The lesser flying squid (Todaropsis eblanae) and the shortfin squid (Illex coindetii) are two abundant ommastrephids of the northeast Atlantic. Spawning ground existence was inferred from the ...captures of mature, mated females in summer 2016–2019 and their occurrences were compared with respective oceanographic data from international surveys to gain insight into environmental predictors of their presence throughout the North Sea. Spawning T. eblanae were found in relatively cooler and more saline waters (6–8°C, 34.2–35.1 psu) in the northern North Sea linked to the Fair Isle Current and East Shetland Atlantic Inflow, whilst spawning I. coindetii occurred across the entire North Sea (mostly at 9–10.5°C, 34.1–34.8 psu). We hypothesize that a combination of water salinity and water temperature are key factors in the spatiotemporal distribution of spawning ommastrephid squids as they define water density that is crucial for pelagic egg mass to attain neutral buoyancy.
Abstract The population of common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis in the English Channel recently developed two life cycles: annual (spawning 1 y.o.) and biennial (spawning 2 y.o.) instead of the ...biennial strategy known before, associated with increasing environmental temperatures in recent decades because of climate changes. Both groups differ in the size of mature animals (110–196 mm mantle length vs. 140–262 mm) and the number of chambers in the cuttlebone (60–97 in annual vs. 93–152 in biennial). The annual group represented some 15%–20% of the population, and the proportion of early spawners increased during the reproductive period, from 3%–5% in February/March to 50%–70% in June/July. Among spawning cuttlefish males predominated as ~2:1. Such environmentally driven changes in historical ecology as exemplified by the cuttlefish might be a critical link in the adaptation of the cephalopod life cycles to changing ecosystems.
Spatial and temporal dynamics of common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, spawning at north European shores was studied using data collected by the Cephalopod Citizen Science Project, Seasearch between ...1995 and 2021 and a range of other internet sources for the same period. Reproduction begins in the western English Channel in March and gradually progresses eastward following water warming, attaining the Netherlands in May, when peripheral spawning grounds expand north to Norfolk and the Irish Sea. Despite a thermal regime favourable for egg development existing around the UK and Ireland, spawning is normally restricted to the English Channel and southernmost North Sea with egg masses occasionally observed as far north as Isle of Man and Norfolk.
The South Sandwich Islands (SSI), a chain of volcanic islands in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, are home to two large notothenoid species: the Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus ...eleginoides and the Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni. Both species support valuable fisheries throughout the Southern Ocean under management of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The SSI region, which is located south of the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front, has a diverse and distinct biodiversity and it represents a range edge for the distribution of both toothfish species. In this paper we have updated and expanded previous biological analyses with recent data, explored the stock hypotheses and links of these species to other regions, and investigated the role of the SSI archipelago in the life cycles of both toothfish species, where they overlap in their distribution. We conclude that Patagonian toothfish around the SSI are linked to the adjacent South Georgia population, but have some unique characteristics, including faster growth and better somatic condition, possibly reflecting ‘Bergmann's rule’ which states that body size increases with decreasing temperature and increasing latitude. By comparison, the Antarctic toothfish at the SSI appear to be the northern extent of a larger stock connecting further south towards the Antarctic continent. Finally, we consider the relative importance of the SSI in the life cycle of both species, including in the context of climatic changes to this region.
Abstract
Removal of fish from gear by marine predators, known as depredation, is a fishery dependent mortality that needs to be included in stock assessments for affected stocks to avoid ...misestimation of the assessed resource. Toothed whales engage regularly in depredation from longlines, and while in some regions they leave clear marks of depredation activity, in the longline fisheries in the Southern Ocean they often leave no trace of removal, making it necessary to estimate depredation through modelling approaches. Several modelling approaches have been developed over the past decade in affected Southern Ocean fisheries, and in this paper, we examine five applications of common CPUE model structures to the same dataset from the longline fishery around South Georgia. We then compare the estimates of depredation with those based on observed bycatch ratios. The different model structures estimated very similar annual depredation removals, with all approaches averaging around 5% of the catch removed throughout the entire fishery. While depredation varies spatially, the different modelling approaches consistently highlighted areas where the impact of depredation was highest.
•The paper provides a pioneer tool to differentiate visually between egg masses of two sympatric commercial squids, L. vulgaris and L. forbesii.•Celtic Sea and western English Channel are spawning ...grounds of L. vulgaris in late winter – spring. No reproduction of L. forbesii was found there during this season.•L. forbesii forages in Celtic Sea and English Channel but reproduces in deeper water further west, mostly west of Ireland.
