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This paper synthesizes information on the at-sea ecology of ten anadromous lampreys, with emphasis on trophic ecology. The at-sea ecology of these lampreys concerns the juvenile stage, in which growth is most rapid. Anadromous lampreys can be categorized into four groups, based on feeding modalities: 1) scavenger (Caspian lamprey, Caspiomyzon wagneri); 2) parasite-predator (Pacific lamprey, Entosphenus tridentatus); 3) predators (western river lamprey, Lampetra ayresii; European river lamprey, L. fluviatilis; Arctic lamprey, Lethenteron camtschaticum; pouched lamprey, Geotria australis; and Argentinian pouched lamprey, G. macrostoma); and 4) parasites (sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus; Chilean lamprey, Mordacia lapicida; and short-headed lamprey, M. mordax). This paper discusses direct evidence for lamprey feeding ecology, as observed through lamprey-induced wounds on hosts and prey, and lamprey attachments on hosts and prey; and indirect evidence for feeding ecology, via analyses of fatty acids, stable isotopes, contaminants, and bioenergetics modelling. A part of the information presented on feeding ecology is from landlocked sea lamprey, and in some instances this information can be generalizable to anadromous populations. For most anadromous lampreys, but particularly for Southern Hemisphere taxa, little is known about their feeding ecology at sea. Duration of the trophic marine phase and habitat use are still subjects of debate. Species identified as lamprey hosts can be demersal or pelagic, possibly reflecting marine habitat preferences. To unlock understanding of the marine phase of anadromous lampreys, direct evidence of feeding ecology should be coupled with natural (i.e., biomarkers) and artificial (e.g., biologgers) markers to identify habitat use, movement patterns and dispersal.

Qualitative Network Models (QNMs), Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs), and Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) have been proposed as methods to formalize conceptual models of social–ecological systems and project system responses to management interventions or environmental change. To explore how these different methods might influence conclusions about system dynamics, we assembled conceptual models representing three different coastal systems, adapted them to the network approaches, and evaluated outcomes under scenarios representing increased fishing effort and environmental warming. The sign of projected change was the same across the three network models for 31–60% of system variables on average. Pairwise agreement between network models was higher, ranging from 33 to 92%; average levels of similarity were comparable between network pairs. Agreement measures based on both the sign and strength of change were substantially worse for all model comparisons. These general patterns were similar across systems and scenarios. Different outcomes between models led to different inferences regarding trade-offs under the scenarios. We recommend deployment of all three methods, when feasible, to better characterize structural uncertainty and leverage insights gained under one framework to inform the others. Improvements in precision will require model refinement through data integration and model validation.

Yelloweye rockfish Sebastes ruberrimus in the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PSGB) region are genetically differentiated from those of the outer Pacific coast of North America, while canary rockfish S. pinniger show no population structure between these regions. These characteristics helped determine each species’ status as a distinct population segment (DPS) under the US Endangered Species Act. Here, we explore larval dispersal patterns and test whether these patterns could explain the differences in population structure. We used a 3-D oceanographic model to simulate dispersal of each species’ larvae from sites inside and outside PSGB for up to 120 d. Dispersal patterns were similar across species and site-specific. Most larvae were found in the same DPS region or management basin from which they were released, but dispersal across boundaries was greatest from release sites nearest the DPS boundary for both species. Dispersal of larvae into the DPS from release sites outside the DPS increased and retention of larvae within the DPS increased with increasing pelagic larval duration, but this was also influenced by a simulated ontogenetic shift in larval depth distribution. The proportion of cross boundary dispersal observed for both species was likely high enough by Day 90 to allow gene flow across boundaries, which is consistent with the lack of population structure observed in canary rockfish but conflicts with the differentiated population structure observed in yelloweye rockfish. Understanding the potential larval dispersal pathways within and across management boundaries is an important step in the successful spatial management and recovery of important and protected species.

Developing a comprehensive portfolio of theoretically sound indicators is fundamental to effective place-based management of coastal ecosystems at a wide range of scales. We reviewed indicator deve...

Science-based natural resource management is necessary for agencies to effectively meet their goals and mandates. However, this scientific basis needs to be advanced and evolved with ecosystems exp...

In the marine science community of practice, the concept of ecosystem-based management (EBM) is a management strategy that incorporates the entire ecosystem, including humans, into resource managem...

In response to calls for marine ecosystem-based management (EBM), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed a multidisciplinary science support framework called inte...

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an imaging modality applied in a broad field of medical specialties for diagnostic uses, guidance during biopsy procedures and ablation therapies and sonoporation therapy. Appropriate training and assessment of theoretical and practical competencies are recommended before practicing CEUS, but no validated assessment tools exist. This study was aimed at developing a theoretical multiple-choice question-based test for core CEUS competencies and gathering validity evidence for the test. An expert team developed the test via a Delphi process. The test was administered to medical doctors with varying CEUS experience, and the results were used to evaluate test items, internal-consistency reliability, ability to distinguish between different proficiency levels and to establish a pass/fail score. Validity evidence was gathered according to Messick's framework. The final test with 47 test items could distinguish between operators with and without CEUS experience with acceptable reliability. The pass/fail score led to considerable risk of false positives and negatives. The test may be used as an entry test before learning practical CEUS competencies but is not recommended for certification purposes because of the risk of false positives and negatives. publishedVersion

Preseason abundance forecasts drive management of US West Coast salmon fisheries, yet little is known about how environmental variability influences forecast performance. We compared forecasts of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) against returns for (i) key California-Oregon ocean fishery stocks and (ii) high priority prey stocks for endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Puget Sound, Washington. We explored how well environmental indices (at multiple locations and time lags) explained performance of forecasts based on different methods (i.e. sibling-based, production-based, environment-based, or recent averages), testing for nonlinear threshold dynamics. For the California stocks, no index tested explained >50% of the variation in forecast performance, but spring Pacific Decadal Oscillation and winter North Pacific Index during the year of return explained >40% of the variation for the sibling-based Sacramento Fall Chinook forecast, with nonlinearity and apparent thresholds. This suggests that oceanic conditions experienced by adults (after younger siblings returned) have the most impact on sibling-based forecasts. For Puget Sound stocks, we detected nonlinear/threshold relationships explaining >50% of the variation with multiple indices and lags. Environmental influences on preseason forecasts may create biases that render salmon fisheries management more or less conservative, and therefore could motivate the development of ecosystem-based risk assessments.

Forage fishes are ecologically and economically important in marine ecosystems worldwide and thus are a focal topic for ecosystem-based fisheries management. In the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), the community dynamics of forage populations have been studied at regional spatial scales, but not across regions. To evaluate indicators of the forage community at the ecosystem-wide scale, we examine temporal variability of forage assemblages in Northern (Oregon/Washington), Central (California; Point Reyes to Monterey Bay) and Southern (southern California) regions of the CCLME from 1998 through 2016 which include years with unprecedented climate variability. Forage communities fluctuated greatly between years within each region owing to regionally low abundances of common taxa in at least some years (e.g., rockfishes Sebastes spp. in each region). Comparison of species assemblages among regions indicate that that temporal shifts in assemblage structure were largely synchronous throughout the CCLME. However, dynamics of most individual taxa were out of phase between regions, indicating that different taxa drove the variability in each region. Within regions, taxa with similar adult ecological niches tended to co-vary, suggesting synchronous responses to environmental forcing. Major changes in forage assemblage structure are descriptively linked to large oceanographic perturbations such as the transition from El Nino to La Nina conditions in 1998, anomalous upwelling in 2005, and the onset of a large marine heatwave in fall-winter 2013–2014. Changes in forage assemblage structure are reflected in prey switching in the diet of California sea lions, Zalophus californianus, in the Southern region. The multivariate forage indices that we develop can serve as effective indicators of regional forage community composition shifts in the CCLME and provide managers with context on spatio-temporal changes in the structure of forage fish communities important to top predators in this system.

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of alternative assessment methods, harvest strategies and management approaches are an important part of operationalizing single‐species and ecosystem‐based fisheries management. Simulations run using two variants of a whole‐of‐ecosystem model for the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) area shows that (a) data‐rich assessments outperform data‐poor assessments for target species and that this performance is reflected in the values of many system‐level ecosystem indicators; (b) ecosystem and multispecies management outperforms single‐species management applied over the same domain; (c) investment in robust science‐based fisheries management pays dividends even when there are multiple jurisdictions, some of which are not implementing effective management; and (d) that multispecies yield‐oriented strategies can deliver higher total catches without a notable decline in overall system performance, although the resulting system structure is different to that obtained with other forms of ecosystem‐based management.

Ocean ecosystems are vulnerable to climate-driven perturbations, which are increasing in frequency and can have profound effects on marine social-ecological systems. Thus, there is an urgency to develop tools that can detect the response of ecosystem components to these perturbations as early as possible. We used Bayesian Dynamic Factor Analysis (DFA) to develop a community state indicator for the California Current Ecosystem (CCE) to track the system’s response to climate perturbations, and to forecast future changes in community state. Our key objectives were to (1) summarize environmental and biological variability in the southern and central regions of the CCE during a recent and unprecedented marine heatwave in the northeast Pacific Ocean (2014–2016) and compare these patterns to past variability, (2) examine whether there is evidence of a shift in the community to a new state in response to the heatwave, (3) identify relationships between community variability and climate variables; and (4) test our ability to create one-year ahead forecasts of individual species responses and the broader community response based on ocean conditions. Our analysis detected a clear community response to the marine heatwave, although it did not exceed normal variability over the past six decades (1951–2017), and we did not find evidence of a shift to a new community state. We found that nitrate flux through the base of the mixed layer exhibited the strongest relationship with species and community-level responses. Furthermore, we demonstrated skill in creating forecasts of species responses and community state based on estimates of nitrate flux. Our indicator and forecasts of community state show promise as tools for informing ecosystem-based and climate-ready fisheries management in the CCE. Our modeling framework is also widely applicable to other ecosystems where scientists and managers are faced with the challenge of managing and protecting living marine resources in a rapidly changing climate.

This chapter outlines the basic science and theory of radiological investigations and applications required for MRCP Part 1, before addressing the clinical aspects of radiological investigations and applications for MRCP Part 2. To ensure effective revision, material is presented in short sections with bullet lists, tables, and boxes to highlight key facts.

The listing of three species of rockfish ('Sebastes' spp.) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2010 motivated the development of a cooperative research program between government agencies and the local recreational fishing and SCUBA diving communities of Puget Sound (PS), WA, USA. This program has examined rockfish life history characteristics, movement behavior, young-of-year recruitment and the population responses to fishing in PS. Of most significance has been the involvement of the recreational fishing community in testing whether the three ESA-listed rockfish populations in PS were genetically discrete from populations outside of PS. There was considerable uncertainty in the answer to this question during the original ESA listing process due to limited data on these three species in PS. We used the knowledge and expert angling skills of the fishing community to locate these rare species and non-lethally collect tissue samples for genetic analyses. Results showed that yelloweye rockfish ('S. ruberrimus') was genetically differentiated between PS and the outer coast, but the boundaries of the population were different than previously assumed. In contrast, canary rockfish ('S. pinniger') was genetically similar across PS and the outer coast. Federal managers used these results to expand the ESA-listed boundaries of yelloweye rockfish and to delist canary rockfish – the first delisting of a marine fish species from the ESA. The knowledge and angling expertise of the Puget Sound recreational fishing community were directly responsible for the successful collection of data to test hypotheses that resulted in very specific management decisions.

Worldwide fisheries management has been undergoing a paradigm shift from a single-species approach to ecosystem approaches. In the United States, NOAA has adopted a policy statement and Road Map to guide the development and implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). NOAA’s EBFM policy supports addressing the ecosystem interconnections to help maintain resilient and productive ecosystems, even as they respond to climate, habitat, ecological, and social and economic changes. Managing natural marine resources while taking into account their interactions with their environment and our human interactions with our resources and environment requires the support of ecosystem science, modeling, and analysis. Implementing EBFM will require using existing mandates and approaches that fit regional management structures and cultures. The primary mandate for managing marine fisheries in the United States is the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Many tenets of the Act align well with the EBFM policy, however, incorporating ecosystem analysis and models into fisheries management processes has faced procedural challenges in many jurisdictions. In this paper, we review example cases where scientists have had success in using ecosystem analysis and modeling to inform management priorities, and identify practices that help bring new ecosystem science information into existing policy processes. A key to these successes is regular communication and collaborative discourse among modelers, stakeholders, and resource managers to tailor models and ensure they addressed the management needs as directly as possible.

The updated version of the EFSUMB guidelines on the application of non-hepatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) deals with the use of microbubble ultrasound contrast outside the liver in the many established and emerging applications.Die aktualisierte Version der EFSUMB-Leitlinien für die Anwendung von nicht-hepatischem kontrastverstärktem Ultraschall (CEUS) befasst sich mit der Verwendung von Mikrobläschen Ultraschall-Kontrastmitteln außerhalb der Leber in zahlreichen etablierten und neu entstehenden Einsatzbereichen.

Abstarct Pteropods, planktonic marine snails with a cosmopolitan distribution, are highly sensitive to changing ocean chemistry. Graphical abstract shows pteropod responses to be related to aragonite saturation state, with progressing decrease in Ωar causing deteriorating biological conditions. Under high saturation state (Ωar > 1.1; zone 0), pteropods are healthy with no presence of stress or shell dissolution. With decreasing Ωar (zone 1), pteropod stress is demonstrated through increased dissolution and reduced calcification. At Ωar

The Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) approach was designed to assimilate scientific knowledge in the ideal format for providing advice to inform marine Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM). As such, IEAs were envisioned as the cornerstone integrated science product for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that would maximize efficiencies and synergies across the agency’s ecosystem science efforts. This led to the development of a NOAA IEA Program that would oversee regional implementation of the national IEA framework. As implementation proceeded, uptake by management entities was slower than anticipated, in part because EBM was not quickly embraced and applied to achieve management objectives. This slow movement to EBM in conjunction with the need to develop scientific analyses and methods to properly implement IEA resulted in the IEA process being viewed as its own endpoint. This commonly led to referring to “the IEA” when variously discussing the IEA framework, program, products, and process. Now that IEA and EBM are maturing, we need to be specific with what we are referring to when discussing IEAs, in order to develop reasonable expectations for applying IEA tools. We also now recognize the need to implement multiple IEA processes at varying geographic and complexity scales within an ecosystem to effectively meet the scientific requirements for operational EBM rather than viewing an IEA application as a single regional science product.

Long-term mechanistic research and monitoring provides integral science support for ecosystem-based management (EBM) of resources, activities and services. Decades of oceanographic and ecological research by Bill Peterson and colleagues along the Newport Hydrographic Line (NH Line) provides essential context for understanding and managing Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and other marine resources in the California Current ecosystem. This research program helped federal scientists convey the significance of the northeast Pacific marine heatwave (2013–2016) to fisheries managers and stakeholders. Particularly illustrative were shifts in the composition of the copepod community, which reflected feeding conditions for Pacific salmon and other consumers. We identify six traits of the dataset produced by Peterson and colleagues that have made it especially valuable for informing management: (i) it has generated robust ecosystem indicators; (ii) it is long-term; (iii) it is associated with meaningful ecological mechanisms; (iv) it relates to ecosystem components of high societal value; (v) it can represent processes and lags at meaningful temporal scales; and (vi) it is part of a broader, integrative science effort. This research effort underscores the importance of developing and sustaining long-term mechanistic research and monitoring along the U.S. West Coast and elsewhere in the world.

The complexity of ecosystem-based management (EBM) of natural resources has given rise to research frameworks such as integrated ecosystem assessments (IEA) that pull together large amounts of diverse information from physical, ecological, and social domains. Conceptual models are valuable tools for assimilating and simplifying this information to convey our understanding of ecosystem structure and functioning. Qualitative network models (QNMs) may allow us to conduct dynamic simulations of conceptual models to explore natural–social relationships, compare management strategies, and identify tradeoffs. We used previously developed QNM methods to perform simulations based on conceptual models of the California Current ecosystem's pelagic communities and related human activities and values. Assumptions about community structure and trophic interactions influenced the outcomes of the QNMs. In simulations where we applied unfavorable environmental conditions for production of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp....

