Research, assessment and management on the Mascarene Plateau: a large marine ecosystem perspective

2005 ◽  
Vol 363 (1826) ◽  
pp. 295-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolph Payet
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Research Assessment ◽  
Marine Research ◽  
Geographical Society ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem

Management of marine resources over the large ocean areas provides a great challenge, albeit one with hope for sustainable governance. Despite extensive studies in many of these large ocean areas, the interaction of physical and biological processes in large shallow mid–oceanic areas, such as the Mascarene Plateau in the Western Indian Ocean, is not yet well enough understood to influence management practices. The Mascarene Plateau arches across the Western Indian Ocean from the Seychelles down to Mauritius, with water depths up to 100 m. Such a large shallow mid–oceanic area supports a wide diversity of ecosystems with potential for exploitable resources. A recent marine research programme by the Royal Geographical Society of London led to the establishment of a research framework for long–term research and assessment of the Mascarene Plateau. This paper presents an extension to this approach, with a particular focus on the management, governance and socio–economics of this area.

scholarly journals Multivariate determination of Atlantic herring population health in a large marine ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 859-869
Author(s):  
Daniel G Boyce ◽  
Brian Petrie ◽  
Kenneth T Frank
Keyword(s):  
Population Health ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Stock Biomass ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem

Abstract Atlantic herring are among the most harvested marine fish species globally and are of extraordinary ecological and economic importance. Within the Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy management zone (NAFO Division 4WX), herring support one of the largest fisheries in Canada, yet the conservation status of the stock is currently unclear. We use field observations, stock assessments, and published studies to evaluate the long-term (1965–2016) status, or health, of 4WX Atlantic herring based on 33 indicators that serve as proxies for the ecological dynamics across the larval, juvenile, and adult stages. Sixteen indicators that showed evidence of significant and synchronous temporal changes were integrated to produce a standardized series of herring population health. This multivariate index exhibited a gradual, long-term decline punctuated by a more rapid decline between 1980 and 2005. Following normalization, future trajectories of herring spawning stock biomass (SSB) over this period were best forecast by the average weight of herring (r2 = 0.63; lag = 6 years) and indicated that SSB would remain low over the next 6 years. Our study suggests that integrating factors related to population health can provide deeper insight in situations where individual series are uncertain and can complement existing assessment approaches.

Long-term climatic change in the western Indian Ocean

1979 ◽  
Vol 286 (1011) ◽  
pp. 11-23 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Climatic Change ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Historical Records ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mean Annual Rainfall

Analysis of rainfall records for stations on Mahé (Seychelles), Mauritius, Minicoy and Amini Divi (Laccadives), and other western Indian Ocean stations, shows substantial fluctuations in mean annual rainfall over the past 100 years, with high rainfalls at the beginning of this century, at about 1930, and at the present day, with troughs during 1915-20 and 1940-50. Overlapping series of more recent records for Aldabra, Assumption and the Iles Glorieuses also suggest substantial variations, and the existence of these is supported by episodic historical records. The consequences of such changes for the land biota of Aldabra, especially for the giant tortoises, are discussed, and brief reference is made to other types of evidence for climatic change on the atoll.

Bengal Delta

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iftekhar Iqbal
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
South China ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Eastern Himalayas ◽  
Bengal Delta ◽  
Frontier Region ◽  
The Indian Ocean

Located between the foothills of the eastern Himalayas and the northern shores of the Bay of Bengal, the Bengal Delta has been for more than a millennium a major frontier region of the subcontinent, a gateway to the Indian Ocean and an evolving cultural hub. Because of its frontier location, the region has experienced the interplay of domination and independence from northern Indian imperial powers. Its location also allowed it to connect with the western Indian Ocean as well as the Southeast Asian and South China maritime spaces, making it a long-term player in international trade. These spatially induced political and economic experiences and a remarkable mobility of people and ideas from and into the region shaped a culture that was regionally rooted yet open to cosmopolitan ethos. It was not until the arrival of late colonial national imaginations when the Bengal Delta’s regional integration was put to the test, which resulted in its splitting into two parts: West Bengal of India and Bangladesh.

scholarly journals Quantitative Biogeography: Large-Scale, Long-Term Change in the Rocky Intertidal Region of the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem

Oceanography ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Raimondi ◽  
◽  
C. Melissa Miner ◽  
Bruce Menge ◽  
Carol Blanchette ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
California Current ◽  
Rocky Intertidal ◽  
Term Change ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem

Unbreakable Bond

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantino Xavier
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Comparative Advantage ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Indian Diaspora ◽  
Rising Powers ◽  
Trade Potential ◽  
New Phase

Anchored in centuries of exchanges across the Western Indian Ocean, India’s relations with Africa have recently entered a new phase. New Delhi’s stakes in the continent now include accessing mineral resources, developing investment and trade potential, the security of East Africa’s sea lines of communication, protecting the Indian diaspora, enlisting diplomatic support for its multilateral stances, and also a competitive dynamic with China and other rising powers. This chapter reviews these various drivers, as well as the domestic debate on an ideal Africa policy. The chapter also discusses six areas where India may develop a long-term comparative advantage over its competitors.

