The Big Picture: A Fishery System Approach Links Fishery Management and Biodiversity

This article was published in the Proceedings of the sixth conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade. Successful fishery development can be defined as the simultaneous achievement of ecological, socioeconomic, community and institutional sustainability. This paper incorporates these sustainability elements within an integrated framework, which is applied in a case of Puerto Thiel, a fishing community in the Gulf of Nicoya on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast. The economic performance of the local fishing cooperative is analysed, and experiences with economic diversification are reviewed. We highlight the importance, especially in heavily exploited fisheries, of policies that simultaneously pursue development (to increase local socioeconomic and community fishery benefits within resource limitations) and economic diversification (to lessen the impact of fishery management restrictions by creating non-fishery employment alternatives)

Robust Management, Risk and the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries

Biodiversity has not been a prominent consideration in conventional fishery management, even though biological concerns and the concept of "sustainability" are long-established in fisheries. This is because traditionally, the focus of management has been on determining the harvest of fish that can be taken as a "sustainable yield" and then restricting the catch of fish to within this limit. Typically missing from the analysis have been (1) interactions of fishing with the broader marine ecosystem, and (2) interactions of the fishery with the broader coastal economy and coastal communities. Accordingly, there is a need to move toward a "big picture" perspective, a "Fishery System Approach", in which fisheries are understood and managed in the context of marine ecosystems and coastal human systems, thereby addressing the needs of both biodiversity conservation and integrated management of multiple ocean uses. This paper elaborates on these themes, exploring the duality of the Ecosystem Approach and the Livelihood Approach as means to move toward sustainable, resilient fishery systems, ones in which biodiversity values can be more fully included

Kaon nucleon scattering in lattice QCD

In this paper I discuss why one would want to study meson baryon interactions within the framework of lattice QCD, and what I have contributed to this area of research. I begin with a little background on QCD, and Chiral theories. I analyze Kaon Nucleon scattering, and calculate the Kaon Nucleon scattering length from data obtained using a lattice QCD simulation. Therefore, I show that it is possible to use Lattice QCD simulation to extract observables. This is important in areas where experiments are challenging or impossible with current technologies

Dementia in Malta : new prevalence estimates and projected trends

Previous estimates have indicated that in 2005, there were 4,072 individuals with dementia (IWD) in the Maltese islands and that this number would almost double by the year 2050. These figures were based on the EURODEM project that analysed the results of a population-based systematic review of published studies on the global prevalence of dementia from 1980 to 2004. Since then, further dementia prevalence studies have been carried out in Europe. These were reviewed in another European funded project, the EUROCODE project, with the aim of developing consensual European age and gender specific prevalence rates that would be acceptable for all countries. Using these revised rates, the estimated number of IWD over 60 years of age in the Maltese islands in 2010 was found to be 5,198; a significant increase on previous projected data. Likewise, the number of IWD in Malta over 60 years in 2030 is projected to be close to 10,000 persons or 2.3% of the total Maltese population. Using these revised estimates, the 2% prevalence rate of dementia among the local population is expected to be reached by 2025; twenty-five years prior to what was previously reported. The data presented here include current updated estimates and projections for the number of IWD in the Maltese islands.peer-reviewe

Issues Arising on the Interface of MPAs and Fisheries Management

One of 6 background papers presented at The Expert Workshop on Marine Protected Areas and Fisheries Management: Review of Issues and Considerations held in Rome from June 12-14, 2006. The workshop was a response to the FAO Committee on Fisheries' call for technical guidelines for marine protected areas (MPAs) to assist Members to establish representative networks of MPAs by 2012, as agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. This paper focuses on three key themes. First, it highlights the commonalities between discussions of marine protected areas and of fisheries management, with emphasis on their mutual use of spatial measures and ecosystem approaches. Second, the paper draws on the other Background Papers prepared for the Workshop, as well as a range of additional literature, to produce a substantial compilation of issues and considerations relating to the development and implementation of MPAs, within a fisheries management context. The third key theme of the paper is a focus on the 'preliminary steps' of decision-making, in which scoping of needs, gaps and feasibility takes place from the dual perspectives of MPAs and fisheries management. A relative paucity of information and analysis on this topic is noted, along with a consequent need for additional work on the subject. An initial effort is undertaken to explore the key decision-making elements in this 'preliminary stage'

Reframing dementia care in Maltese Hospitals

This commentary addresses the urgent need to improve the care of patients with dementia and cognitive impairment in Maltese hospitals by proposing a number of dementia-friendly hospital-based initiatives. The authors discuss the rationale for developing these interventions in view of the increase in prevalence of persons with dementia in the Maltese Islands, some of whom may require hospital care at any time. Lessons learned from initiatives abroad are reviewed and an overview of the key objectives set out in the National Strategy for Dementia in the Maltese Islands is given. Finally, this article proposes a number of dementia-friendly initiatives that can be introduced in Maltese hospitals so as to induce the required change.peer-reviewe

Utilization of community resources in the primary grades.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit