Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Marine strategy'

The incubation shift length of the Ancient Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus antiquus), an exceptionally long and varied for an auk. I studied colonies of this species at East Limestone Island (1993-1995, 2002-2003: data collected by Laskeek Bay Conservation Society) and Reef Island (2007-2008), Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. Incubation shift length was correlated between pair members and my results show that maintaining incubation schedule was an essential component of reproductive success. Incubation shift length varied in response to prevailing local weather and sea conditions (e.g. wind speed, wave height), perhaps as a consequence of reduced foraging efficiency. Incubation shift length was longer in years when sea surface temperature in April was high. In years with longer shift, birds had lower reproductive success and chicks departed the nest with a lower body mass. My results explained if we assume that multi-day incubation shifts in Ancient Murrelets are the adaptively preferred strategy, through reduction in predation risk, but that actual shift lengths are modified by immediate weather and foraging constraints.

Nel corso degli ultimi anni ci si è resi conto che non esistevano direttive nazionali o comunitarie in grado di limitare sufficientemente le pressioni dell’uomo sulle risorse marine naturali. Occorreva tutelare l’ambiente marino col fine di preservare la diversità e la vitalità dei mari e degli oceani, in modo che risultino sempre puliti, sani e produttivi. Inoltre non esistevano basi comuni a tutti gli Stati europei, o valori soglia in grado di determinare uniformemente la qualità dell’ambiente marino. Per far fronte a questo problema nel 2008 è stata emanata dall’Unione Europea la Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Questa direttiva prevede il raggiungimento di un Buono Stato Ambientale delle acque marine entro il 2020 per tutti gli stati aderenti. La Marine Strategy utilizza 7 programmi riguardanti molti aspetti differenti delle acque marine; tra questi è presente il programma di monitoraggio delle specie bentoniche protette, tra cui il bivalve Pinna nobilis, specie inserita anche negli allegati della Direttiva Habitat. Le Aree Marine Protette (AMP) sono considerate uno strumento efficace di protezione della biodiversità e di gestione delle risorse, date le restrizioni che possono attuare. Inoltre le AMP dovrebbero costituire un campione rappresentativo di tutti gli habitat importanti a livello regionale. In questo studio si ha lavorato all’interno dell’Area Marina Protetta Porto Cesareo, situata in provincia di Lecce. All’interno di questa AMP non sono stati effettuati studi in passato circa le popolazioni di Pinna nobilis, e si è cominciato a colmare questa lacuna dopo il recepimento della Direttiva Marine Strategy, che ha imposto il monitoraggio di questa specie protetta. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di gettare le basi per un futuro continuo monitoraggio delle popolazioni di Pinna nobilis all’interno dell’AMP Porto Cesareo, quindi definire i valori soglia da utilizzare in quest’area in ambito della Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Bathymetrical mapping performed using multibeam sonar systems is widely used in marine science and for habitat mapping. The incoherent part of the multibeam data, the backscatter data, is less commonly used. Automatic classification of processed backscatter has a correlates well with three sediment classes, defined as fine-(clay-silt), medium- (sand) and coarse- (gravel–till) grained substrates. This relation is used directly as a theme in a modified habitat classification scheme, while a more detailed substrate classification is incorporated as another theme. This theme requires a manual interpretation and comprehensive knowledge of the substrate. This can partly be obtained by a newly developed technique using the backscatter strength plotted against the grazing angle. These plots make it possible to determine the critical angle and thereby calculate the compressional acoustic speed in seabed sediments. Marching a theoretical modeled backscatter curve to the measured backscatter strength at lower grazing angles provides estimates of four additional geoacoustic parameters.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University
This thesis presents a novel formulation of a gradient-type controller to address the problem of cleaning up marine oil spills. Little work appears to have been done in developing autonomous oil spill clean-up devices, with most research efforts directed toward developing improved oil collection strategies. It does not appear that previous work in this field has included development of control algorithms specific to addressing the problem of deployment strategies for multiple clean-up devices. This thesis provides a framework for deployment of multiple clean-up agents and makes the following contributions to the field. We first develop a mathematical representation for the effect of a clean-up agent as a line-sink and introduce this term into an existing oil spill spreading model. The augmented oil spill spreading model is simulated for a finite volume of oil released within a region Q' which contains multiple clean-up agents. Second, we use the augmented oil spreading model to develop a cost function and derive a gradient controller that seeks to maximize the oil removal rate for a system of N clean-up agents. Several key properties of the controller are presented. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our controller through a MATLAB simulation. The performance of the controlled agents, measured by the total volume of oil removed over the simulation, is compared to the performance of static and randomly moving clean-up agents. The results from MATLAB simulations presented in this thesis demonstrate that the proposed control strategy is more effective at removing oil than static or randomly moving agents. The formulation of the control law directs clean-up devices toward areas in Q' experiencing the greatest volumetric change in oil, thereby maximizing the volume of oil that is removed by each agent. The controller presented in this thesis is adaptable to a range of clean-up devices and we present several future research avenues that could be pursued to further develop this concept.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited
The use of End-User computing (EUC) in the Marine Corps has increased dramatically in recent years. As Marine Corps-sponsored programs progressed, large General Services Administration (GSA) contracts were established which made it relatively easy for government agencies to acquire microcomputers. A strongly centralized strategy, successful in the management of the Marine Corps' mainframe systems, was adopted for the EUC program. This thesis concludes that the centralized strategy embraced by the Marine Corps is inappropriate to contend with the problems faced at the end-user level. End-users must be made an active part of the EUC processes for lasting success. More importantly, current inadequacies in support and education must be addressed immediately to ensure effective use of the assets already procured.

Understanding the degree of connectivity among populations, forming migratory links and evaluating factors that influence reproductive fitness is fundamental for the successful management of migratory species of conservation concern. In this thesis I focus on a regionally important rookery of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at Alagadi beach in northern Cyprus that has been intensively studied since 1992. I employ high resolution genetic markers with different modes of inheritance to reveal fine scale population structuring among four rookeries within a 200 km stretch of shoreline. The relative importance of four foraging areas and the annual contribution from each site to the breeding cohort are evaluated using the stable isotope ratios of the turtles calibrated by satellite telemetry. The stable isotope ratios of the turtles reveal that a previous undisclosed foraging site at Lake Bardawil in Egypt is critical for the population recovery of the Alagadi rookery. The temporal consistency of stable isotope ratios reaffirm that green turtles exhibit high fidelity to foraging sites allowing the evaluation of foraging area effects on reproductive traits to be evaluated over multiple seasons. I investigate the population sub-structuring of the Alagadi nesting aggregation grouped by the foraging area used. The absence of genetic structure supported the Learning Migration Goal Theory and provided evidence that the significant among site phenotypic variability in the body size of recruits, the length of interbreeding intervals and the date that the first nest of the season was made is a result of foraging areas effects. No significant among site phenotypic variability was found for the size or number of clutches laid. Among site variability in interbreeding intervals resulted in substantial variation in the reproductive potential of individuals due to assumed differences in resource availability and environmental factors. The multilocus genotypes generated for 243 nesting females were employed to reconstruct the first wild marine turtle pedigree using a full-likelihood sib-ship reconstruction approach. This revealed that the effective contribution to the next generation was unequal and allowed a minimum age to maturity to be estimated from parent – offspring assignations. However, sample size constraints prevented accurate estimates for the narrow-sense heritability of the five morphological and life-history traits from the quantitative genetic analysis. The multifaceted approach taken here to unravel the cryptic life-history of marine turtles emphasises the importance of long-term individual-based monitoring and the data generated can be employed to advise conservation strategy for this critically endangered regional management unit.