Fish, fishers and fisheries of the Western Indian Ocean: their diversity and status. A preliminary assessment

2005 ◽  
Vol 363 (1826) ◽  
pp. 263-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudy van der Elst ◽  
Bernadine Everett ◽  
Narriman Jiddawi ◽  
Gerald Mwatha ◽  
Paula Santana Afonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Artisanal Fisheries ◽  
Marine Resources ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
African Countries

The Western Indian Ocean represents ca. 8% of the world's oceans but generates only 4% of the global industrial catch. This region is also home to a great proportion of the world's population, living in developing countries with a high dependence on marine resources. Trends in the declared landings of marine resources from the Western Indian Ocean suggest that this ocean may be approaching its maximum harvest potential of ca. 4 Mt per annum, but underreported artisanal catches complicate more–detailed analyses. There is a growing demand for ‘new resources’ to make up for declining stocks, while several large fluctuations are linked to changes in market demand and over exploitation. Artisanal fisheries in the region are highly diversified. Preliminary results are presented of a project that evaluates the conservation status and sustainable management practices in 168 different fishery types. It is concluded that the majority of the region's artisanal fisheries are not adequately supported by scientific information and that management strategies need to be improved if the enormous development challenges of East African countries are to be met.

scholarly journals Kin relationships in cultural species of the marine realm: case study of a matrilineal social group of sperm whales off Mauritius island, Indian Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Sarano ◽  
Justine Girardet ◽  
Véronique Sarano ◽  
Hugues Vitry ◽  
Axel Preud'homme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Social Unit ◽  
Mtdna Haplotype ◽  
Second Degree

Understanding the organization and dynamics of social groups of marine mammals through the study of kin relationships is particularly challenging . Here, we studied a stable social group of sperm whales off Mauritius, using underwater observations, individual-specific identification, non-invasive sampling and genetic analyses based on mitochondrial sequencing and microsatellite profiling. Twenty-four sperm whales were sampled between 2017 and 2019. All individuals except one adult female shared the same mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype—one that is rare in the western Indian Ocean—thus confirming with near certainty the matrilineality of the group. All probable first- and second-degree kin relationships were depicted in the sperm whale social group: 13 first-degree and 27 second-degree relationships were identified. Notably, we highlight the likely case of an unrelated female having been integrated into a social unit, in that she presented a distinct mtDNA haplotype and no close relationships with any members of the group. Investigating the possible matrilineality of sperm whale cultural units (i.e. vocal clans) is the next step in our research programme to elucidate and better apprehend the complex organization of sperm whale social groups.

Editorial Introduction

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Editors of the JIOWS
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Fourth Volume ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
Indian Ocean World ◽  
Shed Light

The editors are proud to present the first issue of the fourth volume of the Journal of Indian Ocean World Studies. This issue contains three articles, by James Francis Warren (Murdoch University), Kelsey McFaul (University of California, Santa Cruz), and Marek Pawelczak (University of Warsaw), respectively. Warren’s and McFaul’s articles take different approaches to the growing body of work that discusses pirates in the Indian Ocean World, past and present. Warren’s article is historical, exploring the life and times of Julano Taupan in the nineteenth-century Philippines. He invites us to question the meaning of the word ‘pirate’ and the several ways in which Taupan’s life has been interpreted by different European colonists and by anti-colonial movements from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. McFaul’s article, meanwhile, takes a literary approach to discuss the much more recent phenomenon of Somali Piracy, which reached its apex in the last decade. Its contribution is to analyse the works of authors based in the region, challenging paradigms that have mostly been developed from analysis of works written in the West. Finally, Pawelczak’s article is a legal history of British jurisdiction in mid-late nineteenth-century Zanzibar. It examines one of the facets that underpinned European influence in the western Indian Ocean World before the establishment of colonial rule. In sum, this issue uses two key threads to shed light on the complex relationships between European and other Western powers and the Indian Ocean World.

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