Improved understanding and management of social-ecological systems (SES) requires collaboration between biophysical and social scientists; however, issues related to research philosophy and approaches, the nature of data, and language hinder interdisciplinary science. Here, we discuss how we used conceptual models to promote interdisciplinary dialogue in support of integrated ecosystem assessments (IEAs) in the California Current ecosystem. Initial con-ceptualizations of the California Current IEA were based on the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework. This initial framing was biophysically centered, with humans primarily incorporated as impacts on the system. We wished to move from a conceptualization that portrayed an antagonistic relationship between humans and nature to one that integrated humans and social systems into the IEA framework. We propose a new conceptualization of the California Current that functions across temporal and spatial scales, captures the diverse relationships...

We review the state of knowledge of the individual and community responses of euthecosome (shelled) pteropods in the context of global environmental change. In particular, we focus on their responses to ocean acidification, in combination with ocean warming and ocean deoxygenation, as inferred from a growing body of empirical literature, and their relatively nascent place in ecosystem-scale models. Our objectives are: (1) to summarize the threats that these stressors pose to pteropod populations; (2) to demonstrate that pteropods are strong candidate indicators for cumulative effects of OA, warming, and deoxygenation in marine ecosystems; and (3) to provide insight on incorporating pteropods into population and ecosystem models, which will help inform ecosystem-based management of marine resources under future environmental regimes.

The recovery of predators has the potential to restore ecosystems and fundamentally alter the services they provide. One iconic example of this is keystone predation by sea otters in the Northeast Pacific. Here, we combine spatial time series of sea otter abundance, canopy kelp area, and benthic invertebrate abundance from Washington State, USA, to examine the shifting consequences of sea otter reintroduction for kelp and kelp forest communities. We leverage the spatial variation in sea otter recovery to understand connections between sea otters and the kelp forest community. Sea otter increases created a pronounced decline in sea otter prey—particularly kelp-grazing sea urchins—and led to an expansion of canopy kelps from the late 1980s until roughly 2000. However, while sea otter and kelp population growth rates were positively correlated prior to 2002, this association disappeared over the last two decades. This disconnect occurred despite surveys showing that sea otter prey have continued to decline. Kelp area trends are decoupled from both sea otter and benthic invertebrate abundance at current densities. Variability in kelp abundance has declined in the most recent 15 years, as it has the synchrony in kelp abundance among sites. Together, these findings suggest that initial nearshore community responses to sea otter population expansion follow predictably from trophic cascade theory, but now, other factors may be as or more important in influencing community dynamics. Thus, the utility of sea otter predation in ecosystem restoration must be considered within the context of complex and shifting environmental conditions.

The updated version of the EFSUMB guidelines on the application of non-hepatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) deals with the use of microbubble ultrasound contrast outside the liver in the many established and emerging applications.Die aktualisierte Version der EFSUMB-Leitlinien für die Anwendung von nicht-hepatischem kontrastverstärktem Ultraschall (CEUS) befasst sich mit der Verwendung von Mikrobläschen Ultraschall-Kontrastmitteln außerhalb der Leber in zahlreichen etablierten und neu entstehenden Einsatzbereichen.

Predicting the effects of aquaculture development for coastal ecosystems remains challenging, particularly for data-limited systems, and tools that account for complex ecological interactions are needed to support ecosystem approaches to aquaculture. Here, we used qualitative network models (QNMs) to examine the potential community effects of increasing bivalve aquaculture in South Puget Sound, a large estuarine system in Washington, United States. QNMs are formalized conceptual models that require only a qualitative understanding of how variables composing a system interact (that is, the sign of interactions: +, –, and 0) and are therefore well-suited to data-limited systems. Specifically, we examined community-wide responses to scenarios in which bivalve cultivation effort increased for three different bivalve species (Manila clam Venerupis philippinarum, Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, and geoduck Panopea generosa). Further, we evaluated community-wide responses to the removal of benthic bivalve predators, a future increase in nutrient loadings, and combinations of these scenarios acting simultaneously. The scenarios enabled identification of potential trade-offs between increased aquaculture and shifts in the abundance of community members and assessment of the possible effects of different management actions. We also analysed the QNM to identify key interactions that influence the sign outcome of community responses to press perturbations, highlighting potential points for management intervention and linkages deserving of more focused quantitative study. QNMs are mathematically robust and highly flexible, but remain underutilized. We suggest that they may serve as valuable tools for supporting ecosystem approaches to aquaculture.

