biomass, Population density, Shrimp fisheries, Catch/effort, Trawling, Mathematical models, Coastal fisheries, ISW, India,

A preliminary assessment of the coastal fishery resources in India: socioeconomic and bioeconomic perspective

India is endowed with a continental shelf of 0.5 million km2 and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of about 2 million km2. Almost half (39%) of the Indian population utilizes the marine fisheries resources. India ranked sixth worldwide in total fish production (4.95 million t) and second in inland fish production (2.24 million t) during 1995 - 96. Fish production expanded from 0.75 million t in 1950 - 51 to 4.95 million t in 1995 - 96, giving a significant increase at a cumulative growth rate of 4.2% per annum. Marine fish production increased from 0.53 million t in 1950 - 51 to 2.71 million t in 1995 - 96. The contribution of the fisheries sector to the total gross domestic product (GDP) improved from 0.75% in 1980 - 81 to 1.28% in 1994 - 95, with marine fisheries providing employment opportunities both in the production and post-harvest sectors. Subsidiary employment in fishing includes boat building and repair, net mending, repair of engines and supply of diesel, kerosene and other essential items. Women are mostly engaged in post-harvest operations like net mending, fish processing, packing and selling of fish and fish products. The contribution to foreign exchange earnings by the fishery sector substantially increased from Rs46 crores in 1960 - 61 to Rs4 697 (US$121*) in 1997 - 98. India exports about 55 types of marine products to different countries in Southwest Asia, Europe and USA. The total quantity of marine product exports rose from 97 200 t in 1987 - 88 to 307 337 t in 1994 - 95 giving an equivalent export value of Rs53 000 lakhs to Rs357 500 lakhs**. The marine fishing sector can be classified into: (a) non-motorized artisanal sector using country craft with traditional gear; (b) motorized sector; (c) mechanized sector using inboard engines of 50 to 120 HP; and (d) deep sea fishing with bigger boats (25 m and above) and engines of 120 HP and above. In 1996, India had a total fishing fleet of 238 125 units comprising 160 000 traditional craft, 31 726 motorized craft (converted from traditional) and 46 918 mechanized vessels operating different gear combinations. For artisanal fishing, the use of canoe and boat seine in Kerala provided the highest net income of Rs0.10 lakh with an annual catch of 51 t and an initial investment of Rs0.85 lakh. In motorized fishing, canoe and ring seine in Kerala offered a net income of Rs0.98 lakh with an annual catch of 220 t and an initial investment of Rs5.0 lakh. All major fishing units in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have higher profits not because of higher levels of fish catch but due to a better fish price. In the motorized sector, the increase in the price of fish over the years is greater than the increase in fuel expenditure. Small trawlers, purse seiners, dol-netters, gillnetters, pair trawlers and sona boats are the major types of mechanized fishing units operating in the inshore waters (up to 50 m depth). Trawlers and gillnetters are mostly operated along the Indian coasts whereas the fishing fleet mentioned above is confined to certain regions only. A small trawler (32Æ - 36Æ) has a net income of Rs0.90 lakh with an annual catch of 72 t and initial investment of Rs5.2 lakh in Karnataka. A purse seiner has a net earning of Rs3.14 lakh per year with an annual catch of 280 t and an average investment of Rs10 lakh. However the average value of fish caught in a purse seiner is Rs4.29 per kg set against the break-even cost of Rs3.16 per kg. To assess the economic sustainability of Indian marine fisheries in the period 1985 to 1998, the surplus production model or Schaefer Model was applied. Based on this, the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) was estimated at 2 353 726 t with an estimated effort of 984 586 annual fishing hours (AFH). Using the Fox surplus production model, MSY was equal to 2 973 752 t with an effort of 6 126 232 AFH. Note that actual yield during that period was 2 441 043 t with an effort of 12 97 092 AFH. This is indicative of over-fishing in the Indian Sea and Bay of Bengal. A number of management strategies can be applied to reduce the fishing pressure on the coastal areas of India. These are: (a) a ban of certain fishing gear and restricted entry to over-exploited fishing grounds; (b) the promotion of alternative/subsidiary income and emphasizing the importance of mariculture/aquaculture; (c) effective implementation of small scale fishery development projects like infrastructure and service facilities; (d) coastal zone management including protection of marine habitats; and (e) information dissemination and education on the importance of fisheries resources.Fishery resources, Fishery surveys, Biomass, Population density, Shrimp fisheries, Catch/effort, Trawling, Mathematical models, Coastal fisheries, Marine fisheries, Ecosystems, Socioeconomic aspects, Artisanal fishing, Ecnonomic benefits, ISW, India,

