bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mental Verbs And Pragmatic Language Difficulties
Authors: Spanoudis George , Natsopoulos Demetrios , Panayiotou Georgia
Published: July 2007

Background: Pragmatic language impairment has recently been the subject of a number of studies that attempted to illuminate classification and diagnostic issues, and identify the profile of children with pragmatic language difficulties. Although much progress has been made, the nature of pragmatic difficulties remains unclear.

Aims: To contrast typically developing children with those with pragmatic difficulties and specific language impairment as well as their ability to produce and comprehend pragmatic inferences about given or presupposed knowledge in mental state verbs; and to explore the general hypothesis that children with pragmatic difficulties make some, but not all, of the pragmatic inferences necessary for successful communication.

Methods & Procedures: Study groups consisted of 18 children with pragmatic language difficulties, 28 children with specific language impairment and 40 typically developing children. The groups were matched on non‐verbal intelligence and age and differed in verbal intelligence, language achievement and pragmatic ability.

Outcomes & Results: The language‐impaired groups performed significantly more poorly than typically developing children on all mental verb measures. In addition, significant differences between specific language impairment and pragmatic difficulties groups were found in composite score performance, but not on individual test performance.

Conclusions: Both inferential mental verb tasks (pragmatics) and non‐inferential mental verb tasks (semantics) were more difficult for the children with language impairments compared with typically developing peers. Inferential and non‐inferential abilities showed significant differences between the two language‐impaired groups in favour of the children with specific language difficulties. Children's Communication Checklist scales in conjunction with mental verb measures were found to classify the three groups well.
Two Forms Of Spoken Repetition In A Girl With Autism
Authors: Stribling Penny , Rae John , Dickerson Paul
Published: July 2007

Background: The talk of persons with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) often features distinctive forms of repetition (echophenomena). Although often characterized as meaningless or inappropriate, there is evidence that such practices can sometimes have communicative functions.

Aims: To investigate the interactional organization of repetition practices found in the talk of an adolescent girl with an ASD.

Methods & Procedures: As part of a project examining the interactional practices of children with ASD, we video‐recorded 6 hours of activity in a school classroom for severe learning difficulty (SLD) children. This paper considers instances of repeated talk produced by a class pupil, ‘Helen’. The analysis involved assembling a collection of examples of the repeated talk which were then transcribed in detail. Conversation Analysis was used to explore the sequential contexts in which they occur and precisely how they are produced.

Outcomes & Results: Two forms of repetition occur very frequently in Helen's talk: first, repeats of turn‐final lexical items from another speaker's immediately before talk (prior‐turn repeats, a form of immediate echolalia), and second, repeats of the first item within a turn such that a turn is produced consisting entirely of repeated items (within‐turn repeats). The latter appears to be a form of palilalia (repeats of one's own prior talk) that has not been widely reported in ASD. The prior turn repeats follow other speaker's initiating actions (e.g. questions) that are addressed specifically to Helen and make a response from her relevant. Helen apparently uses these to demonstrate that she has nevertheless heard, and is orienting to, that prior turn. Within‐turn repeats are tied to and bounded by the accomplishment of non‐vocal activities, e.g. handing an object to a co‐participant, such that the repetitions cease when the object has reached its recipient. The two forms of repetition frequently co‐occur to display on‐going engagement with a recipient's prior turn.

Conclusions: Although Helen has limited verbal resources she is more interactionally competent than this may initially suggest. We propose that these repetition practices may constitute an adaptation to interacting with a limited lexicon. We discuss the relevance of Conversational Analysis for understanding autistic children's pragmatic competence, and the implications for remediation and further research.
The regulatory domains of CNA have different effects on the inhibition of CN activity by FK506 and CsA
Authors: Wang Hai‐long , Du Yan‐wei , Xiang Ben‐qiong , Lin Wei‐lin , Wei Qun
Published: July 2007

Calcineurin (CN) is the common receptor for two immunophilin‐immunosuppressant complexes, Cyp‐CsA and FKBP‐FK506. Calcineurin is composed of a catalytic subunit (CNA) and a regulatory subunit (CNB). CNA contains the catalytic domain and three regulatory domains: a CNB‐binding domain (BBH, 350 ‐ 370), a calmodulin‐ binding domain (CBD, 389 ‐ 413), and an autoinhibitory domain (AID, 457 ‐ 482). To investigate the effects of these three regulatory domains on the inhibition of CN by the two drugs we constructed three C‐terminal deletion mutants: CNAabc (1 ‐ 456), CNAab (1 ‐ 388) and CNAa (1 ‐ 347). Inhibition of CNA and its derivatives by the two drugs was examined and compared with inhibition by peptides (AID [457 ‐ 482] and LCBD [389 ‐ 456], CBD and the extension of the AID were included). Our results show that the BBH is critical for inhibition of CN by Cyp‐CsA and FKBP‐FK506. The LCBD has no effect and the AID reduces the inhibition of CN by two complexes. In addition, LCBD and AID as autoinhibitors may inhibit enzyme activity via different sites.
IUBMB Life, 59: 388 ‐ 393, 2007
The Candidacidal activity of Indole‐3‐carbinol that binds with DNA
Authors: Sung Woo Sang , Lee Dong Gun
Published: July 2007