Includes abstract.
Includes bibliographical references.
The life history strategy of the Cape horse mackerel, Trachurus capensis in the southern Benguela, relating to distribution and reproductive ecology, was re-evaluated. It is possible that certain aspects of the species' life history may have changed since the previous assessment by Barange et al. (1998), as a result in this study, the conceptual hypotheses about the life history of horse mackerel proposed by Barange et al. (1998) were re-evaluated and possible revisions proposed. Distribution patterns were analysed using acoustic and midwater trawl data (1997-2010), and demersal trawl data (1984-2011) collected during biannual surveys of pelagic and demersal fish.

Thesis (M.S. in Information Technology Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2008.
Thesis Advisor(s): Cook, Glen. "June 2008." Description based on title screen as viewed on August 22, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-137). Also available in print.

Les mammifères marins de l'Océan Austral sont des éléments essentiels des écosystèmes marins antarctiques et des sentinelles de l’état des océans polaires. Comprendre comment les conditions océanographiques déterminent leurs habitats préférentiels est essentiel pour identifier de quelle façon et dans quelle région ces mammifères acquièrent les ressources nécessaires à leur déplacement, leur croissance, leur reproduction et donc leur survie. Les éléphants de mer du Sud (Mirounga leonina) se déplacent dans l’océan austral à l’échelle des bassins océaniques pour s’alimenter en plongeant en moyenne à 500 m et jusqu’à 2000 m de profondeur. En fonction de leur colonie d’origine, de leur sexe, et de leur âge, ils exploitent des régions radicalement différentes de l’océan austral, mettant ainsi en œuvre des stratégies alimentaires diversifiées. Les éléphants de mer de Kerguelen utilisent deux zones préférentiellement: la zone du Front Polaire ou la zone Antarctique couverte par la banquise. Dans cette thèse, les stratégies alimentaires des voyages post-mue Antarctiques de 46 mâles et femelles éléphants de mer de Kerguelen ont été étudiées. Une série temporelle de 11 années (2004-2014) de données de déplacement, de plongées et de données hydrologiques a été analysée pour déterminer le rôle des paramètres océanographiques et de glaces de mer impliqués dans l’acquisition des ressources alimentaires des éléphants de mer en Antarctique. L’influence de la variabilité spatio-temporelle et interannuelle de la glace de mer associée à la position des mâles et des femelles ainsi que le rôle des polynies côtières sur les stratégies alimentaires des mâles en hiver ont été examinés
Understanding how physical properties of the environment underpin habitat selection of large marine vertebrates is crucial in identifying how and where animals acquire resources necessary for locomotion, growth and reproduction and ultimately their fitness. The Southern Ocean harbors one of the largest and most dynamic marine ecosystems on our planet which arises from the presence of two majors physical features, (i) the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and (ii) the seasonal sea ice cover region. In the Antarctic, marine predators are exposed to climate-induced shifts in atmospheric circulation and sea ice. However, because these shifts vary regionally, and because much remains to be understood about how individual animals use their environment, it has been difficult to make predictions on how animals may respond to climate variability. Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are a major consumer of Southern Ocean resources and use two main large scale foraging strategies, (i) feeding in the frontal zone of the Southern Ocean, or (ii) feeding in the seasonal sea ice region. In the present thesis I examined the winter post-moulting foraging strategies of 46 male and female Kerguelen southern elephant seals which utilized the second strategy. Using an eleven year time-series of tracking, diving, and seal-collected hydrographic data (from 2004-2014) I assessed their movements and foraging performance in relation to in situ hydrographic and sea ice conditions. The influence of both the spatio-temporal and inter-annual variability of sea ice around seal locations was investigated, and an investigation on the role of polynya for male elephant seal during winter conducted

This thesis assesses the potential and suggests strategies for the development of marine plant resources on the Canadian west coast. Three sub-objectives have been considered to determine the kind of marine plant management strategies that are necessary to assess and develop the industry in British Columbia. The analytical framework of the thesis hinges on these questions. 1. What is the physical potential for growing and harvesting these marine plants on the Canadian west coast and what products might be produced? 2. What is the potential market for marine plant products and what are the economics of production in British Columbia? 3. What should be the components of a strategy for developing an industry in British Columbia? These objectives have been met through literature reviews and a series of personal interviews. In 1976, the cumulative commercial value of the world's marine plant industries was approaching U.S. $1 Billion. The Japanese domestic industry alone generated an annual value of approximately U.S. $700 Million. World trade in edible marine plants and all marine plant products was estimated at U.S. $140 Million. Of this international trade, phycocolloids (marine plant colloids) and their raw materials constituted the dominant economic share. Since preliminary attempts, in 1946, to develop a marine plant operation in British Columbia the history of the marine plant industry has been one of disappointment. A series of failed development attempts has plagued the industry since its conception. At this time a limited marine plant industry has established on the west coast. These operations are small in scale and rely on the harvest of localized wild and cultured stocks. This study focuses on six marine plant species and identifies kelp meal and roe-on-kelp as economically viable products at this time. A number of small-scale operations have developed around the roe-on-kelp sector but administrative/jurisdictional constraints have prevented the establishment of a commercial scale kelp meal operation. Three priorities for the development of marine plant resources emerge from this study: 1. to provide a process which permits the expression and incorporation of the interests of affected resource users; 2. a need for an implementation process; and 3. a need to reserve critical resource beds to prevent encroachment of unsympathetic activities. The thesis concludes by illustrating that a strategic planning process provides an appropriate procedure to implement these priorities. Recommendations for industrial development and management are discussed under four categories: 1. Who should do the planning and management? 2. What should the co-ordinating body be doing? 3. How to implement the strategic plan? 4. When should these efforts begin?
Applied Science, Faculty of
Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of
Graduate

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
TheMarine Corps is developing the Live, Virtual, and Constructive–Training Environment (LVC-TE) program without a full vision and strategy. Without a properly developed vision and strategy, theMarine Corps will likely identify the wrong requirements and implement the program in a detrimentally inefficient manner. Through researchingMarine Corps policies and educating numerous Marines and civilians throughout HeadquartersMarine Corps and the operating forces, the author was able to determine that few personnel are aware of LVC-TE and there is no process in place to ensure appropriate representatives are educated on LVC-TE or are provided the opportunity to offer inputs to the requirements process. With root problems identified and by gathering information on potential technological improvements and training applications for LVC-TE, the author was able to devise numerous recommendations that provide a comprehensive vision and strategy for LVC-TE. Recommendations are made for a comprehensiveMarine Corps vision and strategy with a focus on assigning a capabilities integration officer to LVC-TE and adherence to an integrated process in order to ensure the correct requirements are identified, prioritized, and implemented in an efficient manner.