Marine fisheries along the southwest coast of India

Marine fisheries production in India has increased from 0.5 million t in 1950 to 2.47 million t in 1997. The gross value of fisheries landings in India was US$2.37 billion in 1997. The contribution of fisheries to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen from 0.7% in 1980 - 81 to 1.2% in 1994 - 95. The contribution to agricultural GDP has risen from 1.9% to 4%. Fisheries production also plays a critical role in food security and livelihood in rural areas. The southwest (SW) coast, while only 16% of the Indian coastline, is an important area for marine fisheries production, contributing 31.7% (0.74 million t) in 1993 - 98. This production is dominated by pelagic (59% of landings) and demersal species (23%). However, the open access system has resulted in rapid increases in fishing effort, particularly in the coastal areas. The density of fishers inshore has increased from 3.6 to 8.5 fishers per km2 in the past four decades. This excess effort has resulted in overfishing of the stocks and lower economic rent from the fishery. The overall objective of coastal fisheries management along the southwest coast of India is sustainable coastal fisheries development. This requires key ecological, social, economic and administrative issues to be addressed. Ecological sustainability requires the reduction of the excess effort through limited entry and effort reduction schemes, appropriate exploitation patterns through improved gear selectivity and restoration of the degraded coastal environment through integrated coastal zone management initiatives. Key social interventions include: creation of alternative employment to reduce fisher numbers, prevention/management of increasing intra- and inter-sectoral conflicts and empowerment of artisanal fishers through co-management schemes, social legislation and improved support/welfare schemes. The key economic issues include declining earnings, particularly of artisanal fishers, which requires; optimizing fleet composition for economic returns, improvement of the marketing system and cold storage chains, improvement of post-harvest processes to increase product value. The key administrative needs are a strong fisheries policy that balances welfare concerns with sustainability, effective implementation of regulations, and increased government resources for fisheries management. Project briefs covering the key interventions are provided, however these require further review and improvement in collaboration with concerned stakeholders.Fishery resources, Catch/effort, Population characteristics, Coastal fisheries, Marine fisheries, Ecosystems, Economic benefits, Fishery industry, Capture fishery economics, Fish consumption, Fishery policy, Legislation, Fishery management, Flood plains, Demersal fisheries, Pelagic fisheries, Socioeconomic aspects, Surveys, Marketing, Fish storage, Fishing gear, ISW, India,

Viewership analysis of News Channels with special reference to Asianet News

The research conducted on the topic ‘Viewership analysis of News channels with special reference to Asianet news is basically a comparative analysis of 4 leading News channels in the region.. The research  comprises of the response obtained out of a sample of news channel viewers and a study on the various aspects of the news channels that are preferred by viewers with an investigation on the reasons for the same. Here, primary data was obtained by methods of Direct interviews, Telephonic Interviews and also by mail using a well-designed and structured questionnaire. Dichotomous scale, Semantic differential scale and Likert scale are the commonly used scales of measurement for the topic under study. The study focuses on finding out the reasons behind the comparatively lower rating of Asianet news in the city of Cochin. Simultaneously, it also tends to investigate on various attributes such as the news viewership pattern in the region, the core competencies of each news channel, the approximate time a viewer spends watching news a day, the opinion on the content of news programs, the preference of the viewers towards the presentation styles, news readers, graphic content and the like and also the category of news most preferred by the viewers. Random and convenience sampling techniques were used for the data collection procedure. The result ultimately suggests that Asianet News is  preferred by  majority of the viewers followed by Manorama News which leads in certain attributes like credibility of News content, accuracy of reports, Unbiased reporting of news, deep analysis and detailing, presentation styles and latest news updates . Certain key factors such the attitude and presentation style of the News Reader, unbiased analysis of the news content and strong preference towards political satires are also found to be influential in driving higher rating and viewership for the channels

Big data from small tissue extraction of high-quality RNA for RNA-Sequencing from different oilseed Brassica seed tissues during seed development

Background Obtaining high-quality RNA for gene expression analyses from different seed tissues is challenging due to the presence of various contaminants, such as polyphenols, polysaccharides and lipids which interfere with RNA extraction methods. At present, the available protocols for extracting RNA from seeds require high amounts of tissue and are mainly focused on extracting RNA from whole seeds. However, extracting RNA at the tissue level enables more detailed studies regarding tissue specific transcriptomes during seed development. Results Seeds from heart stage embryo to mature developmental stages of Brassica napus and B. oleracea were sampled for isolation of the embryo, endosperm and seed coat tissues. Ovules and ovary wall tissue were also collected from pre-fertilized buds. Subsequent to testing several RNA extraction methods, we determined that modifications applied to E.Z.N.A. Plant RNA and Picopure RNA Isolation kit extraction methods resulted in RNA with high yield and quality. Furthermore, the use of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone for the extraction of RNA from seed coats and endosperm at green seed stage resulted in high-quality RNA. As a result of the introduced modifications to established RNA extraction methods, the RNA from all the above-mentioned tissues presented clear 28S and 18S bands and high RIN values, ranging from 7.0 to 10.0. The protocols reported in this study are not only suitable for different and challenging seed tissue types, but also enable the extraction of high-quality RNA using only 2 to 3 mg of starting tissue. Conclusions Here, we present efficient, reproducible and reliable high-quality RNA extraction methods for diverse oilseed Brassica spp reproductive tissue types including pre-fertilization and developing seed tissues for diploid and polyploid species. The high-quality RNA obtained is suitable for RNA-Sequencing and subsequent gene expression analysis

Management of Infants and Children who are Contacts of Contagious Tuberculous Patients

Contact investigation and management form the key for tuberculosis (TB) control in countries with a low tuberculosis incidence. Oman, with a low TB incidence, has implemented contact investigation and management as one important strategy to control TB. However there is a lack of clear guidelines for the investigation and treatment of contacts, especially with regard to children who are contacts of TB cases. The failure to manage children in contact with infectious TB cases indicates a missed opportunity to prevent TB disease in a population which is prone to progress rapidly to severe and complicated illness. This article attempts to provide a concise and practical approach for managing infants and children who are in contact with TB patients. Essential steps in a variety of possible scenarios are briefly discussed