Comparison of Modern and Historical Fish Catches (AD 750–1400) to Inform Goals for Marine Protected Areas and Sustainable Fisheries

Abstract: We tested the unsustainable fishing hypothesis that species in assemblages of fish differ in relative abundance as a function of their size, growth rates, vagility, trophic level, and diet by comparing species composition in historical bone middens, modern fisheries, and areas closed to fishing. Historical data came from one of the earliest and most enduring Swahili coastal settlements (approximately AD 750–1400). Modern data came from fisheries near the archeological site and intensively harvested fishing grounds in southern Kenya. The areas we sampled that were closed to fishing (closures) were small (<28 km²) and permanent. The midden data indicated changes in the fish assemblage that are consistent with a weak expansion of fishing intensity and the unsustainable fishing hypothesis. Fishes represented in the early midden assemblages from AD 750 to 950 had longer life spans, older age at maturity, and longer generation times than fish assemblages after AD 950, when the abundance of species with longer maximum body lengths increased. Changes in fish life histories during the historical period were, however, one‐third smaller than differences between the historical and modern assemblages. Fishes in the modern assemblage had smaller mean body sizes, higher growth and mortality rates, a higher proportion of microinvertivores, omnivores, and herbivores, and higher rates of food consumption, whereas the historical assemblage had a greater proportion of piscivores and macroinvertivores. Differences in fish life histories between modern closures and modern fishing grounds were also small, but the life histories of fishes in modern closures were more similar to those in the midden before AD 950 because they had longer life spans, older age at maturity, and a higher proportion of piscivores and macroinvertivores than the modern fisheries. Modern closures and historical fish assemblages were considerably different, although both contained species with longer life spans.     

A Transactional and Collaborative Approach to Reducing Effects of Bottom Trawling

Private‐sector financial and legal transactions have long been used to protect terrestrial habitats and working landscapes, but less commonly to address critical threats in marine environments. Transferrable and marketable fishing privileges, including permits and quotas, make it possible to use private‐sector transactions as conservation strategies to address some fishery management issues. Abating the effects of bottom trawling on the seafloor and bycatch and discard associated with the practice has proven challenging. On the Central Coast of California, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Environmental Defense Fund, local fishers and local, state, and federal authorities worked collaboratively to protect large areas of the seafloor from bottom trawling for groundfish while addressing economic impacts of trawl closures. Contingent on the adoption of trawl‐closure areas by a federal regulatory agency, TNC used private funds to purchase federal groundfish trawl permits and vessels from willing sellers. Trawl‐closure areas were designed collaboratively by combining regional biological diversity and fisheries data with local fishers’ knowledge. The private transactional strategy was designed to remedy some deficiencies in previous federal buyouts, to mitigate economic impacts from trawl closures, and to carefully align with a public regulatory process to protect “essential fish habitat” under the Magnuson‐Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This collaborative effort protected 1.5 million ha (3.8 million acres) of seafloor, reduced trawl effort in the area by 50%, and set a precedent for collaborative partnerships between conservation and fishing interests. This is the first time a large conservation organization has taken an ownership position in a fishery and demonstrates how nongovernmental organizations can invest in fisheries to improve environmental and economic performance. Un Método Transaccional y Colaborativo para Reducir los Efectos de la Pesca de Arrastre de Fondo     

Dietary uptake kinetics of polychlorinated biphenyls from sediment-contaminated sandworms in a marine benthic fish (Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae)

To evaluate the dietary uptake of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from live food, we investigated the dietary uptake and depuration kinetics of PCBs in a marine benthic fish (marbled sole, Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae) by using as food live sandworms (Perinereis nuntia) that were laboratory-exposed to field-collected PCB-contaminated sediment. Marbled sole were fed the PCB-contaminated sandworms for 28 d and then uncontaminated sandworms for 56 d. The assimilation efficiencies (AEs) of 84 PCB congeners via the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to the muscle of the fish ranged from 0.21 to 0.78; whole-body AEs would be lower than those of muscle because of the lower PCB concentrations, on a lipid basis. The AEs determined in this study were lower than those in other studies that used PCB-spiked commercial pelletized food. The lower AEs found in this study might be attributable to differences in the food administered (live sandworms vs. commercial pellet food), possibly because of low digestibility of sandworm lipids by marbled sole. In addition, the AEs in this study tended to increase with increasing log octanol-water partition coefficients (K_OW) up to about seven, although AEs in the other studies using commercial pelletized food did not increase with increasing log K_OW. This result suggests the co-transport of highly hydrophobic PCB congeners along with lipids and fatty acids from the digested sandworms into the GIT epithelium cells. The growth-corrected half-lives of 26 PCB congeners in the muscle of fish ranged from 20 to 107 d.     