The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro anticandidal activity of Indole‐3‐carbinol (I3C) and its mode of action against Candida albicans. The results indicated that I3C exhibited candidacidal activity in an energy‐independent manner without hemolytic effect on human erythrocytes. To understand the anticandidal mode of action of I3C, gel retardation and fluorescence quenching experiments were conducted against Candida albicans. The results suggest that I3C may exert anticandidal activity by binding to DNA. The present study indicates that I3C has considerable anticandidal activity, deserving further investigation for clinical applications.
iubmb Life, 59: 1 ‐ 5, 2007
Applications of Sleeping Beauty transposons for nonviral gene therapy
Authors: Liu Hanzhong , Visner Gary A.
Published: July 2007

Virus‐based gene therapy has advanced to clinical trials; however, this approach may result in serious adverse events including oncogenesis and the possibility of triggering fatal immune responses. Nonviral gene delivery approaches have a better safety profile, but their in vivo application has been largely limited in the past due to their inefficient delivery into cells and lack of stable chromosomal integration that is necessary for long‐term therapeutic benefit. However, recent advances suggest that the use of Sleeping Beauty transposons, a novel integrating nonviral vector system, are capable of achieving long‐lasting therapeutic levels of transgene expression in preclinical settings. These observations and other ongoing relevant studies may unlock the therapeutic potential of nonviral gene therapy for human diseases.
iubmb Life, 59: 1 ‐ 6, 2007
OPA1 Processing Reconstituted in Yeast Depends on the Subunit Composition of them-AAA Protease in Mitochondria
Authors: Duvezin-Caubet Stéphane , Koppen Mirko , Wagener Johannes , Zick Michael , Israel Lars , Bernacchia Andrea , Jagasia Ravi , Rugarli Elena I. , Imhof Axel , Neupert Walter , Langer Thomas , Reichert Andreas S.
Published: July 2007

The morphology of mitochondria in mammalian cells is regulated by proteolytic cleavage of OPA1, a dynamin-like GTPase of the mitochondrial inner membrane. The mitochondrial rhomboid protease PARL, and paraplegin, a subunit of the ATP-dependent m-AAA protease, were proposed to be involved in this process. Here, we characterized individual OPA1 isoforms by mass spectrometry, and we reconstituted their processing in yeast to identify proteases involved in OPA1 cleavage. The yeast homologue of OPA1, Mgm1, was processed both by PARL and its yeast homologue Pcp1. Neither of these rhomboid proteases cleaved OPA1. The formation of small OPA1 isoforms was impaired in yeast cells lacking the m-AAA protease subunits Yta10 and Yta12 and was restored upon expression of murine or human m-AAA proteases. OPA1 processing depended on the subunit composition of mammalian m-AAA proteases. Homo-oligomeric m-AAA protease complexes composed of murine Afg3l1, Afg3l2, or human AFG3L2 subunits cleaved OPA1 with higher efficiency than paraplegin-containing m-AAA proteases. OPA1 processing proceeded normally in murine cell lines lacking paraplegin or PARL. Our results provide evidence for different substrate specificities of m-AAA proteases composed of different subunits and reveal a striking evolutionary switch of proteases involved in the proteolytic processing of dynamin-like GTPases in mitochondria.
Serine Phosphorylation of the Integrin β4 Subunit Is Necessary for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor–induced Hemidesmosome Disruption
Authors: Wilhelmsen Kevin , Litjens Sandy H.M. , Kuikman Ingrid , Margadant Coert , van Rheenen Jacco , Sonnenberg Arnoud
Published: July 2007

Hemidesmosomes (HDs) are multiprotein adhesion complexes that promote attachment of epithelial cells to the basement membrane. The binding of α6β4 to plectin plays a central role in their assembly. We have defined three regions on β4 that together harbor all the serine and threonine phosphorylation sites and show that three serines (S1356, S1360, and S1364), previously implicated in HD regulation, prevent the interaction of β4 with the plectin actin-binding domain when phosphorylated. We have also established that epidermal growth factor receptor activation, which is known to function upstream of HD disassembly, results in the phosphorylation of only one or more of these three residues and the partial disassembly of HDs in keratinocytes. Additionally, we show that S1360 and S1364 of β4 are the only residues phosphorylated by PKC and PKA in cells, respectively. Taken together, our studies indicate that multiple kinases act in concert to breakdown the structural integrity of HDs in keratinocytes, which is primarily achieved through the phosphorylation of S1356, S1360, and S1364 on the β4 subunit.
Compositional analysis of catch curve data, with an application to Sebastes maliger
Authors: Schnute Jon T. , Haigh Rowan
Published: July 2007

