The Ecosystems and Population Dynamics Programme
The overarching objective of this programme is to develop and apply new methods and tools that will improve our understanding of, and to quantify the variability in, marine ecosystems, with special reference to the dynamics of fish stocks, and to contribute to an ecosystem approach.
Recent Submissions
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Additive effects of enhanced ambient ultraviolet B radiation and increased temperature on immune function, growth and physiological condition of juvenile (parr) Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2010-09-29)Climate change models predict increased ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation levels due to stratospheric ozone depletion and global warming. In order to study the impact of these two environmental stressors acting simultaneously ... -
Early ontogeny of the Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus head
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2011-04-04)An ontogenetic sequence of Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus larvae, reared in intensive culture conditions, was cleared and stained and histologically processed to determine normal cranial chondrification for ... -
Does size matter? A bioeconomic perspective on optimal harvesting when price is size-dependent
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2011-09-09)Body size is a key parameter influencing demographic characteristics of fish populations as well as market value of landed catch. Yet in bioeconomic modelling, body size is often an overlooked biological and economic ... -
Description of a new goatfish species, Upeneus randalli n. sp. (Mullidae), from the Persian Gulf, with remarks and identification keys for the genus Upeneus
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2011-09)The number of species of the goatfish genus Upeneus from the western Indian Ocean has increased considerably due to recent taxonomic efforts. Here we describe a new species, Upeneus randalli n. sp., based on body and fin ... -
Taxonomic review of Western Indian Ocean goatfishes of the genus Mulloidichthys (Family Mullidae), with description of a new species and remarks on colour and body form variation in Indo-West Pacific species
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2011-04)The taxonomy of the goatfish species of the genus Mulloidichthys from the Western Indian Ocean is reviewed. Four species are recognized: M. ayliffe sp. nov., M. flavolineatus, M. pfl uegeri and M. vanicolensis. As colour may ... -
Effects of different modified diets on growth, digestive enzyme activities and muscle compositions in juvenile Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens Regan, 1910)
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2011-10-12)The effects of four modified diets (gamma-irradiated, microwave-irradiated, probiotic-supplemented and carbohydrase-supplemented diets) were studied on digestive enzyme specific activities and growth performance quality ... -
Welfare of aquatic organisms: Is there some faith-based HARKing going on here?
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2011-05-09)Much of the literature on aquatic animal welfare is flawed by 4 non-mutually exclusive (and often inter-related) biases: under-reporting/ignoring of negative results, faith-based research and/or interpretations, Hypothesizing ... -
Foraging behaviour of larval cod (Gadus morhua) at low light intensities
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2011-02-13)The ability to forage at low light intensities can be of great importance for the survival of fish larvae in a pelagic environment. Three-dimensional silhouette imaging was used to observe larval cod foraging and swimming ... -
The three-dimensional prey field of the northern krill, Meganyctiphanes norvegica, and the escape responses of their copepod prey
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2010-02-24)In the north Atlantic, Meganyctiphanes norvegica feeds predominantly on copepods, including Calanus spp. To quantify its perceptual field for prey, and the sensory systems underlying prey detection, the responses of tethered ... -
Lateral-aspect target strength measurements of in situ herring (Clupea harengus)
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2009-07)Surveys of schooling herring with the new multi-beam sonar (Simrad MS70) pose new challenges when converting the echo energy to estimates of biomass. Since the sonar projects horizontally, data and models of lateral-aspect ... -
Estimating tail-beat frequency using split-beam echosounders
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2009-02-04)Data from a standard split-beam echosounder are used to estimate tail-beat frequency within a dense herring (Clupea harengus L.) layer. The data were collected by lowering a horizontally projecting 38 kHz split-beam ... -
A taxonomic review of the Western Indian Ocean goathfishes of the genus Upeneus (Family Mullidae), with descriptions of four new species
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2010-02-05)The taxonomy of the goatfish species of the genus Upeneus from the Western Indian Ocean is reviewed. Sixteen species are recognized: U. davidaromi, U. doriae, U. guttatus, U. indicus sp. nov., U. margarethae sp. nov., U. ... -
Effects of UV Radiation and Diet on Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Skin, Ocular Tissue and Dorsal Muscle of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Held in Outdoor Rearing Tanks
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2010-07)The effect of UV radiation (UVR) on juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was assessed by measuring the fatty acid (FA) profiles of muscle, dorsal and ventral skin, and ocular tissues following 4-month long exposures to ... -
Guidelines towards an integrated ocean observation system for ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2009)The observation of biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems has traditionally been based on ship-based platforms. The obvious consequence is that the measured properties have been dramatically undersampled. Recent technological ... -
Toward a Global Ocean Ecosystem Mid-trophic Automatic Acoustic Sampler (MAAS)
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2009-05-26)Despite their huge biomass and pivotal role, the mid-trophic levels of marine ecosystems are not generally subject to systematic monitoring. Data from such monitoring is crucial for parameterizing, validating, and constraining ... -
The sampling volume of trawl and acoustics: estimating availability probabilities from observations of tracked individual fish
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2009-03-10)The effective sampling volume of trawl and acoustics is an important parameter in fish abundance estimation surveys. This paper presents a method to compute the probability of a fish being available to the bottom trawl and ...