Kuwait is undergoing rapid economic growth involving substantial developments along its coastal shores and the marine environment. Many of the activities in the region are associated with oil industry, which can pollute the shores leading to contamination from oil residues, tar balls and trace metals. About 2 million barrels of oil are spilled annually from routine discharges into the Gulf, which derives mainly from dirty ballast waters and tank washing. The comprehensive literature review of hazardous substances in Kuwait’s marine environment has concluded that for the majority of these pollutants, contamination is localized around industrialised areas, and elsewhere is generally below the permitted international standards. These finding have been supported by a fieldwork. This has been conducted to assess the use of biomarkers (bile metabolites and EROD activities) for 60 fish consisting of two native species Giant sea catfish (Arius thalassinus) and (Pelates quadrilineatus) to demonstrate the potential for the concentrations of oil based contaminants present to induce detectable levels of biological effects in fish species living in Kuwait’s marine environment. Therefore, the focus of this research has shifted its attention to another anthropogenic source that chronically pollute Kuwait’s marine environment. One of the main sources of contaminants is the continuous discharge of sewage, which impacts many locations around Kuwait. Sewage is known to contain wide array of substances that could pose an ecotoxicological impact at different levels of the ecosystem. One such threat is posed by antimicrobial agents that contribute to the growing global concern surrounding the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria. Therefore, a major theme of this research project was to conduct a novel survey of the prevalence of AMR bacteria isolated from Kuwait’s marine environment. The AMR screening, including 598 E.coli isolated from seawater and bivalves samples during summer and winter seasons against 23 frontline antibiotics, revealed that resistance was observed from a number of locations (particularly associated with sewage outlets) for the majority of antibiotics (seawater: summer 89 - 64%; winter 90 - 57% and bivalves: summer 77%; winter 88%). A baseline screening for the class 1 integron which is known to be implicated in disseminating the antimicrobial resistance among bacteria was conducted for the isolated 598 E.coli. The findings highlighted the prevalence of such molecular genetic elements especially around the sewage outlets (36% of tested E.coli). The whole genome sequencing was conducted for a representative E.coli (26 E.coli) and it showed that E.coli derived from Kuwait’s marine environment possessed a variety of genes implicated in antimicrobial resistance potential against wide spectrum of antibiotics and suggesting that genes are exchanged via the horizontal gene transfer. These observations and recording of antimicrobial resistance phenomenon support the notion that marine environment could act not only as a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance but could also play a significant role in driving it. The AMR bacteria is considered as an effective tool for monitoring the impacts of sewage pollution. Furthermore, it highlights one of the key human health risks sewage pollution poses and its assessments allows a fully integrated health assessment of Kuwait’s marine environment to be undertaken. This will ultimately lead to recommendations outlining the future monitoring and remediation requirements required by Kuwait to tackle this issue including rational antibiotics consumption and stewardship; developing effective wastewater treatment processes to improve removal efficiency of these pollutants in sewage treatment plants; more researches on this area will provide scientific information for responsible authorities to make up regulatory standards and guidelines to control environmental dissemination of these emerging contaminants.

Assessment of amounts, distribution, composition and sources of beach litter was conducted on Italian coast in 2017. Data have been collected by scientific staff from the Regional Environmental Protection Agencies of Italy (MSFD), and by citizen scientists coordinated by the environmental association Legambiente (Clean Up the Med initiative). The vast majority of marine litter collected (>70%) were plastic objects, 30% of which were single-use plastic. In the investigated MSFD subregions, Adriatic Sea appeared to have the highest presence of fishing-related items (7.76%), Western Mediterranean Sea had a high number of cigarette butts and filters (8.19%) and Ionian and Central Mediterranean Sea had plastic bags (8%). Considering the level of urbanisation, rural beaches are the only one that showed a low abundance of Smoke-related litter (min-max: 0-21 items/100 m - <4%), urban beach resulted in having cigarette butts and filters (min-max: 6-140 items/100 m - 9.22%). “Non-sourced” items represented a large percentage of the litter found in all subregions and among beach type (29%-50%), together with “Public litter” (31% to 53%). Coastal Clean Index (CCI), used for testing the beach cleanliness, showed that most beaches were classified as Very Clean or Clean in both study periods investigated in the framework of the MSFD. Comparison between the MSFD monitoring and the Clean Up the Med initiative showed that there were no significant differences in the total density of beach litter detected, but there was a significant difference in terms of composition. This was probably due to the fact that Clean Up The Med survey was unbalanced between regions, due to the voluntary nature of the project. The results remarked how urgent is a national action against beach littering (plastic in particular), and the need in a global shift in human mindsets and behaviour, that could happen also thank to the work of citizen science volunteers and environmental association as Legambiente.

In recent years the development of new marine colleges across the world has seen the growth of overseas collaborative partnerships in marine education. In the UK these partnerships have been mainly between UK and Indian marine colleges. These partnerships have brought a new and different type of overseas learner to the UK FE/HE market. The learners are often much younger than those who previously came to the UK for marine training, have their fees paid by their parents or a sponsoring employer and have little or no experience of working at sea. They therefore bring a different set of requirements, expectations and skills to the UK than have been traditionally encountered in marine education. The academic success of these students is often achieved only after re-sits and remedial work which presents the students and the college with additional stress and expense. The overall aim of this research was to find ways to improve the learning experience of the Indian collaborative students and to produce a strategy which would benefit both the students and the participating colleges. To increase the breadth and depth of this research a multi-method research strategy was adopted. Firstly, an investigation into the preferred ways of learning, (“learning styles”) of the overseas students was undertaken. A questionnaire about learning styles was undertaken with 270 students from 16 groups of marine engineering students from both the UK and India. Learning style theories look at how students prefer to learn and how this knowledge should be used to influence the teaching methods used in the classroom. The use of learning styles questionnaires presented an insight into some significant differences in the preferred methods of learning between overseas and UK students. Secondly, to triangulate the findings from the above survey an investigation into “best practice” in UK-India collaborative programmes was conducted. This was based on a review of personal audit visits undertaken with collaborative partners and a review of published reports by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). The summary of best practices derived from this review, in addition to educational matters, included administrative matters such as risk assessment, marketing, visit planning, and visit reports. From the review of educational matters, a model of the key factors in the educational experience of the student in UK- India collaborative education was developed. The model highlighted where the strengths and weaknesses of the current educational experience of the student lay. The knowledge gained from this work on learning styles and “best practice” was combined to produce a strategy for enhancing the learning experience of Indian Marine Engineering Students. This strategy was disseminated at an International Maritime Research Conference in Chennai, India in January 2010. In addition to being published in the Conference papers, it was also published in New Delhi, (Business Archives, Vol.-1, No II) India in November 2010.

Thesis (Master of Business Administration)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009.
Thesis Advisor(s): Petross, Diana ; San Miguel, Joseph G. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 28, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Marine Corps, Body Armor, Family of Ballistic Protection Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-48). Also available in print.

The present licentiate thesis analyses developments in Swedish marine insurance during the interwar period, including both direct marine insurance and marine reinsurance. This is done in order to provide insights on how companies of a highly internationalised and vulnerable line of insurance were affected by and responded to new risks during a period of far-reaching international financial and economic crises. Finally, the consequences of new risks and strategies are assessed. This thesis argues that during the interwar period Swedish maritime trade and Swedish marine insurance greatly depended on each other for marine insurance cover and marine insurance premium incomes. The business results in Swedish marine insurance partly depended on the development of Swedish trade. These business results were also vulnerable to currency risks. Swedish marine insurers faced no similar trade or currency risks during the two decades preceding World War I, and accordingly the returns on Swedish marine insurance were lower during the interwar period than during the last two pre-war decades. These factors probably bore their most severe consequences during the early 1920s when Swedish marine insurance on average induced losses to insurers. The remaining years of the period constituted a long-run recovery, and the Great Depression of the early 1930s caused no difficulties of the same order. This thesis also indicates that interwar Swedish marine insurers responded to new risks by increasing the level of cession to reinsurers. Another response was to increase the level of differentiation among insurance lines. This thesis describes the consequences of new risks and strategies in interwar Swedish marine insurance, focusing on the development of the Swedish marine insurance market structure and on the business results of Swedish marine insurers. Though this market shrunk and grew excessively, the relative importance of stock and mutual insurers showed only minor fluctuations. The importance of specialised marine reinsurance companies, however, fluctuated greatly. Also, cooperation between interwar marine insurers and the formation of insurance groups set new trends of concentration for the future. Finally, even though Swedish marine insurance during some years induced losses the Swedish marine insurers never experienced true losses on their total businesses.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2006.
Thesis Advisor(s): Frank Shoup. "September 2006." Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-64). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S. in Systems Technology [Command, Control, and Communications]) Naval Postgraduate School, June 1996.
Thesis advisor(s): Dan C. Boger, D.P. Brutzman. "June 1996." Bibliography: p. 189-198. Also available online.