Suspended-Sediment Concentration Regimes for Two Biological Reference Streams in Middle Tennessee1

Diehl, Timothy H. and William J. Wolfe, 2010. Suspended-Sediment Concentration Regimes for Two Biological Reference Streams in Middle Tennessee. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(4): 824-837. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00460.x Abstract: Temporal patterns of suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) duration and frequency (SSC regimes) were characterized and compared with biological impairment thresholds for two headwater streams in the Western Highland Rim of Tennessee. The SSC regimes were plotted as curves showing concentrations and durations of the annual longest and tenth-longest SSC excursions above 18 concentrations for water years 2005-2008 in Copperas Branch and water years 2006 and 2008 in Kelley Creek. Both streams have fish communities remarkably diverse for their small drainage basin areas (420 and 565 ha, respectively), and represent biological reference conditions with respect to SSC. SSC-regime curves were similar for the two sites across water years. The measured SSC regimes reached or exceeded published experimentally based SSC impairment thresholds and plotted below a proposed long-term SSC reference regime for the Interior Plateau ecoregion (Ecoregion 71), suggesting that neither the experimentally based thresholds nor the proposed SSC reference regime adequately reflect the relation between SSC and biological impairment for Western Highland Rim headwater streams. The SSC regimes of the two study streams were similar to the estimated SSC regime of an unimpaired East Tennessee trout stream. Additional field studies are needed to describe SSC regimes in streams of varying basin scale, level of impairment, and region.     

The Effect of Estrogens,River Water,and Treated Wastewater on Vitellogenin Induction of Japanese Medaka1

Abstract: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of estrogens on fish endocrine disruption in river water and treated wastewater. Endogenous estrogen estrone (E1), 17β‐estradiol (E2), river water, and treated wastewater were used for exposure tests on male Japanese medaka. Vitellogenin induction in male medaka was regarded as the endpoint of endocrine disruption. The effective concentrations of E1 and E2 on vitellogenin induction in medaka were evaluated by breeding medaka for 14 days in tanks with various concentrations of E1 or E2. Vitellogenin induction increased with elapse of time during exposure, with higher estrogen concentrations causing greater vitellogenin induction. According to the test results, the lowest observed effect concentrations (LOECs) of E1 and E2 were estimated to be 31.6 and 5.0 ng/l, respectively; and the E2 equivalent (EEQ) LOEC value of E1 was 5.2 ng‐E2/l, derived by multiplying the relative potency of E1 by that of E2 as estimated in this study. In continuous exposure tests using river water or treated wastewater, the estrogenic activity, an index of total estrogenic potential measured by yeast screen assay and expressed as EEQ, varied widely during the exposure tests, and significant vitellogenin induction was observed after several days of high levels of estrogenic activity in water. Vitellogenin concentration tended to significantly increase if EEQ exceeded the level of 5 ng‐E2/l. The threshold value was substantially the same as the results for E1 and E2 exposure tests of medaka. Consequently, EEQ over 5 ng‐E2/l was revealed to have the potential to cause endocrine disruption of male medaka. As estrogenic activity exceeding 5 ng‐E2/l was observed in some rivers in Japan, total estrogenic potential needs to be further decreased at wastewater treatment plants to prevent fish endocrine disruption.     

PAH Metabolites in Bile Fluids of Dab (Limanda limanda) and Flounder (Platichthys flesus): Spatial Distribution and Seasonal Changes (7 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are important environmental contaminants which may lead to increased levels of neoplastic aberrations or tumours in fish liver. Therefore, monitoring of PAH and their effects are part of several international environmental programmes. The aim of the present field study was to investigate the concentrations of the PAH metabolites in fish bile, to elucidate spatial, seasonal and species differences as well as to discuss different strategies of normalisation with regard to environmental monitoring. Materials and Methods: PAH metabolites were determined in the bile fluid of dab (Limanda limanda) and flounder (Platichthys flesus) caught in the North Sea and Baltic Sea between 1997 and 2004. After enzymatic deconjugation, two metabolites were determined by means of HPLC. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification were calculated. The accuracy of the method was tested with a standard reference material. Results were referred to bile volume as well as to biliverdin. Results: The main metabolite, 1-hydroxypyrene, was determined in concentrations from <0.7 to 838 ng/ml in bile of dab (Limanda limanda) and flounder (Platichthys flesus) caught between 1997 and 2004. The values for 1-hydroxyphenanthrene in fish bile were considerably lower (<0.4 – 87 ng/ml). Significant differences in the 1-hydroxypyrene levels were found between summer and winter surveys as well as between the sampling sites in the data set from 2004 (383 dabs and 62 flounders): Highest levels of PAH contamination were found in dab from the German Bight and in flounder from the Baltic Sea. Discussion: Spatial differences in 1-hydroxypyrene concentrations between North Sea and Baltic Sea were discussed, as well as differences in relation to season, sex and species. Three parameters of normalisation (biliary protein, biliverdin and bile pigments) were discussed. Biliverdin was identified as a suitable parameter for the normalisation of PAH metabolites in field samples. Conclusions: Spatial differences in 1-hydroxypyrene concentrations of dab demonstrate the usefulness of PAH metabolites in fish bile as a monitoring parameter in marine regions. Significant differences in 1-hydroxypyrene concentrations were found between summer and winter sampling campaigns. This may be linked to an annual cycle of 1-hydroxyprene in dab. It is also possible that bile synthesis/release in dab differs between the seasons. There is no indication for a time trend from 1997 to 2004. Recommendations and Perspectives: It is recommended to relate PAH metabolites in fish bile to biliverdin concentrations. Although the concentrations are low in offshore regions and bile volumes are small, the method presented here allows one to measure PAH metabolites on an individual level which is a crucial prerequisite for meaningful monitoring studies.     