Schnute, J. T. and Haigh, R. 2007. Compositional analysis of catch curve data, with an application to Sebastes maliger. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 218–233. This paper applies modern compositional analysis to catch curve data from a quillback rockfish (Sebastes maliger) population in British Columbia, Canada. Bubble plots and ternary diagrams portray variable age distributions and highlight distinctions between commercial and survey sample data. The models formalize important historical issues in catch curve analysis related to selectivity and recruitment variability, where a particular model corresponds to a prescribed vector of design parameters. The roles that compositional distributions (multinomial, Dirichlet, logistic-normal) can play in fishery data analysis are described, and Bayesian methods are used to examine how the distribution of a key mortality parameter depends on model choice. The framework provides a direct link between model designs and policy outcomes that depend on estimated mortalities or mortality ratios.
Estimating high resolution trawl fishing effort from satellite-based vessel monitoring system data
Authors: Mills Craig M. , Townsend Sunny E. , Jennings Simon , Eastwood Paul D. , Houghton Carla A.
Published: July 2007

Mills, C. M., Townsend, S. E., Jennings, S., Eastwood, P. D., and Houghton, C. A. 2007. Estimating high resolution trawl fishing effort from satellite-based vessel monitoring system data. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 248–255. High resolution estimates of trawling effort are needed to underpin studies of trawling impacts on species, habitats, and ecosystem processes, and to monitor responses to area closure and other management actions. Satellite-based vessel monitoring systems (VMS) were designed for fishery control and enforcement, but they provide potentially valuable source information on spatial and temporal patterns of trawling activity at multiple scales. Based on an analysis of VMS data for UK beam trawlers in the North Sea, a method is described for identifying trawling activity and estimating fishing intensity based on the minimum and maximum potential spatial extent of trawling effort from VMS data. The optimal method for identifying trawling and steaming behaviour combined speed and directionality rules and correctly identified trawling and steaming in 99% and 95% of cases, respectively. Using speed- and directionality-filtered VMS data, trawling effort can be reported as area impacted per unit time per unit area at a range of grid scales from 1 km to 100 km (10 000 km2). Trawling effort is accurately represented at a grid cell resolution of 3 km or less.
The status of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) stocks around England and Wales, derived using a separable catch-at-age model, and implications for fisheries management
Authors: Pawson Mike G. , Kupschus Sven , Pickett Graham D.
Published: July 2007

Pawson, M. G., Kupschus, S., and Pickett, G. D. 2007. The status of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) stocks around England and Wales, derived using a separable catch-at-age model, and implications for fisheries management. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 346–356. The commercial fishery for sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) around the coasts of England and Wales developed rapidly in the late 1970s and 1980s and, by 1986, involved some 3000 fishers using more than 2000 boats to make landings worth £3–4 million. The estimated annual catch of sea bass by sport-anglers was similar to the level recorded from the commercial fishery. Sampling of landings showed strong evidence of growth-overfishing in many areas, and a package of technical measures was introduced in 1990 aimed at improving the exploitation pattern and yield per recruit. This paper describes how data collected through a fishery and biological sampling programme around England and Wales over the period 1985–2004 have been utilized in a separable catch numbers-at-age model to assess the dynamics of sea bass stocks in English and Welsh coastal waters. The model output shows that recruitment improved during the 1990s and that moderate levels of fishing mortality allied to an exploitation pattern that largely avoids juvenile fish have enabled the bass population and its fishery to develop sustainably. Results are discussed in relation to model development and management of the bass fishery.
Eastern English Channel fish assemblages: measuring the structuring effect of habitats on distinct sub-communities
Authors: Vaz S. , Carpentier A. , Coppin F.
Published: July 2007

Vaz, S., Carpentier, A., and Coppin, F. 2007. Eastern English Channel fish assemblages: measuring the structuring effect of habitats on distinct sub-communities – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 271–287. Multivariate and spatial analyses are used to identify and locate fish, cephalopod, and macrocrustacean species assemblages in the eastern English Channel from 1988 to 2004. Four sub-communities with varying diversity levels were identified in relation to depth, salinity, temperature, seabed shear stress, sediment type, and benthic community nature. From 1997 to 2004, some 25% of overall community structure variance could be related to the available environmental descriptors and 20% to persistent factors such as depth, seabed shear stress, sediment, and macro-invertebrate community type. Although there may be significant interannual shifts in overall community structure and composition, the sub-communities identified persisted over time, reflecting the relative stability of the environmental conditions in this area. The diversity levels of the community appeared to have increased over the past 2 decades and to be higher in areas with soft sediments and wide temperature and salinity variations, typically coastal river plumes and estuaries where bentho-demersal species dominated. The strong spatial structure of the fish communities in the eastern English Channel reflects the different types of habitats shared by differing species assemblages. Such persistence may be useful for spatially explicit planning of human use and resource management.
Assessing the relative effects of fishing on the New Zealand marine environment through risk analysis
Authors: Campbell Marnie L. , Gallagher Charmaine
Published: July 2007