European squid, Loligo vulgaris and veined squid, Loligo forbesii have nearly coinciding distributions in the northeast Atlantic, a similar reproductive seasonality, and largely overlapping depth ranges of spawning grounds. There are no unambiguous criteria to distinguish between egg masses of both species. This pioneering study was focused on the Celtic Sea and western part of the English Channel and combined both research survey data and observations by recreational divers (“citizen science”). Loligo vulgaris was found to reproduce there in late winter – spring; distribution of egg masses coincided with a bottom temperature range of 8.5−10 °C and bottom salinities of 35–35.5 psu. No L.forbesii egg masses were found across the study area though they are known from literature to occur in deeper areas further west. Based on original material and data from the literature, we provide a guideline to distinguish between egg masses of both squids based on egg size and embryonic stage as a tool to map species-specific spawning grounds, towards improved understanding of population structure, migrations and development of fisheries management measures.
Abstract
The inshore commercial squids, Loligo vulgaris and L. forbesii, co-occur in the ecoregions of Celtic Seas and Greater North Sea but the spatio-temporal structure of their spawning ranges is ...poorly understood. To help solve the problem, data sets collected during the last 30 years by British, German, French, and Irish scientists, as well as observations from multinational Citizen Science, were combined. Spawning grounds of L. forbesii were found to form an external semi-circle around the spawning grounds of L. vulgaris, with the latter being centred on the English Channel and southernmost North Sea. The nursery grounds of both species appear to coincide with the respective spawning grounds, though L. forbesii makes much wider use of the North Sea. Seasonally, the position of the spawning grounds of both species is driven by the local temperature regime, although this is possibly subject to interannual variability. Spawning of both species begins around November and gradually progresses eastward following favourable currents and increasing water temperatures. Spawning in both species is mostly over by July, though some egg masses persist until August–November. Nursery grounds follow the same seasonal shift from west to east, at least in L. forbesii.
We present a method of constructing a model of the eyeball from PlayDoh® to teach the anatomy of the eye. The stages of creating such a 3-D model are illustrated. This technique has been used in our ...teaching program and allows good visualisation of the anatomy of the eye. It is a good kinaesthetic method of teaching eye anatomy and more effective than the use of simple drawings or photographs alone. No prior experience with PlayDoh® is required. Different levels of anatomic detail can be taught, depending on the audience. This educational tool has received excellent feedback from students.
Limb activation treatment for unilateral neglect has been shown to be effective in several single case studies (Robertson, Hogg, & McMillan, 1998a; Robertson, North, & Geggie, 1992). Limb Activation ...Treatment (LAT) is based on the theoretical model that links different aspects of spatial representation in the brain. Specifically, proprioceptive representations are strongly linked to external visual representations, such as activation of one may have influences on the other. LAT is implemented using an automatic device-the limb activation device (LAD). This device encourages patients with left unilateral neglect to make small movements with the partly paralysed left side of their body. Thirty-nine patients with right brain damage following cerebrovascular accident (CVA) who showed left unilateral neglect, were randomly allocated to perceptual training plus LAT or to perceptual training alone. Both groups received training of 12 sessions of 45 min duration over a 12 week period; 36 of the 39 patients were successfully followed up blind at 3 months, a total of 32 were followed up blind at 6 months and 26 at 18-24 months. Outcome was assessed using a variety of standardised functional outcome and neuropsychological measures. LAT treatment was associated with significantly improved left-sided motor function, with effects lasting up to 18-24 months. The limb activation device can be used in the context of existing therapy with no additional therapy time. This study shows that LAT can produce enduring improvements in left-sided motor impairment in CVA patients suffering left unilateral neglect.
Patients with heart failure have a significant symptom burden and other palliative care needs often over a longer period than patients with cancer. It is acknowledged that this need may be unmet but ...by how much has not been quantified in primary care data at the population level.
This was the first use of Clinical Practice Research Datalink, the world's largest primary care database to explore recognition of the need for palliative care. Heart failure and cancer patients who had died in 2009 aged 18 or over and had at least one year of primary care records were identified. A palliative approach to care among patients with heart failure was compared to that among patients with cancer using entry onto a palliative care register as a marker for a palliative approach to care.
Among patients with heart failure, 7% (234/3 122) were entered on the palliative care register compared to 48% (3 669/7 608) of cancer patients. Of heart failure patients on the palliative care register, 29% (69/234) were entered onto the register within a week of their death.
This confirms that the stark inequity in recognition of palliative care needs for people with heart failure in a large primary care dataset. We recommend a move away from prognosis based criteria for palliative care towards a patient centred approach, with assessment of and attention to palliative needs including advance care planning throughout the disease trajectory.
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