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Spain has an extensive network of marine protected areas covering more than 13% of its marine surface area. These areas have been designated to protect very rich and varied biodiversity, but their management is inadequate. In most of these areas, which form part of the Natura 2000 network, the status of the habitats and species to be protected has been assessed as unfavourable. Yet, activities that impact them continue to be carried out even after they were declared protected. This reveals a problem of management in the network and, therefore, of non-compliance with nature protection regulations, as these require preventing any deterioration of habitats and species that are protected, in favour of their conservation and, if necessary, their restoration. One of the greatest threats to the integrity of the seabed and its habitats, even within marine protected areas, is bottom-contact fishing, such as bottom trawling and dredging. To analyse the extent of these activities in the Spanish network of marine protected areas, Oceana has made a detailed analysis of the incidence of high-impact fishing activities on the seabed in Spanish Natura 2000 areas specifically designated for the protection of the seabed and its habitats. This analysis reveals that at least 21% of these areas are being trawled, including heavily impacted areas, cases of trawling over habitats expressly protected under the Habitats Directive, and evidence of trawling over areas where this activity is restricted and therefore illegal. This report sets out the details of this analysis, its results, a series of case studies, and provides specific recommendations for improving the management of Spanish marine protected areas., Funding Acknowledgement: LIFE19 NGO/FPA/ES/000004 ��� Fundaci��n Oceana

Lead gunshot, rifle bullets, and fishing weights are still allowed in Canadian provincially-regulated hunting and fishing, despite the contribution to lead exposure in humans, wildlife, and the environment. Non-lead gunshot and fishing weights are required in Canada only for waterfowl hunting, and angling in national parks and national wildlife areas. Lead wheel weights are also allowed and comprise a majority of the Canadian market. Effective non-lead substitutes for these products exist, and are already required in various American and European jurisdictions. Several analyses commissioned by the Canadian government in 2018 identified the problems of lead exposure attributable to these four lead products. Lead is already listed under Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) that authorizes the government to undertake measures to reduce exposure. CEPA could require, simultaneously, use of non-lead ammunition, fishing weights and wheel weights at the national level, following an appropriate phase-in period. The low provincial and territorial licence fees for hunting and fishing in Canada would offset any costs associated with use of lead substitutes. Costs for non-lead wheel weights would comprise a small percentage of the costs of new vehicles and new tire purchases. This regulatory initiative would complement other Canadian national bans on lead products. Because there is no safe threshold level for blood lead, use of non-lead products would benefit the health of humans, scavengers, upland game species, and fish-eating birds.

The consequences of plastic debris in the marine environment were reviewed, and possible solutions were presented. The extent of marine plastic debris-related problems surpasses many other marine problems, as plastics may be transported globally and no unaffected areas seem to exist. Many animal species are in risk, most commonly studied are the effects on marine mammals and seabirds. Marine plastic debris creates new concerns such as entanglement, ghost fishing, and impaction of digestive tracts in animals. It also increases the severity of already existing concerns such as transport, exposure and uptake of organic pollution, with reduced fitness and impaired reproduction and increased mortality rates as consequences. To alleviate the problems, reducing the extent of marine plastic pollution is critical. Possible methods were identified as collecting and incentivizing recycling of marine plastic debris; redirecting production from petroleum plastics to biodegradable varieties; increase public awareness to reduce marine littering; stricter enforcement of current legislation as well as implementation of stricter legislation and harsher penalties for breaking it.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. September 2018, 4(3): 233-241

Climate change, fishing, and aquaculture have affected and will continue to influence Canadian marine biodiversity, albeit at different spatial scales. The Arctic is notably affected by reduced quality and quantity of sea ice caused by global warming, and by concomitant and forecasted changes in ocean productivity, species ecology, and human activity. The Atlantic has been especially impacted by severe overfishing and human-induced alterations to food webs. Climate change, fishing, and aquaculture have all affected, to varying degrees, biodiversity on Canada’s Pacific coast. Past and projected trends in key biodiversity stressors reveal marked change. Oceanographic trends include increasing surface water temperatures, reduced salinity, increased acidity, and, in some areas, reduced oxygen. Reductions in Canada’s fishery catches (those in 2009 were half those of the late 1980s), followed by reductions in fishing pressure, are associated with dramatic changes in the species composition of commercial catches in the Atlantic (formerly groundfish, now predominantly invertebrates and pelagic fish) and the Pacific (formerly salmon, now predominantly groundfish). Aquaculture, dominated by the farming of Atlantic salmon, grew rapidly from the early 1980s until 2002 and has since stabilized. Climate change is forecast to affect marine biodiversity by shifting species distributions, changing species community composition, decoupling the timing of species’ resource requirements and resource availability, and reducing habitat quality. Harvest-related reductions in fish abundance, many by 80% or more, coupled with fishing-induced changes to food webs, are impairing the capacity of species to recover or even persist. Open-sea aquaculture net pens affect biodiversity by (i) habitat alteration resulting from organic wastes, chemical inputs, and use of nonnative species; (ii) exchange of pathogens between farmed and wild species; and (iii) interbreeding between wild fish and farmed escapees. Physical and biological changes in the oceans, along with direct anthropogenic impacts, are modifying Canadian marine biodiversity with implications for food security and the social and economic well-being of coastal communities. To assess the consequences of changes in biodiversity for Canada’s oceans and society, it is necessary to understand the current state of marine biodiversity and how it might be affected by projected changes in climate and human uses.