Thesis (M.S. in Management) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1999.
"December 1999". Thesis advisor(s): Thomas Hoivik, Orin Marvel. Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-277). Also available online.

The Northern Adriatic Sea summarizes all different critical elements of a ‘typical’ coastal area, such: important trawling activity in the inshore area, presence of aquaculture activities (mussels farms), widely distributed along the coast, presence of small scale fisheries activities, seaside touristic pressures, extended seaport activities. Among these pressures the project aims to investigate acquaculture and small scale fisheries activities within three miles from the coast. This would provide a better understanding of major impact sources and an identification of the processes that need to be preserved/enhanced to maintain or also increase the resilience of the system. Within this context, the main objectives of the project are: (1) to assess the role played by mussel culture farms, both in terms of negative impacts and positive feedbacks; (2) to focalize the attention on one of the main key factors presently affecting, but also structuring, the ecosystem in the NAS coastal area, in order to better understand the majors drivers also in terms of opportunities to be managed; (3) to define long term management objectives, indentifying the self-sustaining processes to be maintained or restored, in order to increase the system resilience and stimulate an adaptive management. To achieve these objectives, five issues were considered: benthic fauna; biogeochemical cycles; potential role as fish aggregating area; emergy analysis; artisanal fishery. The results of the present study show how a mussel farm located in a transitional environment near coast is a man made structure characterised by a sustainable use, with no direct impacts on bottom, acting as a fishing aggregating area also for some commercial species. Assimilating to an “extensive” acquaculture system, mussel farm is a structure characterised by the predominance of renewable inputs that, probably due to environmental factors such as currents and winds, doesn’t interfere both with benthic community and biogeochemical cycles of the area. Moreover the normal aggregating effects due to the confluence of great quantities of available food is increased by the presence, at the bottom, of some hard substrates, able to attract fishes species beyond for feeding, also for reproductive purpose. Nowadays, in a spatial planning management contest, the creation of further mussel farms even if may be encouraged by these results, at regional scale, it is not a firm economical sustainable, due to the low mussel selling price. Moving from this, modernize the production system by coupling mussel cultivations also with other incoming sources, may represent the right choice to maintain this type of sustainable acquacolture. Manage recreational fishing inside mussel farm may be among the feasible solutions. In the end, as underlined by the investigation on potential role as fish aggregating area, the farm, being off-limits to commercial fishing, may act one-sidedly also as a fish maker, for the nearby areas, where artisanal fishery is allowed. By the present, this activity is a sustainable practice, but, due to the species dependence and to the catch composition in terms of thermal affinity groups show a high potential vulnerability. Small modifications both in fleet structures and in environmental conditions could drive the situation towards unsustainability. An increase in available fishes biomass may act as buffer effect towards vulnerability causes, by supporting possible new fishermen, fronting the problem of small modification in fleet structures. Moreover some of the fish species enhanced by mussel farm are temperate or warm species. Given the dependence of local artisanal fishery from cold or temperate species, a shift of catches toward temperate and warm ones’, without affecting incomings, might, at least partially, release this type of activity from the variations of the thermal regime as forecast by IPCC.

The need for a broader geographical and functional perspective in managing natural resources of the Belize barrier reef system was examined. The small country of Belize in Central America is struggling to increase its economic development and growth. It has an excellent natural resource base, the most dramatic component being the extensive barrier reef system just offshore. The research identified key economic and environmental issues relative to Belize’s reef complex, and analyzed resource management policies and actions taken to date. Development and conservation needs suggest a multiple use strategy aimed at economic and environmental sustainability. Due to areal extent and ecological complexity, the present reactive, small-scale and piecemeal approach is not adequate to realize sustainable utilization of the area’s resources. This research shows the need for a broad spatial and interdisciplinary “coastal zone" perspective, leading to a comprehensive and integrated strategy upon which to base resource planning and management. A strategy for the reef system must be accomplished within the broader context of a national resource management strategy, integrating concerns of economic development and environmental protection. As a component of this national policy, the proposed strategy for the barrier reef system is based on principles of multiple use of resources, coastal zone scope, and sustainability. The research supports a reef system-wide protected area, using a biosphere reserve framework and a customized model planning process to implement the strategy.
Master of Science

