Clams and oysters in Charlotte County and vicinity

Charlotte and Okaloosa Counties have experienced the greatest increase in commercial shellfishing activity and interest in Florida. This study has been made in recognition of the important ro)e Charlotte County is playing in the I Florida seafood industry. If tho present boom in shellfish harvesting and culture is to continue and succeed, bulkhead lines will have to be set at or near mangrove shorelines and dredging as well as filling limited by the bulkhead lines. The most realistic method to assure marine productivity is to allow those low shorelands lying in the path of urbanization to be raised to levels suitable for human habitation with fill material obtained from draglining canals inside bulkhead lines, (28pp.

CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS OF RISK: IMPLICATIONS FOR FOOD SAFETY POLICY

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Biological survey of north Lake Worth (Palm Beach County) with special reference to bulkhead lines

The town of Palm Beach Shores is establishing formal bulkhead lines. In conjunction with this work we would like to have a biologic survey made of the north end of Lake Worth. The purpose of this survey would be to determine the extent of damage to the ecology of the lake resulting from past as well as proposed dredging and filling projects. (19pp.

An analysis of rail freight operational efficiency and mode share in the British port-hinterland container market

The growth in container shipping poses considerable challenges to efforts to reduce the negative externalities associated with freight transport. There are particular concerns about the impacts of the associated port-hinterland freight flows. Through empirical research, this paper examines trends in the operational efficiency of the British port-hinterland container rail freight market and to assess the impacts of any changes on the overall sustainability of this market. Original survey work conducted in 2007 and 2015 has allowed longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of the characteristics of this market. The survey findings reveal that rail’s mode share of port container throughput (in TEU) has increased from 14.7 per cent in 2007 to 16.6 per cent in 2015 and it is likely that its share of the associated hinterland activity has also risen. Rail was carrying 25 per cent more TEU by 2015 without an increase in train service provision. Increases in mean train capacity and mean load factor were observed, leading to growth in the mean train load from 44 TEU in 2007 to 55 TEU in 2015. This considerable improvement in operational efficiency is expected to have reduced the negative externalities per unit of transport activity associated with the rail-borne hinterland container flows, though scope is identified for further improvements in sustainability

The impacts on freight train operational performance of new rail infrastructure to segregate passenger and freight traffic

Rail freight has an important role to play in improving the resource efficiency and sustainability of freight transport within the supply chain. The British rail network has seen considerable growth of both freight and passenger activity in the last 20 years, leading to concerns about its capacity to absorb continued growth. A number of infrastructure initiatives focused on increasing capacity and reducing conflicts have been implemented. This includes the North Doncaster Chord, opened in June 2014 primarily to provide a more direct route from the port of Immingham to the major Aire Valley power stations (i.e. Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge). The paper analyses the freight impacts of the new chord, focusing on three key operational measures (i.e. train routing, scheduled journey times and train punctuality) during 10-week survey periods before and after the opening of the chord. The analysis is based on real-time data relating to coal and biomass trains operating between Immingham and the three power stations. This is a novel approach as the data have been made publicly available only recently, allowing a detailed investigation of the flows on this corridor at a highly disaggregated level. The use of this empirical method to assess the detailed rail freight operational impacts is an important element in the process of evaluating the effects of network enhancement. The results demonstrate improvements in each of the three operational measures, but also reveal a situation considerably more complex than that suggested by the published material relating to the justification for this new infrastructure

Rail network resilience and operational responsiveness during unplanned disruption: A rail freight case study

This paper focuses on the resilience of rail freight operations when affected by extreme weather events. Such events, most likely linked to climate change, are becoming more common and it is vital to mitigate their effects on freight transport activity. Based on a British case study of rail network disruption resulting from a key line closure in early-2016, the analysis considers the impacts on rail freight service provision and the wider supply chains. Following a review of the relevant literature, the case study is analysed using data from a combination of sources including an annual rail freight database, open access real-time train running data, observation surveys and stakeholder interviews. This reveals widespread consequences of the disruption, with fewer freight trains operated than normal, and longer and less punctual journeys for those which ran. However, despite the considerable disruption during the period of the line closure itself, there has been no discernible long-term impact on the rail freight flows which were impacted by the closure. The insight provided by the analysis is used to make a series of recommendations to the rail industry and policy makers

The role for rail in port-based container freight flows in Britain

As supply chains become increasingly global and companies seek greater efficiencies, the importance of good, reliable land-based transport linkages to/from ports increases. This poses particular problems for the UK, with its high dependency on imported goods and congested ports and inland routes. It is conservatively estimated that container volumes through British ports will double over the next 20 years, adding to the existing problems. This paper investigates the potential for rail to become better integrated into port-based container flows, so as to increase its share of this market and contribute to a more sustainable mode split. The paper identifies the trends in container traffic through UK ports, establishes the role of rail within this market, and assesses the opportunities and threats facing rail in the future. The analysis combines published statistics and other information relating to container traffic and original research on the nature of the rail freight market, examining recent trends and future prospects. The paper concludes that this is an important market for rail, with considerable growth potential but to realise this it is important that a number of constraints are overcome, otherwise the long-term prospects for this rail market will be compromised