Search

The common blue mussel ( Mytilus edulis ) was introduced to British Columbia, Canada, in the 1980s as an aquaculture alternative to native mussel species. Since then, the mussel industry in Pacific Canada has expanded and includes operations utilizing traditional methods of broodstock selection based on visual qualitative and quantitative traits. The impacts of hatchery propagation on genetic diversity and implications for animal fitness have been previously studied for other aquatic species, and this study further examines the effect of hatchery production on three M. edulis aquaculture populations in relation to a wild originator population. Prior to microsatellite genetic analysis, animals were identified to species using nuclear markers and were found to contain varying proportions of pure M. edulis as well as other pure species and hybrids from the ‘ Mytilus edulis complex’. Subsequently seven microsatellite markers were used to genotype 166 pure adult M. edulis individuals, all of which exhibited high levels of polymorphism. Allele frequencies at multiple loci did not conform to Hardy–Weinberg expectations and substantially less genetic diversity and very low effective population size estimates ( N e , calculated from linkage disequilibrium) were observed in farmed populations compared to the wild reference population. All populations were found to be genetically distinct based on F ST estimates. Mean allelic richness was approximately three times higher in the wild reference population than the three farmed populations (21 compared to 7.51, 7.91 in the two populations selecting for size and 8.24 in the population selecting for a colour morph). Observed heterozygosity was not significantly decreased in the cultured colour morph population, but was significantly different in the two other culture populations in comparison to the wild group. Reduced genetic diversity of the aquaculture populations is likely at least partially due to small effective breeding groups during hatchery propagation, creating genetic drift over successive generations. Speculations about the influence of broodstock selection practices are tentative and should be addressed in further temporal studies. These results indicate the need for the effective management of hatchery operations, the importance of rigorous site inventory, genetic broodstock characterization, and that ideally pedigree programs should be developed to help maintain healthy and productive shellfish culture populations with adaptive fitness capacity. Statement of relevance Hatchery methods impact species purity and genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the intersections of gender, wartime nationalist rhetoric and the production of 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' bodies in both the Canadian workplace and the home during the Second World War. Analysing government, industry and media discourses in relation to oral history interviews with thirty-eight women aircraft workers, we discuss women's distinctive role in shaping the health and morale of the social body during wartime, to ensure the maintenance of family, nation and the Allied war effort. While health in wartime was defined in terms of worker productivity for both men and women, anxiety about women's expanded roles heightened the emphasis on moral respectability as a marker of the 'healthy' female body. This was further complicated by the wartime emphasis on women's responsibilities to boost morale as part of their role in maintaining health and productivity for both men and women. Through such examples as workplace regulations and domestic advice, we examine the increased monitoring of women's individual and collective bodies and the intensified demands on female war workers as they crossed between the public and private spheres. We use our oral histories to examine women's embodied memories of 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' bodies within a regional context and their responses to government, industry and media discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Study objective. To validate the pediatric appropriateness evaluation protocol (P-AEP) for use in the Canadian health care system and then to use it to assess the extent of inappropriate utilization in a Canadian tertiary care pediatric facility. Method. The P-AEP was applied to a 10% random sample of all general pediatric admissions during 1990 and to a sample of 547 subsequent days of care. The reliability of the P-AEP was assessed using a subsample of 72 admissions and 72 days of care. Validity was tested by comparing the P-AEP judgment on a sample of 50 admissions and 50 days of care with the subjective opinion of panels of three pediatric staff physicians. Results. In the reliability test, there was a high level of agreement between the two independent observers applying the P-AEP. In validity testing, the physicians found a slightly lower rate of inappropriateness relative to the P-AEP, but the validity was good overall. In the main study, 136 of 477 admissions (29%) were found to be inappropriate. Factors associated with inappropriate admission included nonurgent or emergent admission, surgical (versus medical) cases, residence outside the Greater Vancouver area, and admission on Sundays or Mondays. Fifty-five percent of inappropriate admissions were judged necessary but premature, whereas 45% were judged medically unnecessary. Of 547 subsequent days of care, 121 (22%) were found to be medically inappropriate. Inappropriate days of care were associated with girls, Mondays, and patients older than 14 years of age. Conclusions. The P-AEP seems to be a valid and useful instrument for assessing the utilization of pediatric beds in a Canadian health care setting. Using the P-AEP made... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates the cost for health care services in British Columbia. Payment systems for health care services; Policy regarding earning capacity doctors; Negotiations between doctors and the government.

Environmental impacts on fisheries are pervasive, yet methods to account for them in stock assessments and management decisions vary in rigour and quality. The prevalence and efficacy of methods to account for environmental impacts are not well documented, limiting our ability to adequately respond to future environmental and climate changes for adaptive resource management. In Canada, legislation now requires that environmental conditions are considered in the management of fish stocks, yet the current extent of implementation in assessment processes is poorly understood. We assessed the use of climate, oceanographic and ecological considerations in science advisory processes for 178 stock assessments by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We evaluated whether these considerations were included in conceptual hypotheses about broad‐scale mechanisms, quantitative or qualitative analyses, and the development of management advice on current or future stock status. Conceptual hypotheses were included in 46% of assessments; quantitative inclusions occurred in 21% of assessments, while qualitative interpretations appeared in 31% of assessments; and 27% of assessments included climate, oceanographic and/or ecological considerations in the advice. Assessments of salmonids, invertebrates and pelagic taxa more frequently made use of environmental data than those for groundfish and elasmobranchs. Comparing our findings with assessments in other jurisdictions highlighted a gap in Canada's ability to respond to environmental changes and a need to develop integrated management approaches, such as regional ecosystem assessments and approaches that combine modelling and empirical analyses, with socio‐economic analysis within interdisciplinary teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]