Ecosystem-based management aims to provide a mechanism for achieving a consensus among multi-sectorial activities for sustaining goods and services and achieving ecological, economic and social objectives in an area. The present study adopts innovative methods and approaches aiming to promote a holistic approach towards collaboration and effective conservation management in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In order to understand the current management needs in the Mediterranean MPAs, a management effectiveness evaluation was conducted in the Mediterranean scale following an existing guide (Tempesta and Otero, 2013). Information was collected through a synthesis and integration of different approaches during the period 2013-2014, and MPA management was evaluated on the basis of 21 indicators that described the general categories: (i) management and legislation; (ii) conservation features; (iii) pressures; (iv) communication and outreach. Case studies were initially assessed separately and were finally compared in order to identify common challenges and good practices in MPA management that may be put forward. Some of the most important problems were the inadequate annual funding; limited surveillance and law enforcement; the inadequate stakeholder engagement and bottom-up approaches; policy gaps and long bureaucratic processes to take action; inadequate monitoring of ecological and socio-economic parameters; limited understanding of human activity threats and impacts along with defining critical thresholds that may assure good environmental status of marine ecosystems. We highly recommend that the evaluation be a cyclic process conducted by a neutral practitioner that will inform management decisions and that results should be disseminated in order to reach a high status of MPA management performance in the Mediterranean. The evaluation of MPA management effectiveness guided the next steps of the study towards addressing realistic MPA needs and providing suggestions to improve MPA management. We focused at Portofino MPA case study (Ligurian Sea, Italy) - the third smallest MPA in Italy hosting rich marine biodiversity and a significant amount of human activities. One of the future targets of the MPA’s consortium is to expand its area in order to improve its capacity to effectively protect vulnerable habitats and the species it hosts. Taking into account the past experience and the inadequate communication and up-to-date information in the area, this initiative is expected to raise conflicts and opposition from users. Hence, Portofino MPA represents a case study of particular interest and relevance with MPAs facing similar issues. Following a holistic methodological approach, an engagement process was carefully designed to provide an insight into the social networks’ characteristics directly involved in supporting stakeholder engagement for sound governance performance and co-management of resources. Enhancing stakeholder engagement from the beginning of the process is essential in order to holistically inform decisions and increase the efficiency of conservation management. It is widely accepted that stakeholder engagement may promote cooperation and the exploration of possible solutions to common problems; facilitate the mitigation of conflicts due to various interests; and enhance coordination and the enforcement of common rules in a more transparent way. A framework to examine structural patterns in social networks and identify central actors with the capacity to serve as communication hubs is suggested to boost information flow and enhance stakeholder participation in decision-making. The approach consists of two powerful tools, Stakeholder Analysis and Social Network Analysis, that their capacity to provide an in-depth knowledge of the complexity of social-ecological systems and the factors that influence the engagement process in MPA management has been recently identified. Identification of stakeholders and their relations in a social network, where information exchange and interaction occurs, may highlight important channels for communication, or indicate key stakeholders with the power to control information flow and influence perceptions. This information may be leveraged to accelerate behaviour, facilitate bridging between organisations, promote deliberation, and improve the diffusion of information in MPA management. The outcomes of the study showed that the social network of the Portofino MPA exhibits a core-periphery structure where some user groups seem to have more privileges regarding access to information and resources in the area. The core of the network keeps the network together, and central stakeholders have the capacity to act as communication hubs and facilitate a two-way information flow that will foster communication, trust and collective learning in natural resource management. However, more effort should be made towards strengthening relationships between actors that may influence or be influenced by decisions relating to the MPA. The adoption of alternative communication strategies that integrate visualisation and user-friendly web platforms, in parallel to personal communication are suggested to involve more actively marginalized actors into decisions, that will increase the network’s cohesion, mitigate the power of central actors and augment plurality and new ideas in the engagement process. Production and synthesis of quantitative and qualitative information, related to conservation features and human activities, is another important aspect in conservation management that negotiation and decisions will be based on. Management of small scale and recreational fishing is one of the most important concerns and challenges that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have to encounter from a socio-economic, cultural and ecological point of view. Monitoring and assessing fishing activity requires complicated approaches due to the heterogeneity of methods that combine different gears depending on the target species, the season and the characteristics of the area. Many standardized strategies of fisheries management have tried and failed to capture this spatial and temporal heterogeneity, or to provide improved understanding of fishing impacts on the ecosystem components. The present study developed a framework for the monitoring and mapping of recreational and artisanal fishing activity. The framework considers and may be adjusted depending on the MPA management capacity in terms of budget and technology available, personnel available, the level of trust that characterizes the relationship between the MPA and the fishermen, and the willingness of all relevant actors and authorities to provide or collate respectively information. Data from different monitoring strategies and sources were integrated to archive a complete dataset that described different fishing practices in the area. Simple spatial indicators that describe fishing effort were used to map and describe the footprint of each fishing practice on vulnerable habitats, and identify the areas that receive greater fishing pressure. However this is the first step in order to assess the impacts of fishing pressure on vulnerable habitats. Pressure-impact assessments were conducted using spatial analysis in order to holistically inform management decisions on vulnerable habitats such as coralligenous under pressure in Portofino MPA. The approach considers the cumulative impacts caused by different fishing practices and incorporates uncertainty regarding available information following the precautionary principle. Cumulative impacts are based on a conceptual model that identifies the pathways through which activities cause harm and describing the likelihood and consequences of an event. The vulnerability assessment quantifies these causal-chain links between biophysical attributes and to human stressors that are described in the conceptual models. The vulnerability informs on the potential risk of loosing (or degrading) a particular habitat due to a specific pressure, and can provide further support to the assessment of the cumulative impacts caused by different fishing practices operating in an MPA. Coralligenous communities, in terms of coverage, are more abundant in zone B, while Posidonia oceanica meadows dominate in zone C of Portofino MPA. However, a great percentage of the habitat lies outside the MPA borders, which confirms the desire of the MPA management board to expand the area. The areas that receive the highest amount of fishing effort were located between depths of 30-40 m receive the highest fishing pressure at the majority of zone B. The vulnerability assessment revealed that artisanal nets, and both recreational and artisanal bottom longlines, had the highest potential impact on coralligenous habitat, independently from the duration that are active on the seafloor. Other recreational activities that were considered to have high potential impact for coralligenous due to the destructive characteristics of the practice and gear used, or due to the pressure’s high intensity and frequency, were vertical jigging, bottom trolling and big game with a rod and reel. The cumulative impact assessment provided an in depth understanding of combined exposure-effect approaches and identified additional areas in zone C and in greater depths, that fishing activity is necessary to be managed more strictly. Several suggestions were enlisted in order to mitigate fishing impacts on coralligenous habitats, for instance the establishment of additional spatial and temporal closures, prohibition of destructive fishing practices, etc. while policy gaps were also identified in the current management system. The approach takes into account the heterogeneity of techniques and captures the different scale of impacts on benthic habitats in a systematic, transparent and repeatable way, and provides a useful tool that integrates ecological, management and policy interventions. An emerging threat in coastal MPAs is the loss of fishing gears that drift away driven by currents and finally end up on the seafloor covering in some cases a significant amount of fragile benthic habitats like coralligenous. In Portofino MPA this is reported as a common issue and frequently divers retrieve the lost gears and monitor it. To inform the MPA regarding which areas are more susceptible to lost fishing gear, a semi-quantitative spatial analysis was conducted using information from the sea-bottom morphology (depth, slope, Benthic Position Index, rugosity, curvature). The areas identified overlap spatially with areas of high fishing effort, while the local currents agree that most susceptible areas are located in the southern part of Portofino MPA. Although data quality regarding information coming from divers was poor, the suggested analysis may provide useful information in order to focus management actions on specific areas. Finally, the Marxan with Zones conservation planning model was applied on Portofino MPA’s present zoning plan in order to provide alternative solutions for the enlargement and re-zoning of the MPA. Different scenarios concerning the regulation of human activities such as fishing and diving activities taking place at different zones were developed. In our management plan, we set high level conservation targets based on relative EU Directives, the high conservation status of the Portofino MPA (SPAMI) and management objectives. In the present study preliminary results are shown for a single scenario where a 4-zone plan is suggested to the expanded surface area of the MPA, where diving and fishing activity are re-arranged in space and strictly regulated. The suggested zoning plan provided by MARXAN with Zones ensures that high conservation objectives are reached in Portofino MPA with the lowest possible operational cost. Overall, the present study aimed to provide a complete ecosystem-based management approach that considers the social and ecological drivers of the system as complementary components for supporting future conservation initiatives towards collaborative management of resources. The management suggestions of this study provide transparent, comprehensive and efficient plans that can improve the governance and the management of marine resources in the area. Innovative tools and methods were integrated to inform several aspects in the management of marine resources in order to promote a holistic approach towards collaboration and deliberation in MPA management. The developed methodology offers guidance on how to structure and focus efforts for collecting, synthesizing and analyzing of necessary information to inform holistically policymaking and management processes. Results provide useful advise in mitigating the cumulative impacts of human activities and deliver alternative solutions that are based on strict systematic conservation planning principles. Moreover, the study may assist the Portofino MPA to build the social conditions and a future engagement strategy where stakeholders will welcome the conservation initiative for its expansion, however particular effort should be made by the MPA management board towards this direction.

MBA Professional Report
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has mandated that every component that meets certain cost and management criteria in the Department of Defense's (DoD) tangible inventory must have a valid Item Unique Identification (IUID) mark by December 2010. The IUID program is expected to increase force readiness, enhance the lifecycle management of assets, and provide more accurate asset valuation to achieve unqualified audit opinions on DoD financial statements. One of the challenges of the program is to achieve IUID-marking saturation throughout in-use, or legacy, inventories with minimal interruption of operational readiness. The purpose of this project is to propose an effective implementation strategy for the legacy items that meet the DoD's requirements for IUID marking in the US Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams tank community. This plan could potentially serve as a model for other communities facing the challenge of IUID implementation. This project examines different implementation alternatives and identifies and develops the determined best course of action. In addition, an estimation of the costs to implement the chosen plan will be provided for comparison and decision-making purposes.

"Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School, December 2008."
Advisor(s): Ferrer, Geraldo ; Nussbaum, Daniel A. "December 2008." "MBA professional report"--Cover. Description based on title screen as viewed on January 28, 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-83). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2000.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 121 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-121).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007.
Title from electronic title page (viewed Mar. 27, 2008). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Chemistry." Discipline: Chemistry; Department/School: Chemistry.