Campbell, M. L. and Gallagher, C. 2007. Assessing the relative effects of fishing on the New Zealand marine environment through risk analysis – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 256–270. Risk analysis is a tool often used by management to aid decision-making. We present a risk-analysis framework that was developed to facilitate managing New Zealand fisheries. Using catch-effort and observer data, the likelihood that a certain fishery will impact upon five effects of fishing (EoF) issues (non-target species, biodiversity, habitat, trophic interactions, and legislated protected species) is determined. The consequences (impact and/or change) of such events are then determined to determine a relative risk ranking across fisheries. Consequence matrices were developed to assess each of the five EoF categories. To illustrate the model, a 13-y data set of New Zealand fisheries catch-effort and observer data was analysed, using orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) as an example fishery. The New Zealand fisheries management framework follows a traditional model in which socio-political imperatives are determined (through risk assessment) after ecological impacts are assessed. By maintaining separation between ecological and socio-political imperatives, a transparent and objective framework is established.
Regional variation in maturation of sandeels in the North Sea
Authors: Boulcott Philip , Wright Peter J. , Gibb Fiona M. , Jensen Henrik , Gibb Iain M.
Published: July 2007

Boulcott, P., Wright, P. J., Gibb, F. M., Jensen, H., and Gibb, I. M. 2007. Regional variation in maturation of sandeels in the North Sea. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 369–376. The current assessment of lesser sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) in the North Sea assumes a single stock and a knife-edge maturity ogive. However, there is evidence that the North Sea stock consists of several reproductively isolated components, raising the possibility of demographic differences among regional aggregations. We examine regional variation in size- and age-at-maturity in four components of the North Sea stock. Surveys in 1999 indicated pronounced regional differences in length- and weight-at-age, implying a disparity in growth rate across the North Sea. Logistic regression revealed that the onset of maturity was significantly related to regional distribution, in addition to length and age, with a tendency for fish off the UK's northeast coast to mature later and smaller than elsewhere. No significant effect of year on either growth or length-at-maturity was revealed from a comparison with other data collected in 2004. The results show that important regional phenotypic variation not currently represented in stock assessments could have implications for the local sustainability of sandeel aggregations.
Geostatistical simulations of eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock spatial distributions, to estimate sampling precision
Authors: Walline Paul D.
Published: July 2007

Walline, P. D. 2007. Geostatistical simulations of eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock spatial distributions, to estimate sampling precision. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 559–569. Sequential Gaussian and sequential indicator geostatistical simulation methods were used to estimate confidence intervals (CIs) for biomass estimates from six echo-integration trawl surveys of eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) biomass. Uncertainty in the acoustic and the length frequency data was combined in the calculation of CIs. Sampling in 2002 provided evidence for isotropy in the spatial distribution. Variogram models were characterized by long ranges (75–122 nautical miles for non-zero acoustic data, for example) compared with the smallest dimension of the survey area (∼100 nautical miles) and small nugget effects (∼20% of the semi-variance in transformed normal space for acoustic data). The 95% CIs obtained for the abundance estimates did not vary greatly between years and were similar to those from a one-dimensional transitive geostatistical analysis, i.e. ± 5–9% of estimated total biomass.
Integrated fisheries assessment and possible causes for the collapse of anchovy kilka in the Caspian Sea
Authors: Daskalov Georgi M. , Mamedov Elchin V.
Published: July 2007

Daskalov, G. M., and Mamedov, E. V. 2007. Integrated fisheries assessment and possible causes for the collapse of anchovy kilka in the Caspian Sea. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 503–511. Anchovy kilka (Clupeonella engrauliformis) is the most abundant species of fish in the Caspian Sea. An integrated catch-at-age analysis based on commercial catch data and relative abundance indices from research surveys over the period 1991–2004 indicated two main periods. First, a period of high catches, from 1991 to 2000, sustained by relatively good recruitment and high spawning-stock biomass. At the end of this period, catches peaked at up to 271 400 t, fishing mortality reached 1.8 y−1 in 1999, and overfishing seems to have taken place. Over the next period, 2001–2004, the stock virtually collapsed, recruitment failing in 2001 and remaining very low thereafter. In 2005, total catches dropped to a historical minimum of 54 300 t. The most likely primary cause of the stock collapse is the invasion and spread of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Caspian Sea. The dramatic recruitment failure from 2001 to 2004 is primarily attributed to competition/predation by this ctenophore, although other factors, including overfishing, likely contributed.
Indications of competition between non-indigenous round goby and native flounder in the Baltic Sea
Authors: Karlson Agnes M. L. , Almqvist Gustaf , Skóra Krzysztof E. , Appelberg Magnus
Published: July 2007