The federal Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) program, a requirement of the Fisheries Act Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations, requires sensory evaluation at Canadian pulp and paper mills where there have been historical complaints of fish tainting or reduced fishing efforts and there is no potential health hazard. Sensory evaluation tests were conducted at three mills in British Columbia. Each test component yielded considerable variability. Nevertheless, there were similarities in the results as defined by difference test methods, while the results of preference and acceptance test were less clear. Tainting, or taste impairment, occurred at one of three mills. Significant tainting of two fish species occurred within three hours and at exposure concentrations less than 0.08% (v/v) unbleached kraft effluent. Adult and juvenile fish appear to be attracted to and reside in effluent plumes immediately downstream of the outfall at some mills. Sensory evaluation may be the most sensitive monitoring tool available to assess and integrate effluent exposure with the usability of valuable sports, recreation, commercial and native fisheries resources. A proposal to focus EEM cycle 2 programs to evaluate the use of these fisheries resources is presented.

This article discusses the allocation problem in international fisheries management, which is critical to effective resource management. A number of cases where allocation problems exist are reviewed and trends identified. It is concluded that power relationships between the states involved are an important determinant of allocation outcomes. While this may seem a frustrating conclusion, it nevertheless reflects the realities of international cooperation.

I briefly trace the evolution of the Experimental Lakes Area project from its beginning as a temporary site sponsored by the now-defunct Fisheries Research Board of Canada, with the sole mandate to investigate the effects of nutrients on lake eutrophication, to its current status: a permanent field station cosponsored by the Canadian Departments of Environment and Fisheries and Oceans, with a mandate to investigate the aquatic effects of a wide variety of stresses on lakes and their catchments. Throughout, experiments have been designed to address important aquatic management issues, but this mandate has not hindered the production of pure research on a broad variety of issues.

A complex cleanup project that included dredging and capping of contaminated sediment, construction of two breakwaters, habitat enhancement, upgrade of a seasonal small craft facility and installation of new aids to navigation was completed by the Port of Anacortes, Washington in collaboration with the Department of Ecology, Washington and potentially responsible parties (PRP). The complexity of project site physical processes, extent of dredging, and strict regulatory requirements on the clean-up action necessitated an innovative engineering approach to all above elements of the project. The approach also included application of the most advanced coastal engineering modeling tools including wave, tidal flow, sediment transport and stability, and coastal geomorphology hydrodynamic simulators. Based on analysis of the numerical modeling results, optimal engineering decisions were made for design and construction of detached breakwaters, dredging and removing a portion of the contaminated sediment, capping of the remaining contaminated sediment, and removing the old deteriorating creosoted sheetpile wall breakwater. Also, the results of the study determined the possibility of creating a sheltered eelgrass habitat and year-round small craft facility for different types of activities such as fishing, kayaking, and sailing.

Thunder Bay’s maritime cultural landscape affords a unique glimpse into a community’s heritage revealed through the natural environment and the cultural modifications to that landscape. For millennia, Thunder Bay and Lake Huron have been viewed as both barriers and avenues for sustenance, transport, and commerce. Changing seasons, water levels, and conditions have simultaneously provided and taken away opportunities to use the lake and its surrounding resources. Although sparsely settled by Native Americans and occasionally visited by French and British explorers, Thunder Bay was not inhabited by European Americans until the 1830s when fishermen settled the nearby islands. Lumbermen soon followed, and as fishing camps and sawmills were erected, so to were dams, piers, navigation aids, life-saving stations, and fleets of vessels. Thunder Bay’s landscape was continually altered to facilitate commerce, but eventual economic decline resulted in abandonment of onshore and submerged structures, and ships related to particular industries. Placing shipwrecks and other cultural features within the broader context of the maritime cultural landscape presents a more complete picture of Thunder Bay’s collective maritime past.

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration professes support for ecosystem-based fisheries management, as mandated by Congress in the Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and as endorsed by the Obama Administration???s national ocean policy. Nonetheless, driving agency policies, including catch shares and fishing quotas, focus principally on individual species, diverting attention from ecosystem considerations such as habitat, migratory patterns, trophic relationships, fishing gear, and firm-level decision making. Environmental non-governmental organization (ENGO) agendas manifest similar inconsistencies. A case study of Maine???s groundfishery demonstrates implications of this policy conflict at the local level. There, multigenerational fishing villages have historically pursued diversified and adaptive livelihood strategies, supported by local ecological knowledge. This tradition is increasingly eroded by regulatory constraints, including catch shares. Field observation, interviews, survey data, and archival review reveal that industry-supported, ecosystem-focused proposals have been rejected by the New England Fishery Management Council, despite the apparent failure of single-species approaches to sustain fish populations, fished ecosystems, and fishing-dependent communities. The creation of groundfishery catch share sectors is likely to perpetuate industry consolidation and political entrenchment under more mobile capital, following precedent set by days-at-sea, and making area protections and gear restrictions less likely. Pending marine spatial planning efforts could enhance social-ecological resilience by creating new opportunities for transdisciplinary decision support, and broader public participation and accountability."