Ad oggi esistono fortissime evidenze che le attività antropiche stanno causando rapidi cambiamenti alle dinamiche degli ecosistemi marini. Molti di questi cambiamenti stanno già avvenendo negli oceani del nostro pianeta, con potenziali conseguenze negative nelle prossime decadi. La Direttiva Quadro sulla Strategia Marine (MSFD, 200856/EU), approvata nel 2008 dal Consiglio Europeo e dal Parlamento Europeo, richiede agli Stati Membri di fornire informazioni sullo stato di salute dei mari di loro pertinenza " stabilendo un quadro per le azioni comunitarie nel campo delle politiche ambientali marine", e le relative strategie da adottare per migliorare la qualità degli ecosistemi marini al fine di assicurare lo sfruttamento delle risorse anche alle generazioni future. L'obiettivo principale di questa tesi di dottorato è quello di identificare pattern utili alla definizione del buono stato ambientale (GES) come richiesto dalla Direttive Europea per i descrittori 5 (eutrofizzazione) e 7 (alterazioni idrografiche) della Direttiva, attraverso l'integrazione di dati fisici e biologici misurati in situ, dati da satellite e output di modelli revisionali a diverse scale spazio temporali. Al fine di comprende meglio anche le dinamiche a piccola scala, sono stati elaborati dati relativi alla portata dei fiumi e al carico dei nutrienti che si immette nelle zone costiere della Regione Marche e il loro impatto sulle acque marine costiere. I risultati di questo studio hanno evidenziato nel periodo preso in esame cambiamenti differenti a grande e piccola scala. Se a scala di bacino il mare Adriatico sta subendo negli ultimi anni un riscaldamento delle acque, con corrispondente aumento della biomassa fitoplantonica, e un innalzamento del valori di salinità, a scala locale le dinamiche marine sembrano più influenzate dalle dinamiche fluviali. Questi risultati permettono di definire delle linee guida necessarie per sviluppare soglie e determinare adeguati standard per le acque del Mare Adriatico, oltre a migliorare la conoscenza della variabilità temporale sia del bacino adriatico sia a scala locale, dove la forzante principale è rappresentata dalle dinamiche fluviali.
There are growing evidence that human activities together with climate change are driving profound changes of marine ecosystems with important repercussions on the goods and services they provide for human wellbeing. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EU), approved in 2008 by the European Parliament and transposed at Italian level in 2010 (Legislative Decree 190/2010), requires Member States to provide information on marine environmental status and to take the necessary measures to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) of the marine environment by the year 2020. The main objective of this PhD thesis is to improve knowledge on the trophic and thermohaline conditions of the Adriatic Sea related to descriptors 5 (eutrophication) and 7 (hydrographic alterations) which are included in the MSFD and used along with other 9 descriptors for the assessment of GES, through the use and integration of outputs of predictive models, physical and biological data measured in situ and satellite data analyzed at different spatial and temporal scales. In order to better clarify dynamics occurring at local scale, data on thermohaline and biogeochemical characteristics of coastal waters of Marche Region have been acquired along with information on the river outflows and nutrient load. Results of this study highlight that during the investigated period temporal patterns occurring at the basin scale are different than those observed at local scale. In particular, while at the basin an increase of water temperature and salinity together with an increase of the phytoplankton biomass have been observed in the last 10-15 years, at a local scale patterns of thermohaline and biogeochemical characteristics on a decade are generally opposite and influenced by the river dynamics. Overall results of this study on the one hand highlight the importance of using integrated tools and approaches for the study of the thermohaline and biogeochemical characteristics at different spatial scales (Adriatic basin vs. local scale), and on the other represent an important benchmark for a better understanding of the functioning of the Adriatic Sea and the potential changes that could affect the achievement of GES and its maintenance over time.

Управління морським природокористуванням має виходити з раціонального поєднання елементів державного, галузевого та територіального управління з метою запобігання конфліктних ситуацій між морськими природокористувачами та сприянню комплексному вирішенню екологічних проблем морів та узбережжя. Територіальне планування є одним з ключових компонентів територіальної діяльності, воно має конкретний зміст і визначається як процес регулювання використання територій та акваторій При цитуванні документа, використовуйте посилання http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/11386

The conservation of marine ecosystem structure and functioning is a priority target within the context of the environmental management. This is especially important in oligotrophic systems such as the Balearic Sea, where food availability is a limiting factor. For such a target is fundamental to know the array of predator-prey interactions as a basis to understand the food web trophodynamics. In this Thesis, the trophic structure of the pelagic and benthic habitats off the Balearic Islands and the feeding ecology of three taxonomic groups (cephalopods, elasmobranchs and mesopelagic fishes) playing a key role in marine ecosystems, were investigated A relatively large food web (89 species) encompassing both the pelagic and the benthic habitats were analysed. The food webs extended up to 4 trophic levels in both habitats, and most species occupied intermediate trophic levels. A high partitioning rate of trophic resources was found, which might be related to the reduction of competition for food. The energy link between the pelagic and benthic communities (benthopelagic coupling; BPC) was stronger on the shelf break, where higher hydrodinamism mix the water column and associated nutrients, than on the slope. The geographical variability of oceanographic drivers (i.e. eddies, currents) influenced the strength of the BPC. Regarding species trophic interactions, stomach contents provided evidence of mesopelagic prey coupling pelagic and benthic habitats, especially down the shelf break. Rays from the shelf consumed mainly decapod crustaceans and teleosts, whereas sharks from the slope fed primarily upon mesopelagic prey (i.e myctophids, euphausiids). Sharks and rays variation in diet was driven by species specific ontogenetic stages and habitat use. The diet of the two squid Loligo vulgaris and L. forbesii, examined for the first time in the Mediterranean, showed their highly piscivorous habits. Their prey composition revealed a lack of diet overlap as a result of their bathymetric segregation. Both squids showed shifts in diet related to size and their reproduction period. The squid L. vulgaris feed on small benthic prey until they reach a size threshold and feed on benthopelagic fish thereafter. Seasonal changes in diet in both squid species, likely related to reproduction, might help improving their individual body condition. During this period, L. vulgaris increased the consumption of highly nutritive polychaetes, whereas the adults of L. forbesii carried out movements to deeper waters to feed on lipid-rich mesopelagic prey. Mesopelagic prey are important food resources for demersal species in the Balearic Sea and, as a result of their nycthemeral movements, they have important implications for the transport of mass and energy through the water column. The trophodynamics of this group revealed that food sources (δ13C) varied little over the spatial scales sampled (location and depth) but showed high seasonality, reflecting intra-annual changes in the species composition of the phytoplankton community. By contrast, spatio-temporal variations of mesopelagic trophic interactions (δ15N) were minimal. Important niche segregation was observed between the non-migratory stomiiforms and some of the extensive migratory myctophids. Finally, the comparative analysis of the trophic ecology of deep-sea cephalopods and elasmobranchs showed that they displayed different feeding strategies with a clear resource partitioning between and within taxa. Segregation of the isotopic space indicated a contrasting food source gradient (δ13C) stretching from pelagic (squids and cuttlefishes) to nektobenthic (octopuses and elasmobranchs) sources. However, deep-sea sharks off the Balearic Islands frequently preyed on mesopelagic species, as did squids and cuttlefishes. Cephalopods, in turn, constituted an important food resource for deep-sea sharks. Squid and shark species identified as benthopelagic feeders, play a key role in the transport of energy from midwater regions to the benthic community.

This study aimed to analyse the potential and challenges for ecotourism development and how it can be applied as an integrated tool to provide economic incentives and better opportunities for community development, while improving natural resource management and conservation in Isimangaliso. The capital assets, the context of vulnerability of the local communities along with other significant attributes of the supply side were investigated in-depth. In addition, the potentials and challenges for ecotourism development in the selected Isimangaliso, Khula Village were studied. The impacts of ecotourism on local livelihood improvement, biodiversity resources and natural environment, and management and conservation of the area were also explored through sustainability concepts. However, the focus of the study was not only on ecotourism potentials and opportunities but was also on the development of sound guiding principles for planning and management of ecotourism development in Isimangaliso in a sustainable manner. It was found that community‟s willingness to participate in local development and natural resource management remains a questionable issue to be achieved. This is because local communities are strongly influenced by vertical network of the state administration. The study reveals that there is a strong interaction and interdependency between local livelihoods or poverty and the status and effectiveness of natural resource management in Isimangaliso. The study indicates that the area has plenty of potential natural and cultural resources. These resources signify three fundamental elements for ecotourism destination: quantity, quality, and fascination. The natural attractions consist of vital and sensitive biological and scenic values of the destination area.