Karlson, A. M. L., Almqvist, G., Skóra, K. E., and Appelberg, M. 2007. Indications of competition between non-indigenous round goby and native flounder in the Baltic Sea. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 479–486. The Ponto-Caspian round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) was introduced to the Gulf of Gdańsk, southern Baltic Sea, in the late 1980s, and it has now become the dominant demersal fish species in shallow water. This study aimed to assess diet preferences and the degree of diet overlap between the round goby and the native flounder (Platichthys flesus). Results from time-series of stomach contents and stable isotope analyses of wild-caught fish, together with prey preference experiments carried out in the laboratory, showed that the two species consumed similar species and sizes of prey. The similarities in diet suggest potential for food competition. Catch data showed both reverse depth distributions of round goby and flounder when round gobies were abundant and that the abundances of the two species were negatively correlated. The diet overlap between small flounders and round gobies was greatest when goby abundance was least, suggesting that abundance of round gobies may restrict flounder habitat utilization and, therefore, also food availability to the latter. Therefore, round gobies may have a negative influence on the commercially important flounder.
Human activities in UK offshore waters: an assessment of direct, physical pressure on the seabed
Authors: Eastwood P. D. , Mills C. M. , Aldridge J. N. , Houghton C. A. , Rogers S. I.
Published: July 2007

Eastwood, P. D., Mills, C. M., Aldridge, J. N., Houghton, C. A., and Rogers, S. I. 2007. Human activities in UK offshore waters: an assessment of direct, physical pressure on the seabed. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 453–463. Integrated assessments (IA) and marine spatial planning (MSP) are becoming major drivers for the assessment and management of human activities at sea. To be successful, both require an understanding of the distribution of the pressures caused by human activities. We used spatial data for the major human activities operating in the England and Wales sector of UK waters in 2004 to provide an assessment of direct, physical pressure on the seabed from multiple human activities. Pressure was estimated as the spatial extent of each of the activities; the intensity, longevity, and impacts arising from the pressures were not considered. Estimates of spatial extent were assigned to three pressure categories, subdivided into six pressure types. We estimated that four of the six pressure types affected < 1% of the seabed of England and Wales in 2004, whereas selective extraction caused by demersal trawling affected a minimum of 5.4%, rising to a possible maximum of 21.4%, of the total area of the seabed. This was a greater area than all other pressure types combined. The assessment process described here can be used as the framework for reporting human pressures at regular time intervals and feed into both IA and MSP for regional seas.
Why a management procedure approach? Some positives and negatives
Authors: Butterworth Doug S.
Published: July 2007

Butterworth, D. S. 2007. Why a management procedure approach? Some positives and negatives. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 613–617. The origin of the management procedure (MP) approach (sometimes termed management strategy evaluation), with its simulation testing of feedback-control algorithms as a necessary and structured basis for dealing with the inevitable uncertainties associated with fisheries assessments, is briefly reviewed. Also discussed are the advantages that overcome some of the difficulties of the “traditional” approach of coupling an annual “best” assessment to some harvest control rule, such as a failure to consider longer-term trade-offs properly. The MP approach does, however, also have disadvantages, such as the length of time typically required for its development and an argued inflexibility after implementation. Solutions that have been developed to overcome some of these difficulties are discussed.
Random-walk dynamics of exploited fish populations
Authors: Niwa Hiro-Sato
Published: July 2007

Niwa, H-S. 2007. Random-walk dynamics of exploited fish populations. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 496–502. Fished populations have been heavily fished over a wide range of stock sizes, and the data for such stocks are potentially of great interest. Population variability in stock histories has focused attention on the predictability of conditions of sustainability when harvesting fish. Here, I examine empirically the time-series data on 27 commercial fish stocks in the North Atlantic. The variability in population growth rate (i.e. the annual changes in the logarithms of population abundance) is described by a Gaussian distribution. The signs (up or down) of successive changes in the population trajectory are independent, as if determined by the toss of a coin. The process of population variability therefore corresponds to a geometric random walk.
An altered carrying capacity of the Benguela upwelling ecosystem for African penguins (Spheniscus demersus)
Authors: Crawford Robert J. M. , Underhill Les G. , Upfold Leshia , Dyer Bruce M.
Published: July 2007

Crawford, R. J. M., Underhill, L. G., Upfold, L., and Dyer, B. M. 2007. An altered carrying capacity of the Benguela upwelling ecosystem for African penguins (Spheniscus demersus). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 570–576. The carrying capacity of an ecosystem for a species is an input parameter that is required for some models that assess population viability. It may be changed by an altered structure or functioning of the ecosystem, e.g. as a consequence of changes brought about by fishing or environmental change. Hence, it cannot necessarily be assumed that the pristine level of abundance of a species reflects the present-day carrying capacity of the ecosystem for that species. Historical and modern information on abundance and density-dependent responses is used to investigate changes in the carrying capacity of the Benguela upwelling ecosystem for African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), a species categorized as vulnerable. The carrying capacity was estimated to decrease from 1.5–3.0 million adult birds in the 1920s to just 10–20% of this value from 1978 to 2006, as a result inter alia of increased competition for food with purse-seine fisheries and fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus). From 1988/1989 to 2005/2006, the per capita recruitment of young penguins to a colony where nesting space was not limiting was inversely related to the size of that colony, suggestive of a density-dependent response perhaps related to food availability.
When control rules collide: a comparison of fisheries management reference points and IUCN criteria for assessing risk of extinction
Authors: Rice Jake C. , Legacè Èmilie
Published: July 2007

