Acoustic surveys of New Zealand deep-water seamounts often show fish aggregations up to 150 m high on the summit. Although bottom trawls on the seamount slopes catch predominantly orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), species composition in the midwater plumes is extremely uncertain. In June 2010, moored underwater video cameras were deployed on the summit of the Morgue seamount (summit depth 890 m), a feature that has been closed to fishing since 2001. Cameras and lights were timed to come on for 2 min every 2 h. Fish response to the mooring was monitored using vessel-mounted echosounders. Moored cameras confirmed that orange roughy were present up to 70 m above the seamount summit. Orange roughy made up 97% of the fish identified from the video. Other species observed included smooth oreo (Pseudocyttus maculatus), spiky oreo (Neocyttus rhomboidalis), deep-water dogfish, cardinalfish (Epigonus spp.), and squid. Total along-track backscatter from the plume varied by a factor of 25 over a period of hours. Peak acoustic densities in the plume (equivalent to 20 orange roughy m−3) were an order of magnitude higher than peak visual estimates (0.64 orange roughy m−3), but relative densities between paired video and acoustic observations were generally consistent.

doi:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fss010

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[RIO DE JANEIRO] Brazil’s Paiter Suruí community has become the first indigenous group in the country to receive international certification to sell carbon credits in return for protecting and restoring forests in their Amazonian territory.The Suruí community, which numbers around 1300 people, was first contacted by outsiders in 1968. Over the past decade, with assistance from environmental advocates, they have conducted a sophisticated campaign to prove to the world that they are helping to preserve their 248,000 hectare forest territory.Four years ago, they established the Suruí Forest Carbon Project, with a view to selling carbon credits under the so-called REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) mechanism.

Indigenous Brazilian group certified to trade carbon credits – SciDev.Net

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In vitro fertilization of oceanic squid is a necessary step to develop their larval culture and creates new opportunities to study and understand cephalopod development, taxonomy and ecology. The techniques described here in the form of a laboratory guide represent an attempt to refine and standardize the general methodology by indicating suitable laboratory materials, sources and preservation of gametes, and methods for fertilization and egg incubation. Twelve oceanic squid species have been fertilized in vitro to date; we outline a generalized experimental protocol and suggest that the reader consider particular species-specific modifications. Inadequate egg chorion expansion and premature hatching are identified as major challenges for in vitro fertilization. Recommendations for future research include studies on optimal gamete concentration, gamete preservation and determination of the functions of female oviducal and nidamental glands. The greatest obstacles to improving fertilization success in squids are the lack of standard methodologies and the paucity of information on both endogenous and exogenous factors controlling the fertilization process. This review is a first step toward overcoming these challenges.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2012.02.025

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Many of the world’s fish stocks are depleted as a result of overexploitation, pollution and habitat loss. The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) sets a target for fisheries to maintain or restore stocks to levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 2015. We assessed the global stock status and found that 68% were at or above the MSY level in 2008 and that the 2015 target is unlikely to be met. We compiled data for eight indicators to evaluate the sustainability of fisheries and the gap to meet the WSSD target. These indicators show that the overall condition of global fisheries is declining, long-term benefits are being compromised, and pressures on fisheries are increasing despite fisheries policy and management actions being taken by coastal States. We develop a bio-economic model to estimate the costs and benefits of restoring overfished stocks. Our results show that the global fishing capacity needs to be cut by 36–43% from the 2008 level, resulting in the loss of employment of 12–15 million fishers and costing US$96–358 billion for buybacks. On the other hand, meeting the WSSD goal will increase annual fishery production by 16.5 million tonnes, annual rent by US$32 billion and improve biodiversity and functioning of marine ecosystems. However, progress towards rebuilding has been hindered by an unwillingness or inability to accept the short-term socio-economic consequences associated with rebuilding fisheries. Thus, there is a pressing need for integration of rebuilding plans into national political and economic decision-making.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-2979.2012.00460.x

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Algae are a promising source of industrial biomass for the future. In order to assess if aquacultured seaweed (macroalgae) could be considered an environmentally friendly source of biomass for bioenergy, life cycle assessments were performed for European countries, comparing methane as a biofuel from the anaerobic digestion (A) of whole seaweeds, (B) of alginate extraction residues, and (C) natural gas as a fossil fuel reference.These results clarify that the sources of electricity and energy used to heat the anaerobic digesters have an important impact. Recycling of materials and use of greenhouses at the nursery stage also allow environmental improvements for system (A). Ecodesign can make algal biomethane competitive in several categories compared to natural gas: a decrease of 21.9% and 54.2% in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 58.6% and 68.7% in fossil depletion for systems (A) and (B), respectively, decrease in ozone depletion, and last but not least, improvement in the marine eutrophication index for system (A). For system (B), benefits are more arguable and dependent on the allocation. To conclude, seaweed could become competitive with terrestrial feedstock for biofuel production in the near future.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bbb.1330

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Increased education of consumers can be an effective tool for conservation of commercially harvested marine species when product labeling is accurate and allows an informed choice. However, generic labeling (e.g., as white fish or surimi) and mislabeling of seafood prevents this and may erode consumer confidence in seafood product labels in general. We used DNA barcoding to identify the species composition of two types of convenience seafood (i.e., products processed for ease of consumption): fish fingers (long pieces of fish covered with bread crumbs or batter, n = 241) and seafood sticks (long pieces of cooked fish, n = 30). In products labeled as either white fish or surimi, four teleost species were present. Less than 1.5% of fish fingers with species-specific information were mislabeled. Results of other studies show substantially more mislabeling (e.g., >25%) of teleost products, which likely reflects the lower economic gains associated with mislabeling of convenience seafood compared with whole fillets. In addition to species identification, seafood product labels should be required to contain information about, for example, harvesting practices, and our data indicate that consumers can have reasonable confidence in the accuracy of the labels of convenience seafood and thus select brands on the basis of information about current fisheries practice.

DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01813.x

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