This thesis analyses the United States Marine Corps’ counterinsurgency strategy in Vietnam between March 1965 and November 1968, filling a major gap in the existing literature by forensically examining the primary source records maintained by the United States Marines to produce an assessment of the effectiveness of the strategy. It provides a useful corollary to the diplomatic and military histories of the war because not only does it examine operational-level thinking about the war but it analyses the intellectual antecedents of the Marines’ counterinsurgency strategy to answer the important questions about why the Marines chose to emphasis pacification and the ‘ink blot’ strategy rather than conducting a more conventional campaign that focused upon the destruction of enemy forces. The Marines’ own experience of counterinsurgency in the early part of the 20th Century, as well as the work of counterinsurgency theorists of the 1950s and 1960s, had a considerable impact upon their approach to the Vietnam War. The decision of the senior Marine commanders to adopt a pacification strategy along the lines of the ‘ink blot’ approach promulgated by these French and British counterinsurgency experts was partly the result of their view of the political nature of the war and partly the result of the reality they faced on the ground. At the time the Marines deployed to Vietnam their mission was to protect three bases on the coast in the northern provinces of South Vietnam and the Marines realised that the security of these establishments could be greatly improved if the population supported the Marines (and, by extension the South Vietnamese government) rather than the insurgents. Therefore, the ‘spreading ink blot’ of pacification was a product of the need to improve security as well as an attempt to challenge the political nature of communist revolutionary warfare. The metrics used to measure progress in the war were flawed, but there are other indicators within the Marines’ records that show they were conducting an effective and appropriate counterinsurgency campaign, within the limitations imposed by lack of resources and general inability to influence the war as a whole. When the Tet Offensive was launched in early 1968, the Marines use of pacification as ‘defence in depth’ allowed them to successfully defend the coastal enclaves by countering both the political and military efforts of the North Vietnamese in those areas.

Marine plastics are not just a problem, they are a silent, sinister epidemic. Marine plastics are the largest economic and ecological threat to our marine ecosystems, particularly marine plastics derived from lost and or discarded fishing gear, which affects sensitive marine communities, the chemical composition of the ocean water, and the physical makeup of the seafloor. With 6.4 million tons of marine debris entering our oceans annually, a third of which is lost fishing gear, it is estimated that, by weight, in 2050 there will be an accumulation of more plastic than fish in the ocean (Heath, 2018; Wilcox, 2015). Marine litter derived from plastic fishing gear, primarily passive gear, when lost in the ocean causes a series of consequences to the marine ecosystem, that of which increases when there are high concentrations of fishing activity in the geographic area. Arctic countries have some of the most abundant fisheries, that of which is projected to increase due to anthropogenic climate change. In the context of climate change affecting the Arctic ecosystem, in this thesis, we will review the consequences of plastics derived from fishing gear for the Arctic marine ecosystem, estimate the potential influx of derelict gear plastics originating from data obtained in Alaska and Iceland, and then confidently present effective forms of remediation, prevention, and mitigation strategized from models of sustainable fisheries to resolve the ramifications of lost and or discarded gear in Arctic communities.

Os resíduos sólidos são um dos principais poluentes do ambiente marinho, responsáveis por prejuízos ecológicos, econômicos e na saúde pública, requerendo ações e políticas públicas para seu controle. Em âmbito internacional, muitas convenções abordaram o tema, incentivando os governos a adotarem medidas para conter suas fontes. O Brasil possui um conjunto de instrumentos com diretrizes para a gestão dos resíduos sólidos, mas será que esses instrumentos - leis, programas, planos, investimentos e indicadores - são adequados para reduzir o lixo marinho? Utilizando o Brasil, o estado de São Paulo, o litoral norte paulista e seus municípios como estudos de caso, foram analisadas as políticas públicas relacionadas ao tema, por meio do levantamento da legislação e a análise dos programas governamentais (planos plurianuais) e seus indicadores. A hipótese proposta era de que os instrumentos existentes são inadequados para reduzir o lixo marinho em todos os níveis governamentais. No entanto, as conclusões indicaram que os instrumentos disponíveis são parcialmente adequados, pois embora não haja um enfoque específico no problema do lixo marinho, o combate a ele pode ser identificado indiretamente nas políticas existentes. O principal problema, entretanto, está na implementação das políticas com baixo investimento, pontuais no tempo e geograficamente, e com indicadores inadequados.
Solid wastes are one of the main marine environment pollutants, responsible for ecological, economic and public health damages. Thus, requiring specific actions and public policies to control their entrance in the environment. On the international level, many conventions deal with this issue, encouraging the governments to adopt measures to reduce its sources. Brazil has a set of legal instruments with the guidelines to solid waste management. Nevertheless, are these instruments - laws, programs, plans, investments and indicators - suitable to reducing marine debris? Using Brazil, São Paulo State, North Coast of São Paulo and their municipalities as case studies, the policies related to the issue were analyzed, through a survey of existing laws, as well as analyzing the government programs (multiannual plans) and their indicators. The initial hypothesis was that the existing instruments were inadequate to reduce marine debris in every governmental level. However, the conclusions suggested that the available instruments were partially suitable, for though there is not a specific focus on marine debris issue, the struggle against it can be identified indirectly on the existing policies. The main problem, however, relates to policies implementation with low funds, punctual in time and geographically, and with inappropriate indicators.

Bibliography: pages 65-68.
Oil spill contingency planning for the South African Coast undertaken by the Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Department of Environment Affairs, has revealed that alternative disposal methods for oily waste need to be investigated in order to cope effectively and timeously with a major oil spill. Current techniques dealing with oily waste disposal are reviewed. These include recovery for re-use, stabilisation of oily waste, biodegradative techniques such as landfarming, co-disposal with municipal waste, stimulated biodegradation in ponds and direct burial, as well as burning and incineration. The suitability of these techniques, taking into account legal constraints, availability of facilities, financial considerations and environmental implications are appraised for South African conditions. Recovery for re-use is the optimum disposal option, but the location of refineries in South Africa, the limited facilities available for oil recycling and the inability of the industries to cope with large quantities or contaminated oily waste limit the recovery application. Stabilisation of oily waste for disposal as landfill or for use in civil engineering works requires further investigation with the South African construction industry. Landfarming techniques are suitable for the disposal of large quantities of oily sand or sandy sludge, but careful site selection is required to limit environmental contamination. Co-disposal of oily waste with municipal refuse is only suitable for limited quantities of oily waste and will reduce the life of the landfill site. Direct burial or burning of oily waste are shown to be environmentally unsuitable options, but under certain conditions they may provide the only practical solutions. Facilities for incineration of oily waste are limited in South Africa. The study shows that there is no easy solution to the disposal of large quantities of oily sludge. A combination of disposal methods will need to be used. Treatment of the oily sludge, for example emulsion breaking or separation will reduce the volumes, but costs could be prohibitive. A strategy is developed to provide the decision maker with a framework within which the decision process towards finding the correct solution for the disposal of oily waste following an oil spill off the South African Coast can be undertaken.