Rice, J. C., and Legacè, È. 2007. When control rules collide: a comparison of fisheries management reference points and IUCN criteria for assessing risk of extinction. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 718–722. The quantitative criteria used by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to assess risk-of-extinction are compared with reference points used by ICES and other fisheries organizations for advising on fisheries management. Criteria based on numbers of individuals and geographic range appear to be in harmony with limit reference points and control rules used in fisheries management, with reference points indicating that fisheries should be closed well before there is any risk of extinction. However, there is huge potential for conflict between fisheries and risk-of-extinction approaches when considering the extent of population declines. Of 89 species examined, the decline criterion suggested a serious risk-of-extinction in 87%, whereas most of the stocks were still within a zone that allowed fisheries management reference points to indicate that exploitation could continue. Much of the conflict seems rooted in different types of tolerance to risk between the two disciplines. The conservation-biology community acknowledges a high tolerance for “false alarms”, to keep the probability of a “miss” very low, whereas tolerance in fisheries management is comparable for both types of error.
FLR: an open-source framework for the evaluation and development of management strategies
Authors: Kell L. T. , Mosqueira I. , Grosjean P. , Fromentin J-M. , Garcia D. , Hillary R. , Jardim E. , Mardle S. , Pastoors M. A. , Poos J. J. , Scott F. , Scott R. D.
Published: July 2007

Kell, L. T., Mosqueira, I., Grosjean, P., Fromentin, J-M., Garcia, D., Hillary, R., Jardim, E., Mardle, S., Pastoors, M. A., Poos, J. J., Scott, F., and Scott, R. D. 2007. FLR: an open-source framework for the evaluation and development of management strategies. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 640–646. The FLR framework (Fisheries Library for R) is a development effort directed towards the evaluation of fisheries management strategies. The overall goal is to develop a common framework to facilitate collaboration within and across disciplines (e.g. biological, ecological, statistical, mathematical, economic, and social) and, in particular, to ensure that new modelling methods and software are more easily validated and evaluated, as well as becoming widely available once developed. Specifically, the framework details how to implement and link a variety of fishery, biological, and economic software packages so that alternative management strategies and procedures can be evaluated for their robustness to uncertainty before implementation. The design of the framework, including the adoption of object-orientated programming, its feasibility to be extended to new processes, and its application to new management approaches (e.g. ecosystem affects of fishing), is discussed. The importance of open source for promoting transparency and allowing technology transfer between disciplines and researchers is stressed.
Element composition of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) otoliths along the Atlantic Coast of the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Castro B. G.
Published: July 2007

Castro, B. G. 2007. Element composition of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) otoliths along the Atlantic Coast of the Iberian Peninsula. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 512–518. The element composition of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) otoliths along the Atlantic Coast of the Iberian Peninsula was determined by bulk analysis, using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. Samples (collected 2003–2005) were classified by area [Bay of Biscay (GV), Northwest (OCN), and Southwest (GC) of the Iberian Peninsula] and size group ( ≤ 15, 16–18, and ≥ 21 cm total length). The chemical composition was compared statistically between areas within size groups and between size groups within areas by ANOVA and a Support Vector Machine method, using 10-fold cross-validation. The element composition of sardine otoliths was similar to that of other marine fish. In all, eight elements (Li, Ba, Mg, Mn, Na, Sr, K, and Ca) were useful in discriminating between areas and/or size groups. Discrimination between areas within size groups was less effective for the biggest size group (67%) than for the middle (89%) or smallest size groups (84%). Discrimination between size groups within areas was better for GC (76%) and GV (84%) than for OCN (60%). The results are interpreted in terms of a net balance of migration of large sardine from OCN towards GV and GC.
Oceanic changes in the Sargasso Sea and declines in recruitment of the European eel
Authors: Friedland Kevin D. , Miller Michael J. , Knights Brian
Published: July 2007

