scholarly journals Ingestion of plastic by fish destined for human consumption in remote South Pacific islands

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Forrest ◽  
Mark Hindell
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Remote Locations ◽  
Lord Howe Island ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
South Pacific Islands ◽  
Global Oceans

Plastic marine debris is increasingly recognized as one of the greatest threats to global oceans, and the humans who depend on them. This study documents plastic ingestion in 24 species caught or sold for human consumption in the South Pacific. Fish were collected from local fishermen and markets in remote locations, including French Polynesia, Lord Howe Island and Henderson Island (Pitcairn group). Gastrointestinal tracts of 126 fish were visually examined and plastic was found in 7.9% of individual fish and 25% of species. The plastics were mostly microplastics (fragments, nurdles and rope). There was no significant difference in plastic ingestion in relation to feeding style, length, region or species. This is concerning as plastic appears to be widespread across species, lifestyles and habitats. This is the first report of plastic in South Pacific fish, raising concerns about the transfer of pollutants in a region that is largely oceanic and heavily dependent on seafood. The remote locations of the study also provide evidence of the widespread nature of this issue.

scholarly journals Recent Emergence of Dengue Virus Serotype 4 in French Polynesia Results from Multiple Introductions from Other South Pacific Islands

PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. e29555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Van-Mai Cao-Lormeau ◽  
Claudine Roche ◽  
Maite Aubry ◽  
Anita Teissier ◽  
Stéphane Lastere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Multiple Introductions ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
Virus Serotype ◽  
South Pacific Islands

scholarly journals Xylocopa sonorina Smith, 1874 from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Xylocopinae) with comments on its taxonomy

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory Sheffield ◽  
Jennifer Heron ◽  
Luciana Musetti
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
North America ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Carpenter Bees ◽  
South Pacific Islands

Only one species of large carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica (Linnaeus, 1771), has been recorded from Canada, albeit restricted to southern Ontario and Quebec. However, a single female specimen identified by Hurd in 1954 as X. varipuncta Patton, 1879 from British Columbia is in the C.A. Triplehorn Insect Collection at The Ohio State University (OSUC), suggesting that this species was accidentally introduced into coastal western Canada. As wood-nesters, many large carpenter bees are likely capable of expanding their range great distances by natural and unnatural transport methods while nesting inside suitable substrates, the presumed mode of transport into western Canada, and likely elsewhere. The ease at which the nests are transported has likely contributed to the nomenclatural and distributional ambiguity surrounding this species due to morphological similarities of specimens from North America, Hawaii, and several South Pacific islands. By comparing DNA barcodes of specimens from the western United States to specimens from Hawaii, we confirm the early opinion of P.H. Timberlake (Timberlake 1922) that specimens long established on the Hawaiian Islands are the same X. varipuncta from continental North America. Furthermore, these DNA barcode sequences also match those of specimens identified as X. sonorina Smith, 1874 from the French Polynesian and Samoan Islands, thus fully supporting the opinion of Groom et al. (2017) that all are likely conspecific. As X. sonorina, a species described from and likely introduced to Hawaii is the oldest name available, X. varipuncta is here placed into synonymy. Additional research will be needed to trace the timing and pathway of introduction and establishment of X. sonorina; it is presumed that the species is native to the southwestern United States but has been established in Hawaii since the mid-1800s. It is also established in French Polynesia, the Samoan Islands, and likely other south Pacific islands, with additional records of occurrence from Java, New Zealand, and now Canada.

scholarly journals Decolonisation Processes in the South Pacific Islands: A Comparative Analysis between Metropolitan Powers

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 355
Author(s):  
Paul De Deckker
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Free Association ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
The South ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
South Pacific Islands

The South Pacific islands came late, by comparison with Asia and Africa, to undertake the decolonising process. France was the first colonial power in the region to start off this process in accordance with the decision taken in Paris to pave the way to independence for African colonies. The Loi-cadre Defferre in 1957, voted in Parliament, was applied to French Polynesia and New Caledonia as it was to French Africa. Territorial governments were elected in both these Pacific colonies in 1957. They were abolished in 1963 after the return to power of General de Gaulle who decided to use Moruroa for French atomic testing. The status quo ante was then to prevail in New Caledonia and French Polynesia up to today amidst statutory crises. The political evolution of the French Pacific, including Wallis and Futuna, is analysed in this article. Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia were to conform to the 1960 United Nations' recommendations to either decolonise, integrate or provide to Pacific colonies self-government in free association with the metropolitan power. Great Britain granted constitutional independence to all of its colonies in the Pacific except Pitcairn. The facts underlying this drastic move are analysed in the British context of the 1970's, culminating in the difficult independence of Vanuatu in July 1980. New Zealand and Australia followed the UN recommendations and granted independence or self-government to their colonial territories. In the meantime, they reinforced their potential to dominate the South Pacific in the difficult geopolitical context of the 1980s. American Micronesia undertook statutory evolution within a strategic framework. What is at stake today within the Pacific Islands is no longer of a political nature; it is financial.

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