Stable isotopes are used to address a wide range of ecological questions and can help researchers and managers better understand the movement and trophic ecology of sharks. Here, we review how shark studies from the Northeast Pacific Ocean (NEP) have employed stable isotopes to estimate trophic level and diet composition and infer movement and habitat-use patterns. To date, the number of NEP shark studies that have used stable isotopes is limited, suggesting that the approach is underutilized. To aid shark researchers in understanding the strengths and limitations of the approach, we provide a brief overview of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope trophic discrimination properties (e.g., change in δ

The oceans are changing more rapidly than ever before. Unprecedented climatic variability is interacting with unmistakable long‐term trends, all against a backdrop of intensifying human activities. What remains unclear, however, is how to evaluate whether conditions have changed sufficiently to provoke major responses of species, habitats, and communities. We developed a framework based on multimodel inference to define ecosystem‐based thresholds for human and environmental pressures in the California Current marine ecosystem. To demonstrate how to apply the framework, we explored two decades of data using gradient forest and generalized additive model analyses, screening for nonlinearities and potential threshold responses of ecosystem states (n = 9) across environmental (n = 6) and human (n = 10) pressures. These analyses identified the existence of threshold responses of five ecosystem states to four environmental and two human pressures. Both methods agreed on threshold relationships in two cases: (1) the winter copepod anomaly and habitat modification, and (2) sea lion pup production and the summer mode of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Considered collectively, however, these alternative analytical approaches imply that as many as five of the nine ecosystem states may exhibit threshold changes in response to negative PDO values in the summer (copepods, scavengers, groundfish, and marine mammals). This result is consistent with the idea that the influence of the PDO extends across multiple trophic levels, but extends current knowledge by defining the nonlinear nature of these responses. This research provides a new way to interpret changes in the intensities of human and environmental pressures as they relate to the ecological integrity of the California Current ecosystem. These insights can be used to make more informed assessments of when and under what conditions intervention, preparation, and mitigation may enhance progress toward ecosystem‐based management goals.

Stable isotopes are used to address a wide range of ecological questions and can help researchers and managers better understand the movement and trophic ecology of sharks. Here, we review how shark studies from the Northeast Pacific Ocean (NEP) have employed stable isotopes to estimate trophic level and diet composition and infer movement and habitat-use patterns. To date, the number of NEP shark studies that have used stable isotopes is limited, suggesting that the approach is underutilized. To aid shark researchers in understanding the strengths and limitations of the approach, we provide a brief overview of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope trophic discrimination properties (e.g., change in δ15N between predator and prey), tissue sample preparation methods specific to elasmobranchs, and methodological considerations for the estimation of trophic level and diet composition. We suggest that stable isotopes are a potentially powerful tool for addressing basic questions about shark ecology and are perhaps most valuable when combined and analysed with other data types (e.g., stomach contents, tagging data, or other intrinsic biogeochemical markers).

Ultrasound is the modality of choice for the initial assessment of the gall bladder and the biliary tree. This article details normal ultrasound appearances of the biliary tree, as well as appearances of biliary obstruction, biliary cirrhosis, biliary gall-stones, developmental disorders, cholangiopathies and cholangiocarcinoma.

Ultrasound is the modality of choice for the initial assessment of the gall bladder and the biliary tree. This article is the first of two, and details normal ultrasound appearances of the gall bladder, as well as appearances of cholecystitis, sludge, adenomyomatosis, polyps, carcinoma and parasites.

Microbubbles as an ultrasound contrast agent allow characterization of focal liver lesions. This article summarizes the ultrasound appearances and enhancement characteristics of benign liver lesions, focal fatty sparing and focal fatty change, and blunt liver trauma.