Friedland, K. D., Miller, M. J., and Knights, B. 2007. Oceanic changes in the Sargasso Sea and declines in recruitment of the European eel. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 519–530. Anguillid eel recruitment in the North Atlantic has declined in recent decades, raising concerns that climatic changes in the Sargasso Sea may be influencing oceanic reproduction and larval survival. There is a significant negative correlation between the North Atlantic Oscillation and long-term variations in catches of glass eel stages of the European eel Anguilla anguilla recorded by the fishery independent Den Oever recruitment index (DOI) in the Netherlands, lagged by one year. Ocean-atmospheric changes in the Sargasso Sea may affect the location of spawning areas by silver eels and the survival of leptocephali during the key period when they are transported towards the Gulf Stream. A northward shift in a key isotherm (22.5°C), defining the northern boundary of the spawning area, a declining trend in winds and transport conditions in larval transport areas, and a shallowing of the mixed layer depth could affect primary productivity in areas where leptocephali feed. The relationships between these ocean parameters and the DOI suggest that these changing ocean conditions could be contributing to declining recruitment of the European eel and probably also of the American eel (A. rostrata), but anthropogenic factors during their continental life stage must also be considered.
Contribution of artificial reefs to the diet of the white sea bream (Diplodus sargus)
Authors: Leitão Francisco , Santos Miguel N. , Monteiro Carlos C.
Published: July 2007

Leitão, F., Santos, M. N., and Monteiro, C. C. 2007. Contribution of artificial reefs to the diet of the white sea bream (Diplodus sargus). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 473–478. An evaluation of the trophic relationship between Diplodus sargus and artificial reefs (ARs) in the Algarve (southern Portugal) is based on a comparison of stomach contents and the macrobenthic communities present at the AR and in surrounding sandy bottom areas. Only adult white sea bream were observed in the vicinity of the ARs. The percentage of items found in the stomach that were characteristic of AR hard substratum was high (67%). Although the diet contained a wide variety of items, namely reef algae, invertebrates (crustaceans, gastropods, and bivalves), and fish, Balanus amphitrite and Gibbula spp. contributed most to the diet. The diet of D. sargus was strongly associated with prey availability on the AR, so highlighting the importance of these artificial habitats to the species. It seems that these artificial feeding areas, owing to their extent and benthic production, are enhancing the local D. sargus stock and hence the fishery.
Sustainable management of mixed demersal fisheries in the North Sea through fleet-based management—a proposal from a biological perspective
Authors: Rätz Hans-Joachim , Bethke Eckhard , Dörner Hendrik , Beare Doug , Gröger Joachim
Published: July 2007

Rätz, H-J., Bethke, E., Dörner, H., Beare, D., and Gröger, J. 2007. Sustainable management of mixed demersal fisheries in the North Sea through fleet-based management—a proposal from a biological perspective. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 652–660. Cod, haddock, whiting, saithe, plaice, sole, and Norway lobster are main target species for the mixed demersal fisheries of the North Sea, Skagerrak, and eastern Channel. Management by total allowable catch has not been able to constrain exploitation of individual species, so the potential for a fleet-specific effort management system to reach the management objectives established for the stocks is simulated. Relative fleet-specific effort factors are estimated based on the sum of partial fishing mortalities of the species caught, weighted by the stocks at risk of reduced reproductive capacity. The strategy promotes the use of selective gear and levies non-selective gear. The factors were applied in medium-term simulations of the annual decision process in accordance with existing and proposed multi-annual management plans (including for cod recovery). Strict effort reduction would be required for fleets targeting cod, plaice, or sole (specifically large- and medium-mesh trawler fleets, beam trawlers, and gillnetters) for ∼5 years, reducing the exploitation rates on all stocks substantially. Cod and plaice are predicted to recover by 2010 and cod catches to exceed recent levels continually, with the more selective longliners and some other gear types profiting most. Management objectives for cod dominate annual effort adjustments, resulting in substantial underexploitation of other stocks. However, even a 10% bias caused by non-compliance would largely halt cod recovery and the restoration of other stocks.
The dual role of indicators in optimal fisheries management strategies
Authors: Rice Jake C. , Rivard Denis
Published: July 2007

Rice, J. C., and Rivard, D. 2007. The dual role of indicators in optimal fisheries management strategies. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 775–778. Indicators are used in two different ways in the assessment and advisory cycle. One is to audit performance of the management plan relative to achieving the objectives for the fishery. The second is to trigger control rules to manage the subsequent harvest. Traditionally, the assessment and management community has used spawning-stock biomass and fishing mortality for these functions, and as management strategies are being developed, generally continues to test the same indicators in both the audit and control functions. There is no reason to use the same indicators in both functions, and management of a few specialized commercial fisheries has recognized this, using different indicators in different roles for many years. That different indicators may be optimal for both roles presents a richer range of opportunities for exploring robust management strategies, and will be essential as ecosystem considerations and integrated management tools are included in assessment and management.
Change and stability in landings: the responses of fisheries to scientific advice and TACs1
Authors: Patterson Kenneth , Résimont Martine
Published: July 2007