废水现状毒性试验(鱼类)方法的宏观质量控制因素分析

工业废水急性毒性污染的监测,以鱼类毒性试验的应用最为普及。与毒性达标控制的监测监管相比,毒性现状测定更有助于支持毒性污染预警监管的实施。通过对已知物质毒性试验结果的多次验证,证实由鱼类种类决定的方法检出限、实验中使用鱼类的种类形式、同种试验鱼的不同来源和依照"预实验"线性对现状进行的反推等4方面因素中除试验鱼的来源问题外,其余3因素已构成了对实验结果的决定性影响。3种宏观质量影响因素中,反推影响更难于实施质量控制。以现状表述为主要目标的毒性试验应尽可能回避稀释过程。     

洪泽湖鱼体内重金属含量调查

对洪泽湖鱼体中的Pb、Cd、Cu、Cr、Zn等5种重金属进行了测定,分析了不同重金属在鱼的组织器官中的含量分布情况,并重点探讨了重金属在鱼体内的富集规律。结果显示：同一类组织器官中重金属的含量、同一金属在不同组织器官中的分布、不同鱼类对同种金属元素的吸收积累存在显著差异,5种重金属的含量以肌肉中的含量最低;均值型指数法显示,鱼样中肌肉组织残毒污染较小,属于微污染到轻污染级别;污染负荷比说明洪泽湖鱼体残毒的主要污染因子是铅、镉。     

鄂西北六个自然保护区鱼类群落结构及多样性比较

为了解鄂西北地区的鱼类多样性和鱼类群落结构,于2007~2012年先后对鄂西的八卦山自然保护区、堵河源自然保护区、五道峡自然保护区、南河自然保护区、野人谷自然保护区及漳河源自然保护区的鱼类资源进行调查。结果显示,6个自然保护区共有鱼类79种,隶属4目15科51属。鲤形目鱼类为6个自然保护区的主要类群,共56种,占总数的70.89%。6个自然保护区的鱼类食性和生态类群相似,鱼类食性均以肉食性和杂食性为主,草食性鱼类较少;定居性鱼类占主体,河湖洄游性和喜流水性鱼类较少。渔获物分析表明,堵河源自然保护区鱼类丰富度指数(D)最大,为2.60,八卦山自然保护区鱼类丰富度指数最小,为0.91。多样性分析表明,同一水系的保护区之间的β_c值和β_R值均比处于不同水系的保护区之间的β_c值和β_R值小;处于同一水系的保护区相似性系数(C_j)较高,处于不同水系的保护区之间的相似性系数较低(C_j),这很好的诠释了处于同一水系的自然保护区在地理环境上的连续性,而处于不同水系的自然保护区之间出现了地理环境的分化隔离。目前水电开发和过度捕捞是该地区鱼类最大的威胁因子,建议强化渔政管理,并建立鱼类人工繁育基地,以减缓水电工程带来的不利影响,恢复天然渔业资源。     

三峡库区小江鱼类群落特征及其历史变化

为了解三峡库区蓄水后小江流域鱼类群落现状及其历史变化,于2016年春季(5月)、秋季(9月)和冬季(12月)开展了小江鱼类调查。共调查到鱼类37种,隶属于6目11科;种类组成以鲤形目为主,占总数的64.86%,其中黑尾■Hemiculer tchangi和岩原鲤Procypris rabaudi为长江上游特有种类;草鱼Ctenopharyngodon idellus、赤眼鳟Squaliobarbus curriculus、■Elopichthys bambusa、鲫Carassius auratus、鲤Cyprinus carpio、鲢Hypophthalmichthys molitrix、鳙Aristichthys nobilis和黑尾■构成小江主要经济鱼类。对比历史资料分析显示:两次调查结果相似性指数为0.45(为中等不相似);特有种鱼类退化明显:主要经济鱼类组成发生了改变;土著鱼类物种多样性和资源量均呈明显下降趋势,而适应于静水或缓流水环境的鱼类呈上升趋势。推测水坝建设、过度捕捞及不合理的采砂活动等因素是导致变化的主要原因。结果建议,合理设置水坝(汉丰湖)调水机制,对于保护该水域土著鱼类资源具有重要意义。