Avec pour cas d’étude les Programmes de mesures de la Directive-cadre « stratégie pour le milieu marin », cette thèse étudie les usages attendus et effectifs des évaluations économiques, et plus largement du langage économique, dans l’élaboration des politiques publiques d’environnement. En France, les Programmes de mesures ont été élaborés via des réunions rassemblant des membres des administrations centrales et déconcentrées ainsi que des parties prenantes, aussi bien au niveau national qu’à l’échelle des sous-régions marines. Une étude des incidences socio-économiques et environnementales des mesures nouvelles, présentée comme une analyse coût-efficacité, a été conduite par des bureaux d’études. Des observations directes ont été menées au cours de 27 de ces réunions.Une analyse de contenu des discours ainsi collectés montre un faible recours au langage économique (i.e. interventions et arguments économiques). Toutefois, la proportion de langage économique dans l’ensemble des discours augmente après la présentation des résultats de l’étude d’incidences. L’absence d’objectifs bien définis et majoritairement acceptés par les parties prenantes émergeant du processus d’élaboration des Programmes de mesures explique en partie la difficulté qu’a eue l’étude d’incidence à remplir son rôle d’outil d’aide à la décision. L’élaboration des Programmes de mesures a alors été analysée comme un processus de coordination entre agents, nécessitant l’émergence de représentations communes des problèmes d’environnement marin, dans un contexte de forte incertitude. Une analyse textuelle menée sur 25 extraits d’entretiens auprès de participants au processus d’élaboration des Programmes de mesures fait apparaître la coexistence de quatre représentations du Bon état écologique
With a focus on the programmes of measures of the European marine Strategy Framework Directive, this work explores the expected and effective uses of economic valuation, and more widely of economic language, in support of the implementation of environmental public policy. In France, the programmes of measures were elaborated via meetings gathering central and decentralised administration members as well as stakeholders, both at national and sub-marine regions scales. A socio-economic and environmental impact assessment of new measures, presented as a cost-effectivness analysis, has been conducted by external consultants. Direct observations were conducted during 27 of those meetings. A content analysis of collected speeches shows that economic language (i.e. economic interventions and arguments) is hardly ever used. However the share of economic language within speeches increases once the impact assessment of new measures has been introduced. The lack of well defined and widely accepted objectives arising from the programmes of measures elaboration process partly explain why impact assessment struggled to find its place as a tool for supporting decision-making. The Programme of measures elaboration has then been analysed as a coordination process, requiring emergence of shared representations of marine environment issues, in a highly unpredictable context. The textual analysis of 25 interviews extracts, conducted with participants to the programme of measures elaboration process, highlights the coexistence of four representations of the Good environmental status

Synalpheus shrimp species of the gambarelloides group are the only marine organisms displaying the highest level of social functioning, eusociality. Their social hierarchies are equally complex compared to the reproductive abnormalities that have been recently discovered. For instance, snapping shrimp of the genus Synalpheus were thought to be gonochoric, i.e. developing as independent sexes, until scanning electron microscopy studies revealed intersexed gonopores in several species. This project analyzed both the species composition, and accompanying reproductive structures, of Synalpheus spp. (Caridea: Alpheidae) comprised of densely aggregating communal and pair-living colonies in the Florida Keys, Florida. Colonies of pair-living and communal Synalpheus spp. were observed from hosts Spheciospongia vesparium and Spongia sp. from hard bottom assemblages of the Florida Reef Tract in order to assess differing population structures. Comparisons were made of the measures of overall and relative abundance, frequency by species and sex category, and variation in growth by species and sex category, for each individual colony. We then used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images to determine the secondary sexual characteristics of three species (Synalpheus brooksi, S. herricki, and S. cf. herricki) which range in social behavior. Species were widely consistent in both host choice and distribution, across all sampling areas. The abundance of communal species Synalpheus brooksi was much greater than expected at all sites, in comparison to previously published work. While Synalpheus longicarpus was reported at higher frequencies in prior studies, our results yielded a much lower frequency of this species, often found in pairs, rather than dense aggregations. Average sizes of ovigerous and non-ovigerous individuals in dense colonies of Synalpheus brooksi and S. pectiniger did not differ significantly. However, total body length of individuals differed within species groups, specifically related to sex and presence of ova. Within colonies of S. brooksi, mid-development, or ‘transitional’ individuals, were discovered in nearly all populations. However, the reproductive and social function of these individuals displaying mixed sexual characteristics could not be determined from this study. Individuals of S. brooksi displaying ‘transitional’ external morphology, i.e. masculine abdominal pleura paired with clutches of eggs, displayed higher incidences of intersex gonopores per colony than did conspecific non-ovigerous and ovigerous individuals. These results suggest that colonies of S. brooksi may be comprised of a subset of helpers, or individuals undergoing a transitional sexual development phase, similar to prior published findings of intersexed helpers among eusocial colonies (Toth and Bauer 2007). In comparison to S. brooksi colonies, nearly all colonies of S. herricki and S. cf. herricki were composed of intersex individuals. In conjunction with previous instances documented in eusocial Synalpheus paraneptunus groups, the data provide substantial evidence of intersexing at all levels of social organization in Synalpheus spp. (pair living, communal, and eusocial). These findings nonetheless provide a clearer picture of how social structure and life history influence adaptation of a particular reproductive strategy. Quantifying features of Spheciospongia vesparium populations and comparing results to neighboring hosts, such as Spongia sp., provided evidence for potential influences of host choice, and variation in growth and reproductive capacity temporally and spatially. These observations of species’ growth patterns and abundances contribute greatly to our understanding of life history of Synalpheus spp., and, furthermore, adaptation of social organization.

L’objectif de cette thèse a été d’acquérir une meilleure compréhension des mécanismes écologiques et démographiques qui déterminent les traits d’histoire de vie et la structure des populations de saumon atlantique Salmo salar. Je teste l’hypothèse que la croissance occupe une place centrale dans les variations des retours des adultes en rivière, avec des réponses différentes chez les mâles et les femelles. Le projet s’appuie sur l’analyse de 21 à 47 années de données empiriques provenant du suivi de cinq populations sauvages sud-européennes, et sur la construction d’un modèle de population centré sur la phase marine du cycle de vie. Je démontre qu’une meilleure croissance en mer pendant le premier été favorise une maturation sexuelle précoce (donc un retour en rivière pour la reproduction). Les femelles doivent atteindre une taille plus importante pour déclencherla maturation. La croissance pendant les premiers mois de la migration marine a diminué au cours du temps. Ce signal temporel dans la croissance au premier été en mer est commun à plusieurs populations, soulignant l’effet de pressions environnementales communes. Cette réponse s'accompagne de différences entre populations: la variabilité de l'âge moyen à maturation est en partie due à des facteurs spécifiques à chaque population. Enfin, nous mettons en évidence que la survie des post-smolts, dépendant de la taille des smolts, et le taux de maturation, dépendant du sexe et de la croissance en mer, conditionnent la structure d’âge et de sexe des retours. Cependant la variabilité temporelle du taux de retour et du potentiel reproducteur dépend essentiellement de la variabilité du taux de survie des post-smolts
This thesis aims to better understand the ecological and demographic processes determining life history traits and population structure in Altantic salmon Salmo salar populations. I test the hypothesis that growth is key to explain variations in adults returning to rivers to reproduce, with differencial responses between males and females. The project relies on the analysis of 21 to 47 years of empirical data from five monitored wild populations, and on the development of a population model with a focus on the marine phase of the life cycle. I show that high growth over first summer at sea favours early sexual maturation (thus a return to freshwater to reproduce). Females need to reach higher body size in order to mature.Individual growth over the first months of the marine migration declined over time. This temporal signal in growth over first summer at sea is common to several populations, underlying the effect of common environmental stressors. This response is combined with differences between populations, underlying that variability in age at return is partly due to factors specific to each population. Finally we show that post-smolt survival, depending on smolt size, and maturation rate, depending on sex and marine growth, ultimately condition age and sex structure in returns. However temporal variability of return rate and reproductive potential essentially relies on the survival rate of post-smolts