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

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)

Report of the Working Group on Commercial Catches (WGCATCH)

The Working Group on Commercial Catches (WGCATCH), chaired by Mike Arm- strong (UK) and Hans Gerritsen (Ireland), met in ICES HQ, Copenhagen, Denmark, 10–14 November 2014. The meeting was attended by 34 experts from 21 laboratories or organizations, covering 16 countries. Currently, an important task for WGCATCH is to improve and review sampling sur- vey designs for commercial fisheries, particularly those for estimating quantities and size or age compositions of landings and discards and providing data quality indica- tors. However, the scope of WGCATCH is broader than this, covering many other aspects of collection and analysis of data on fishing activities and catches. This will be end-user driven, and coordinated with the work of other ICES data EGs such as the Working Group on Biological Parameters (WGBIOP), the Planning Group on Data Needs for Assessments and Advice (PGDATA) and the Working Group on Recrea- tional Fisheries Surveys (WGRFS) to ensure synergy and efficiency. The report of the meeting commences with background information on the formation of WGCATCH and its overall role. The remainder of the report provides the out- comes for each of the Terms of Reference (ToRs) and responses to external requests, the proposed future work plan and the ToRs for the 2015 meeting. The group formed two large subgroups to deal with the two major terms of reference which are the development of guidelines for carrying out sampling of catches on shore and the provision of advice on adapting sampling programmes to deal with the landing obligation. In order to evaluate methods and develop guidelines for best practice in carrying out sampling of commercial sampling of commercial fish catches onshore, a question- naire was circulated before the meeting. This questionnaire was structured around guidelines developed by the ICES Workshop on Practical Implementation of Statisti- cally Sound Catch Sampling Programmes (WKPICS) for best practice at each stage of the sampling process, and asked for a description of current practices at each of these stages. Based on these questionnaires, common and specific problems were cata- logued and potential solutions were identified. At the same time, the discussion of the questionnaires provided a form of peer-review of the sampling designs and iden- tified where improvements could be made. WGCATCH provided guidelines for de- signing a sampling survey and summarized earlier guidelines provided by the 2010 Workshop on methods for merging métiers for fishery based sampling (WKMERGE) The other main subject addressed by WGCATCH concerns the provision of advice on adapting sampling protocols to deal with the impact of the introduction of the land- ing obligation, which will alter discarding practices and result in additional catego- ries of catch being landed. A second questionnaire was circulated before the meeting to allow the group to identify the fleets that will be affected and possible issues that are anticipated, as well as to propose solutions to adapt existing monitoring and sampling schemes and to quantify bias resulting from the introduction of this regula- tion. WGCATCH outlined a range of likely scenarios and the expected effects of these on fishery sampling programmes, and developed guidelines for adapting sam- pling schemes. The group also explored a range of analyses that could be conducted in order to quantify bias resulting from the introduction of the landing obligation. Finally a number of pilot studies/case studies were summarized, highlighting the practical issues involve

Early insights from statistical and mathematical modeling of key epidemiologic parameters of COVID-19

We report key epidemiologic parameter estimates for coronavirus disease identified in peer-reviewed publications, preprint articles, and online reports. Range estimates for incubation period were 1.8–6.9 days, serial interval 4.0–7.5 days, and doubling time 2.3–7.4 days. The effective reproductive number varied widely, with reductions attributable to interventions. Case burden and infection fatality ratios increased with patient age. Implementation of combined interventions could reduce cases and delay epidemic peak up to 1 month. These parameters for transmission, disease severity, and intervention effectiveness are critical for guiding policy decisions. Estimates will likely change as new information becomes available

Does visual cortex lactate increase following photic stimulation in migraine without aura patients? A functional 1H-MRS study

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) has been used in a number of studies to assess noninvasively the temporal changes of lactate (Lac) in the activated human brain. Migraine neurobiology involves lack of cortical habituation to repetitive stimuli and a mitochondrial component has been put forward. Our group has recently demonstrated a reduction in the high-energy phosphates adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine (PCr) in the occipital lobe of migraine without aura (MwoA) patients, at least in a subgroup, in a phosphorus MRS (31P-MRS) study. In previous studies, basal Lac levels or photic stimulation (PS)-induced Lac levels were found to be increased in patients with migraine with aura (MwA) and migraine patients with visual symptoms and paraesthesia, paresia and/or dysphasia, respectively. The aim of this study was to perform functional 1H-MRS at 3 T in 20 MwoA patients and 20 control subjects. Repetitive visual stimulation was applied using MR-compatible goggles with 8 Hz checkerboard stimulation during 12 min. We did not observe any significant differences in signal integrals, ratios and absolute metabolite concentrations, including Lac, between MwoA patients and controls before PS. Lac also did not increase significantly during and following PS, both for MwoA patients and controls. Subtle Lac changes, smaller than the sensitivity threshold (i.e. estimated at 0.1–0.2 μmol/g at 3 T), cannot be detected by MRS. Our study does, however, argue against a significant switch to non-aerobic glucose metabolism during long-lasting PS of the visual cortex in MwoA patients

The B subunits of cholera and Escherichia coli heat-labile toxins enhance the immune responses in mice orally immunised with a recombinant live P-fimbrial vaccine for avian pathogenic E. coli

