Recursos Marinos y Pesquerías

Effects of preservatives on stable isotope analyses of four marine species (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science)

Carabel C, P Verísimo & J Freire (2009). Effects of preservatives on stable isotope analyses of four marine species. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 82:348-350. (pdf)

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to quantify the effect of formalin–ethanol preservation on the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures of four taxonomical groups of marine species (Himanthalia elongata, Anemonia sulcata, Mytilus galloprovincialis and Patella vulgata). To examine temporal changes in the effects of preservation and to determine if preservation induced predictable shifts in ?13C and ?15N signatures, repeated analyses were carried out after 6, 12 and 24 months of preservation. Data from our study showed highly variable effects of the formalin–ethanol preservation on carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures between species. The use of a general correction factor was not possible, or else it should be species-specific. Differences in nitrogen isotopic values between preserved and unpreserved samples were minor compared to the assumed enrichment between trophic levels. The combined use of data from preserved and unpreserved samples could lead to biases in the estimation of the trophic level of organisms. Changes that preservatives caused in carbon values were variable between species and not always small enough to be ignored. So the use of data from preserved samples could change the interpretation of the mixing models used to determine the importance of multiple sources of carbon. In order to elucidate the effects that preservatives have in other species, further studies will be necessary.

Fismare en La Voz de Galicia

En sección de ciencia y mercado de  la edición del 9 de Marzo de 2009 de La Voz de Galicia aparece un reportaje acerca de la spin-off del grupo FISMARE S.L: Sostenibilidad e Innovación.

La versión impresa en pdf se puede descargar aquí.

A continuación teneis el artículo completo:

Fismare, unha nova ollada para o sector pesqueiro

Parte del Grupo de Trabajo de Fismare // Fotografía: Fuco Rei

«Xurdimos como unha mestura de oportunidade e de necesidade», anticipa Juan Freire cando se lle pregunta por Fismare, unha spin-off forxada no seo do Grupo de Recursos Mariños e Pesqueiras da Universidade da Coruña. Hai tres anos viron que os seus traballos de investigación derivaban en proxectos que non eran estritamente académicos, en desenvolvementos que se podían replicar, en realizar, xa que logo, un traballo áxil de I+D afastado do que Freire, coordinador do grupo, entende como «a estrutura en moitas ocasións lenta e burocrática da Universidade». E naceu Fismare, unha empresa de base tecnolóxica que ofrece servizos relacionados coa xestión do medio costeiro e os recursos mariños. A oportunidade era o valor engadido que podían ofrecer: unha nova mirada para o sector. A necesidade gardaba relación coa posibilidade de ofrecer unha saída laboral a doutorandos que non tiñan un futuro claro. Por iso tres profesores da UDC, entre eles Freire, involucraron a cinco mozos. «Dous deles aínda están facendo o doutoramento, pero queriamos incentivalos, que fosen socios e non simples traballadores», puntualiza.

Baixo esa idea e unha planificación empresarial prudente que refugou a opción do capital risco, Fismare atopou o seu oco. Agora está a piques de incorporar catro novos traballadores, pero tamén atravesou por momentos de incerteza financeira. Os seus promotores non buscan diñeiro fácil e rápido senón emprego e proxectos de calado que acheguen coñecemento en ambos os sentidos, deses nos que se traballa un ano «e cóbrase ao final», matiza Freire. Hai vocación de investigar, pero tamén de desenvolver solucións prácticas para, por exemplo, sentar as bases da formación de reservas mariñas nas nosas costas, uns espazos protexidos para recuperar e conservar as especies e o hábitat. Así, traballaron no proxecto para pór en marcha a dos Miñarzos, na costa de Lira. Alí realizaron un seguimento polo miúdo dos ecosistemas, as capturas ou as áreas de pesca. Agora fan o propio en Cedeira. «Estamos a organizar a información, que se pesca, onde, o estado dos recursos, a diversidade do ecosistema?», explican. Tamén o fan en Aguiño onde están nunha fase máis embrionaria.

Outros servizos que ofrece Fismare configúranse como solucións de amplo percorrido nun futuro próximo. É o caso da consultaría en comercialización de produtos pesqueiros onde ilustran aos pescadores sobre as vantaxes de saltarse intermediarios na relación co comprador ou a certificación de pesqueiras. «No norte de Europa teñen importancia porque os consumidores apréciano, aquí estamos traballando en xerar a información para que se poida certificar a navalla da ría de Pontevedra ou o marisqueo de bivalvos de Abanqueiro, preto de Bueu», detalla Freire. Son labores nas que atoparon a colaboración de grupos de investigación da Universidade de Vigo, no primeiro caso, ou doutro dun grupo de enxeñeiros da Universidade da Coruña porque Fismare teñen unha filosofía colaborativa da que fan bandeira e que Freire xustifica: «A oferta de servizos de xestión ambiental está moi atomizada. Nós somos competimos nese mercado, pero cremos máis na colaboración para afrontar proxectos».