Over 60 species of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) reside off the coast of California, many of which are economically important to both recreational and commercial fisheries. Rockfish are live-bearers with a diverse array of reproductive strategies. Understanding the reproductive potential of an exploited stock is critical to assessing the health and status of a fishery. We investigated the reproductive ecology of four rockfish species to examine species contrasts and to determine spatial and maternal-size effects on reproductive potential. Females were sampled during the winter parturition season (November through March) of 2009 through 2012. Maternal length and somatic weight were positively correlated with relative fecundity (larvae per g somatic weight) in all four species, indicating a disproportionately greater reproductive output by larger, older females. Fecundity estimates in Chilipepper, S. goodei, and Yellowtail rockfish, S. flavidus, varied regionally, but did not significantly differ over time within the years sampled (sample sizes for Speckled, S. ovalis, and Blackgill rockfish, S. melanostomus, were too small to allow spatiotemporal comparisons). Two reproductive strategies were evident as Yellowtail and Blackgill rockfish produced a relatively highly fecund, single brood of smaller-sized larvae annually, in contrast to Chilipepper and Speckled rockfish, which produced larger-sized larvae with lower fecundity. In some regions multiple broods were common, complicating estimates of annual fecundity for these two species. There was some evidence that egg production was positively correlated with female condition, indicating that environmental variability in oceanographic conditions and productivity may drive changes in fecundity and reproductive strategy (i.e., single versus multiple broods).

Busch, D. S., Harvey, C. J., and McElhany, P. 2013. Potential impacts of ocean acidification on the Puget Sound food web. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 823–833. Ecosystem impacts of ocean acidification (OA) were explored by imposing scenarios designed to mimic OA on a food web model of Puget Sound, a large estuary in northwestern USA. The productivity of functional groups containing mostly calcifiers was decreased while still allowing other species groups to respond to the scenarios in a dynamic way through indirect effects. Results focus on changes in ecosystem services and structure. Sometimes the direct and indirect effects of OA countered each other due to interactions between predators and prey within the food web, leading to little change in the food web. In other cases, direct and indirect effects caused greater change in the food web than anticipated from direct effects alone. Results were strongly affected by the group on which OA was directly imposed, with changes in copepod productivity being the most influential. While there is much uncertainty in our predictions, focusing on the complex interactions among species, and between species and their environment, will yield better understanding of how ecosystems may respond to OA.

Tools that integrate the complexity of natural systems are needed to facilitate ecosystem-based management (EBM). Loop analysis is an underutilized qualitative tool for EBM that uses information on foodweb links (e.g. predator–prey interactions) and the resulting pathways (cycles) through the foodweb to predict responses to press perturbations. We explore the utility of loop analysis related to management actions: increasing crab abundance and reducing eutrophication in coastal foodwebs. We found that crab-related management actions propagated through the foodweb, with positive and negative impacts. Several negatively impacted species support important fisheries; their declines illustrate the challenge of developing multispecies plans. In our analysis, the management actions decreasing eutrophication reduced most functional groups. However, these predictions were unreliable, suggesting indiscernible bottom-up effects in the foodwebs. Simultaneously managing for crab increases and reducing eutrophication created mostly decreasing abundances in other functional groups and reduced the predictability of the responses. The response to each management action suggests trade-offs between goals, and the qualitatively unreliable predictions could result from variation in the strength of species interactions or indicate knowledge gaps. EBM can benefit from both the explicit articulation of trade-offs and the identification of gaps in our understanding of these systems.

Spatio-temporal patterns of species abundance influence the strength of trophic interactions, while movement of individuals helps determine those patterns of abundance. Thus, understanding movement is a basis for quantifying interactions within a food web. In Puget Sound, Washington, USA, the North Pacific spiny dogfish Squalus suckleyi is an abundant top predator with a diverse, generalist diet. Coastal dogfish populations make seasonal north-south migrations, but populations in inland waters are thought to be more resident. In this study, we combined acoustic telemetry and bioenergetics modeling to determine patterns of movement and to quantify seasonal variation in the predatory impact of dogfish in Puget Sound. All tagged dogfish migrated out of Puget Sound in the winter and were absent until the following summer. Individuals that returned to Puget Sound in subsequent years showed consistent timing and duration of residence across years, but these metrics varied across individuals. Incorporating movement data into the bioenergetics model resulted in a 70% decrease in the predatory impact of dogfish in the winter and a 30 % decrease in the summer, compared to a year-round resident Puget Sound population. Incorporating metrics of movement into food web or ecosystem models will increase our understanding of species interactions and will improve our ability to predict changes in food web dynamics under various environmental and management scenarios.