This study aimed to investigate the adjuvant effect of recombinant attenuated Salmonella expressing cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) for the P-fimbriae subunit-based vaccine of avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) in a murine model. The PapA-specific sIgA and IgG responses were significantly enhanced after immunisation with the Salmonella-PapA vaccine in the presence of CTB or LTB. The group immunised with the Salmonella-LTB strain promoted Th1-type immunity, whereas that immunised with the Salmonella-CTB strain produced Th2-type immunity. We concluded that both Salmonella-CTB and -LTB strains can enhance the immune response to PapA, and that the LTB strain may be a more effective adjuvant for APEC vaccination, which requires higher Th1-type immunity for protection. Thus, our findings provide evidence that immunisation with an adjuvant, LTB, is one of the strategies of developing effective vaccines against P-fimbriated APEC

FimH Adhesin of Type 1 Fimbriae Is a Potent Inducer of Innate Antimicrobial Responses Which Requires TLR4 and Type 1 Interferon Signalling

Components of bacteria have been shown to induce innate antiviral immunity via Toll-like receptors (TLRs). We have recently shown that FimH, the adhesin portion of type 1 fimbria, can induce the innate immune system via TLR4. Here we report that FimH induces potent in vitro and in vivo innate antimicrobial responses. FimH induced an innate antiviral state in murine macrophage and primary MEFs which was correlated with IFN-β production. Moreover, FimH induced the innate antiviral responses in cells from wild type, but not from MyD88−/−, Trif−/−, IFN−α/βR−/− or IRF3−/− mice. Vaginal delivery of FimH, but not LPS, completely protected wild type, but not MyD88−/−, IFN-α/βR−/−, IRF3−/− or TLR4−/− mice from subsequent genital HSV-2 challenge. The FimH-induced innate antiviral immunity correlated with the production of IFN-β, but not IFN-α or IFN-γ. To examine whether FimH plays a role in innate immune induction in the context of a natural infection, the innate immune responses to wild type uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and a FimH null mutant were examined in the urinary tract of C57Bl/6 (B6) mice and TLR4-deficient mice. While UPEC expressing FimH induced a robust polymorphonuclear response in B6, but not TLR4−/− mice, mutant bacteria lacking FimH did not. In addition, the presence of TLR4 was essential for innate control of and protection against UPEC. Our results demonstrate that FimH is a potent inducer of innate antimicrobial responses and signals differently, from that of LPS, via TLR4 at mucosal surfaces. Our studies suggest that FimH can potentially be used as an innate microbicide against mucosal pathogens

Report of the Working Group on Commercial Catches (WGCATCH)

The Working Group on Commercial Catches (WGCATCH), chaired by Mike Arm- strong (UK) and Hans Gerritsen (Ireland), met in ICES HQ, Copenhagen, Denmark, 10–14 November 2014. The meeting was attended by 34 experts from 21 laboratories or organizations, covering 16 countries. Currently, an important task for WGCATCH is to improve and review sampling sur- vey designs for commercial fisheries, particularly those for estimating quantities and size or age compositions of landings and discards and providing data quality indica- tors. However, the scope of WGCATCH is broader than this, covering many other aspects of collection and analysis of data on fishing activities and catches. This will be end-user driven, and coordinated with the work of other ICES data EGs such as the Working Group on Biological Parameters (WGBIOP), the Planning Group on Data Needs for Assessments and Advice (PGDATA) and the Working Group on Recrea- tional Fisheries Surveys (WGRFS) to ensure synergy and efficiency. The report of the meeting commences with background information on the formation of WGCATCH and its overall role. The remainder of the report provides the out- comes for each of the Terms of Reference (ToRs) and responses to external requests, the proposed future work plan and the ToRs for the 2015 meeting. The group formed two large subgroups to deal with the two major terms of reference which are the development of guidelines for carrying out sampling of catches on shore and the provision of advice on adapting sampling programmes to deal with the landing obligation. In order to evaluate methods and develop guidelines for best practice in carrying out sampling of commercial sampling of commercial fish catches onshore, a question- naire was circulated before the meeting. This questionnaire was structured around guidelines developed by the ICES Workshop on Practical Implementation of Statisti- cally Sound Catch Sampling Programmes (WKPICS) for best practice at each stage of the sampling process, and asked for a description of current practices at each of these stages. Based on these questionnaires, common and specific problems were cata- logued and potential solutions were identified. At the same time, the discussion of the questionnaires provided a form of peer-review of the sampling designs and iden- tified where improvements could be made. WGCATCH provided guidelines for de- signing a sampling survey and summarized earlier guidelines provided by the 2010 Workshop on methods for merging métiers for fishery based sampling (WKMERGE) The other main subject addressed by WGCATCH concerns the provision of advice on adapting sampling protocols to deal with the impact of the introduction of the land- ing obligation, which will alter discarding practices and result in additional catego- ries of catch being landed. A second questionnaire was circulated before the meeting to allow the group to identify the fleets that will be affected and possible issues that are anticipated, as well as to propose solutions to adapt existing monitoring and sampling schemes and to quantify bias resulting from the introduction of this regula- tion. WGCATCH outlined a range of likely scenarios and the expected effects of these on fishery sampling programmes, and developed guidelines for adapting sam- pling schemes. The group also explored a range of analyses that could be conducted in order to quantify bias resulting from the introduction of the landing obligation. Finally a number of pilot studies/case studies were summarized, highlighting the practical issues involve