Patterson, K., and Résimont, M. 2007. Catch and stability in landings: the response of fisheries to scientific advice and TACs. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 714–717. Stability in total allowable catch (TAC) and landings is a principal demand from the fishing sector, and sufficient experience has now been gained in applying the Common Fisheries Policy in European Atlantic waters to allow an initial review of the stability in landings across stocks. Available information is compared across a large number of stocks to determine the relative influence of scientific advice on relative changes in landings, on the decision-making process, and on resulting rates of fishing mortality. The approach differs from the conventional model approaches based on population dynamics, but allows conclusions to be drawn based on recent experience in management. The conclusion is that the most important factor enhancing long-term stability is a low rate of fishing mortality, but that following scientific advice on a year-to-year basis would decrease stability. Unless TACs varied considerably, they did not appear to affect variations in landings significantly.
Comparison of two periods of North Sea herring stock management: success, failure, and monetary value
Authors: Simmonds E. John
Published: July 2007

Simmonds, E. J. 2007. Comparison of two periods of North Sea herring stock management: success, failure, and monetary value. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 686–692. At two points in the past (1970 and 1995), North Sea herring (Clupea harengus) abundance and catches have been in a similar situation: the stock had declined from an earlier high and reached a depleted state with a spawning-stock biomass of around 400 000 t, well below the agreed biomass limit reference point of 800 000 t. Catches were also similar at 600 000 t annually, and too high to be sustainable. A comparison of the scientific advice, the management actions, and their effects on population trends over the periods following these two critical years provides insight into important management issues. The benefits to the industry of the value of the cumulative catch resulting from successful management of this large stock have been proven to outweigh by far the costs of obtaining good management advice. The conclusion is that sound scientific information plays an important role when difficult management issues have to be confronted. However, there are other critical issues, such as the stakeholders' wish to preserve the stock at all costs and a management organization that has authority to take decisions.
Limits to transparency—exploring conceptual and operational aspects of the ICES framework for providing precautionary fisheries management advice
Authors: Hauge Kjellrun Hiis , Nielsen Kåre Nolde , Korsbrekke Knut
Published: July 2007

Hauge, K. H., Nielsen, K. N., and Korsbrekke, K. 2007. Limits to transparency—exploring conceptual and operational aspects of the ICES framework for providing precautionary fisheries management advice. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 738–743. ICES precautionary approach to fisheries management advice is based on limit reference points (LRPs) reflecting stock status and precautionary reference points (PRPs) reflecting risk levels. As LRPs are exclusively science-based, while PRPs are management-based, this framework is deployed towards satisfying the ideal of a clear division of science and management's responsibilities. We discuss the variety of technical definitions of reference points and their use in the advisory process. There are inconsistencies in the use of reference points and a tendency to downplay uncertainty. Although the framework can be improved, we argue that some dilemmas will remain. First, transparency of uncertainty presupposes a simple and understandable framework. However, translation of the complexity of natural and human interactions into simple concepts leads to problematic standardization. Second, a clear-cut division of responsibility between science and management is not feasible because LRPs cannot be purely science-based and PRPs cannot be purely management-based. Such dilemmas set fundamental limits to what can be expected from the framework in terms of handling and communicating uncertainty. We suggest that comprehensive dialogue between science and management and explicit reflection on their respective roles will prove more effective at enhancing precautionary and transparent advice on fisheries than adhering to the ideal of strict separation.
Fishing practice, gear design, and the ecosystem approach—three case studies demonstrating the effect of management strategy on gear selectivity and discards
Authors: Graham Norman , Ferro Richard S. T. , Karp William A. , MacMullen Philip
Published: July 2007

Graham, N., Ferro, R. S. T., Karp, W. A., and MacMullen, P. 2007. Fishing practice, gear design, and the ecosystem approach—three case studies demonstrating the effect of management strategy on gear selectivity and discards. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 744–750. A basic tenet of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management is that harvesting is conducted with minimal impact on juvenile fish, non-target species, and marine habitats. A range of technical modifications of fishing gears aimed at improving their selective properties is available to help achieve these goals, but their effectiveness varies. Through three case studies, we describe how management controls influence fishing behaviour and the adoption of more selective gear, and demonstrate how conservation goals can be discouraged or encouraged by the strategy. In Norway, limits set on the maximum quantity of sublegal fish that may be retained on board, in combination with a ban on discarding, resulted in substantial area closures in the Barents Sea. Therefore, to gain access, fishers developed technical modifications to enhance gear selectivity. In both shrimp and demersal trawl fisheries, the modifications are now being used by virtually the whole fleet. To reduce cod mortality in the North Sea, mesh sizes were increased and effort restrictions introduced, but the measures also affected other fleets, notably those targeting Nephrops: fishers for that species reduced their mesh size to prevent loss of target species and to avoid effort restrictions. Although management measures may have resulted in reduced fishing mortality on cod, they placed additional pressure on other stocks by encouraging vessels to switch gears, and it is likely that discard rates have increased. In the eastern Bering Sea fishery for walleye pollock, the adoption of more-selective fishing gears was encouraged by regulations requiring fisheries to be curtailed when bycatch rates of prohibited species are exceeded, leading to underutilization of the target species through premature closures. Fishers now act cooperatively by providing real-time data on bycatch hot spots, allowing tactical fishing decisions to be taken to avoid such areas.