Differential effects of a local industrial sand lance fishery on seabird breeding performance.

Fisheries management across the world is moving toward an ecosystem-based approach, implying that fishery effects on nontarget species should be taken into account. However, such effects are often not well understood, partly because, they can be difficult to distinguish from impacts of environmental fluctuations. We evaluated the effects of an industrial sand lance (Ammodytes marinus) fishery off the North Sea coast of the United Kingdom, which has been opened and closed in a quasi-experimental fashion, on sand-lance-dependent breeding seabirds. Controlling for environmental variation (sea surface temperature, abundance of larval sand lance, and size of adult sand lance), we found that, when the fishery was operating, breeding productivity in the intensively studied seabird colony on the Isle of May was significantly depressed for one surface-feeding seabird species, the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), but not for four diving species. Analyzing Kittiwake data from 12 colonies inside and outside the closure zone in a replicated before-after control-impact design, we again found that breeding productivity was significantly depressed in the closure zone when the fishery was active, whereas no effect was found in the control zone. Furthermore, Kittiwake breeding productivity was negatively correlated with fishery effort during the fishery period in the closure zone, but not in the control zone. The contrasting findings in the two zones could be related to environmental differences or to the fact that only one study colony in the control zone was exposed to high fishery effort within the typical foraging range of Kittiwakes during the breeding season. The strong impact on Kittiwakes, but not on diving species, could result from (1) inherently high sensitivity to reduced prey availability, (2) changes in the vertical distribution of sand lance at lower densities, (3) sand lance showing avoidance behavior to fishery vessels, or a combination of some or all of these factors. These findings indicate that local fishery closures can benefit sensitive predators and should be considered as a tool for future ecosystem-based fisheries management.     

Diffusion of US army chemical weapons disposal technologies: public perception of technology attributes

This study was conducted to identify factors that influence individuals' acceptance of environmental management technologies for cleaning up hazardous materials. The study sample consisted of approximately 2600 residents living within emergency response zones surrounding eight US Army's Chemical Weapons Stockpile sites. The findings suggest that residents perceive clear differences between the desirable characteristics of the two technologies: incineration and neutralization. In a relative comparison, the majority of positive technological attributes were associated with incineration. Positive perceptions toward incineration were associated with individuals who trust the Army, who perceive that the media have made them more trusting of weapons disposal activities, who are ready to participate, and who are male. Unlike incineration, there was insufficient evidence that individual factors influence variations in perceptions toward neutralization. No community factor was related to perceptions toward either incineration or neutralization.     

Novel operations research methods for efficiently determining irreplaceable sites for conservation

We examine the irreplaceability of sites in the context of the species set covering problem and the maximal covering species problem. We show that a succession of 0-1 programming problems can be solved to quickly determine the set of irreplaceable sites. For the widely available Oregon data set, we find a general lack of trend in the number of irreplaceable sites with the number of sites available for selection used. Moreover, we observe that irreplaceability at one level of resource may not be a predictor of irreplaceability at a higher or a lower level of resource. Finally, we investigate the economic value of irreplaceable sites by trial removals of those sites. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Charles S. ReVelle.     

Characterization of Polyurethane Foam Environmental Monitoring Tools for the Recovery and Release of Viruses

Food and Environmental Virology - The U.S. FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule emphasizes the importance of an effective environmental monitoring (EM) program....     

Experts under the microscope: the Wivenhoe Dam case

Prosecution of experts in the wake of disasters has emerged as common in the context of increasing social intolerance of risk. This paper examines expert blame using as a case study the decisions of engineers who operated Wivenhoe Dam during the Queensland floods in January 2011 and the criticisms of those decisions by the subsequent Commission of Inquiry. Our analysis draws on the literature on organisational safety, organisational learning and expertise to examine the relevance of the criteria against which the engineers were judged, the relevant competence of those who made this assessment and the broader implications of such exercises. Our analysis shows that lay judgements of expert practice can be misleading, as evidenced by the Commission of Inquiry’s misguided focus on procedural adherence. We argue that such inquiries—where the focus is on assigning blame—detract from opportunities to learn from incidents and can negatively impact on professional practices. If the aim is to make future disasters less likely, then inquiries that take this approach may be failing in this endeavour, or at least not maximising their contribution.