Fuente: http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/canales/cienciagalega/2009/03/09/00031236602121821645289.htm

Groundfish species associations with distinct oceanographic habitats in the Northern California Current

Juan-Jorda, MJ, Barth, JA, Clarke, ME and Wakefield, WW, 2009. Groundfish species associations with distinct oceanographic habitats in the Northern California Current. Fisheries Oceanography, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2419.2008.00489.x

get pdf

MARIA JOSE JUAN-JORDA 1*, JOHN A. BARTH 1, M. E. CLARKE2 AND W. W. WAKEFIELD3

1College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 COAS Admin Bldg, Corvallis, OR 97331-5503, USA

2National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2725 Montlake Blvd. East, Seattle, WA 98112-2097, USA

3National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2032 SE OSU Drive Newport, OR 97365, USA

*Present address: M. J. Juan-Jorda´, Recursos Marinos y Pesquer?as, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de A Coruna, Alejandro de la Sota 1, 15008, A Corun˜ a, Spain

ABSTRACT

Ecosystem-based management places a strong emphasis on habitat, but little work has been done to examine how water column properties may influence the distribution, abundances and structure of groundfish assemblages. We identified and described oceanographic habitats in the northern California Current based on temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a and the inherent variability in these factors. We then examined the distribution and the abundance of groundfishes in relation to these oceanographic habitats and conditions with the long-term goal of improving science for ecosystem-based management of the groundfish fishery of the west coast of the USA. Five summertime oceanographic habitats with distinct physical and biological characteristics were identified in the northeast Pacific Ocean off the northwest Coast of the USA: Offshore Habitat, Upwelling Habitat,majority of the associations were weak due to overlap of species distributions in the nearshore oceanographic habitats. In contrast, groundfish species showed strong associations with individual oceanographic factors, primarily depth, surface chlorophyll-a, and bottom salinity and temperature. In addition, latitudinal variations in upwelling intensity, river discharge and productivity led to the identification of three regions where high chlorophyll-a concentrations were associated with large abundances of specific groundfish species. The combined oceanographic datasets and data products that we produced have the potential to be a powerful tool for improving our knowledge of the west coast ecosystem.

Patterns of juvenile habitat use by the spider crab Maja brachydactyla as revealed by stable isotope analyses (Scientia Marina)

Freire J., S. Carabel, P. Verísimo, C. Bernárdez & L. Fernández (2009). Patterns of juvenile habitat use by the spider crab Maja brachydactyla as revealed by stable isotope analyses. Scientia Marina 73(1): 39-49. PDF (466KB)

Investigando en la Reserva. El vídeo.

Recientemente hemos estado trabajando en la Reserva Marina de Interés Pesquero de “Os Miñarzos”, de Carnota (A Coruña). En este vídeo puede visualizarse parte de nuestro trabajo.

El vídeo está dedicado a la memoria de Tomé, recientemente fallecido.

Development and prospective of the Galician TURF system – The case of the gooseneck barnacle fishery (Mote Simposium)

(version de alta resolución, en jpg 1.4 MB)

Abstract: Galicia is an autonomous Spanish region with full authority over the management of its coastal fisheries. In 2006 Galician shellfisheries targeted approximately 55 species (18,500 tons, $191 millions), involving nearly 16,000 fishers distributed in 62 fishers’ organizations known as “confrarías”. In 1992 the regional government introduced a new model for Galician small-scale, spatially structured fisheries targeting sedentary resources, so called “S-fisheries” (bivalves, equinoderms, gastropods, annelids and the crustacean gooseneck barnacle P. pollicipes). It promoted a co-management system between fishers’ organizations and the fisheries authority based on territorial use rights (TURFs). Under the new regime there is a requirement for any S-fishery to have an approved annual plan of exploitation and management. Since 2000 detailed information is obligatory, including a list of fishers and boats, a chart of exploited grounds, specification of production and economic objectives, a stock assessment, daily records from previous years (effort, catch, CPUE, sales and fishing area), harvesting, surveillance and trade plans, stock enhancement actions, and a financial plan. The management plan is normally prepared by a “barefoot ecologist” (sensu Prince 2003) working at the confraría with government funding thanks to an arrangement that started in 1996 (up to now 40 out of 62 confrarías are involved in this plan). The “barefoot ecologist” is usually a Biology or Marine Science graduate working as a shellfish resource management assistant, dealing with not only data collection and analysis but also on fishers´ organization improvement. The development, daily implementation and prospective of the Galician model are illustrated in this poster with the gooseneck barnacle fishery as an example. The role of the “barefoot ecologists” on the sustainability of these fisheries is highlighted.

Proyectos