Eelgrass beds provide valuable refuge, foraging, and spawning habitat for many marine species, including valued species such as Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi), and Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister). We used dynamic simulations in a food web model of central Puget Sound, Washington, USA developed in the Ecopath with Ecosim software, to examine how the marine community may respond to changes in coverage of native eelgrass (Zostera marina), and how these modeled responses can be assessed using an ecosystem services framework, expressing these services with economic currencies in some cases and biological proxies in others. Increased eelgrass coverage was most associated with increases in commercial and recreational fishing with some small decreases in one non-market activity, bird watching. When we considered ecosystem service categories that are aggregations of individual groups of species, we saw little evidence of strong tradeoffs among marine resources; that is, increasing eelgrass coverage was essentially either positive or neutral for all services we examined, although we did not examine terrestrial activities (for example, land use) that affect eelgrass coverage. Within particular service categories, however, we found cases where the responses to changes in eelgrass of individual groups of species that provide the same type of ecosystem service differed both in the magnitude and in the direction of change. This emphasizes the care that should be taken in combining multiple examples of a particular type of ecosystem service into an aggregate measure of that service.

Colorectal cancer is often preventable if the precursor adenoma is detected and removed. Although ultrasound is clearly not one of the widely accepted screening techniques, this non-invasive and radiation-free modality is also capable of detecting colonic polyps, both benign and malignant. Such colon lesions may be encountered when not expected, usually during general abdominal sonography. The discovery of large colonic polyps is important and can potentially help reduce the incidence of a common cancer, whereas detection of a malignant polyp at an early stage may result in a curative intervention. This pictorial review highlights our experience of sonographic detection of colonic polyps in 43 adult patients encountered at our institutions over a 2-year period. 4 out of 50 discovered polyps were found to be malignant lesions, 3 polyps were hyperplastic, 1 polyp was a hamartomatous polyp and the rest were benign adenomas. The smallest of the detected polyps was 1.3 cm in diameter, the largest one was 4.0 cm (mean 1.7 cm; median 1.6 cm). In each case, polyps were discovered during a routine abdominal or pelvic examination, particularly when scanning was supplemented by a brief focused sonographic inspection of the colon with a 6–10 MHz linear transducer. In this paper, we illustrate the key sonographic features of different types of commonly encountered colonic polyps in the hope of encouraging more observers to detect these lesions, which may be subtle.

To better manage living marine resources (LMRs), it has become clear that ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is a desired approach. To do EBFM, one of the key tools will be to use ecosystem models. To fully use ecosystem models and have their outputs adopted, there is an increasingly recognized need to address uncertainty associated with such modeling activities. Here we characterize uncertainty as applied to ecosystem models into six major factors, including: natural variability; observation error; inadequate communication among scientists, decision-makers and stakeholders; the structural complexity of the model(s) used; outcome uncertainty; and unclear management objectives. We then describe best practices to address each of these uncertainties as they particularly apply to ecosystem models being used in a LMR management context. We also present case studies to highlight examples of how these best practices have been implemented. Although we acknowledge that this work was compiled by ecosystem modelers in an LMR management context primarily for other ecosystem modelers, the principles and practices described herein are also germane for managers, stakeholders and other natural resource management communities. We conclude by emphasizing not only the need to address uncertainty in ecosystem models, but also the feasibility and benefits of doing so.

Despite their important functional role in marine ecosystems, we lack much information about jellyfish, including basic research on their swimming behavior. Here we used acoustic teleme- try to obtain detailed behavioral data on 2 scypho- zoans, lion's mane jellyfish Cyanea capillata and fried-egg jellyfish Phacellophora camtschatica, in Hood Canal, Puget Sound, Washington, USA. Indi- vidual variation was high in both the short-term (hours) and long-term (days) data, although several patterns of behavior emerged. Lion's mane jellyfish performed diel vertical migrations over the longer time period, but their depth did not vary with tidal stage. Additionally, horizontal swimming speeds var- ied with diel period and tidal stage for both lion's mane and fried-egg jellyfish. Lion's mane jellyfish swam faster during the night than day, whereas fried-egg jellyfish swam faster during the day. Both species had the highest swimming rates during flood tides. Jellyfish clearly exhibited active swimming behaviors and were not passively planktonic. Net and cumulative distances traveled suggest that Hood Canal may be a sink for jellyfish, potentially exacer- bating effects of population blooms on the ecosystem. Our findings provide mixed support for previous studies reporting diel vertical migrations in other jelly fish species, and provide evidence that jellyfish are capable of more advanced swimming behaviors than often thought.