Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Fishing with a variety of methods and gears, including traps, is allowed within the waters of Virgin Islands National Park (St. 10hn, U.S. Virgin Islands). Randall's 1 9 6 1 observation of the effects of overushing in nearshore waters off Sto John has been followed by three and a half decades of reports documenting the declining reef fish catch in the Virgin Islands and much of the Caribbean. To assess the state of the trap fishery in St. John waters, traps set by fishers were visually censused in situ in 1992, 1993 and 1994 both inside and outside park waters. Fifty-nine species of fishes representing 23 families and 1340 individuals were identified from 285 traps set in five habitat types (coral reef, octocoral hard-bottom, seagrass beds, algal plains and non-living substrate). The greatest number of observed traps were in algal plain (31%) and gorgonian habitat (27%), pointing to greater exploitation of deeper, non­ coral habitats. Coral habitat accounted for the most species trapped (41), whereas the mean number of fishes per trap was highest in algal plain (5.7, se=0.6). Six species made up 51% of all fish observed in traps. The Acanthuridae was the most abundant family. Species composition and number of fishes per trap were similar inside and outside park waters. Scarids and serranids were more frequently observed in traps inside the park. Between 1992 and 1994. patterns in the data emerged: smaller numbers of fish per trap; shifts to smaller size classes; fewer serranids, lutjanids, sparids, and balistids, and all feeding guilds except herbivores per trap; more acanthurids per trap. Compared with other trap data from the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean - Florida region, the mean number of fish and biomass per St. John trap are low, serranid numbers are low, and acanthurid and herbivore numbers are high. The reef-associated fishes of St. John appear to be overexploited.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the distribution of the polychaete fauna and to verify the abundance of feeding groups of these communities, in an area of coral-algal buildups under influence of two industrial outfalls: the first one spills organic chemical-industrial residues which has been partially treated using microorganisms action. The second spills sulphuric acid, ferrous sulphate and, others previously treated inorganic compounds.

Since the appearance of the green mussel, Perna viridis, in Ihe Golfo de Paria in 1993, the habitat of the brown mussel, Perna perna, has been altered. P. viridis is driving out the P. perna mussel from its natural beds in La Esmeralda, Guatapanare and El Morro de Chacopata, Sucre State, and at the end of 1995 it appeared in Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta State, Venezuela. For that reason, a study has been carried out to determine whether P. viridis from La Esmeralda has a higher tolerance and adaptability than P. perna, in terrns of salinity and temperature. Low and high lethal temperatures were 6°C and 37.5°C for P. viridis and 3°C and 34.5"C for P. pema. Low and high lethal salini­ties were 0 and 64 0/00 for P. viridis and 8 and 54 0/00 for P. perna, respectively, indicating that the green mussel has wider thermohaline tolerance limits than the brown mussel. This may explain why P. perna has been displaced by P. viridis in less than three years.

The value of sperm ultrastructure in scleractinian systematics was reviewed and reevaluated with the first information about Montastraea cavernosa and Eusmilia fastigiata. While it is possible to identify and distinguish higher taxonomic groups such as the order Scleractinia and the sub-order Archaecoeniina based on sperm morphol­ogy, limitations exist in lower taxa of other sub-orders.. For example, species from different families or genera that share the same sexual character (hermaphroditic or dioecious) are very similar in their sperm morphology. This was reconfirmed by the ultrastructural examination of M. cavernosa which has a sperm type only found in dioecious species and which does not resemble the spermatozoa of its hermaphroditic congener M. faveolata. It is suggested that E. fastigiata is dioecious based on its sperm type which was found to be the same as that of M. cavernosa.

We provide a taxonomic account of the athecatae hydroids taxonomic known from northern Bahia, down to a depth of 60 m, based largely on collections made by the authors since 1992. All colonies were collected along the coast of Salvador City, at Todos os Santos Bay, in Itaparica Island and at the northern most part of the coast of the Stale of Bahía. The 226 colonies obtained are stored at the Scientific Collection of the Departamento de Zoologia do the Instituto de Biologia da Universidade Federal da Bahía (UFBA,CNI-HYD),The studied athecatae faunais repre­sented by nine species. This fauna is rather depauperate, accounting for only about one-third of the total number of hydroids recorded from Brazil. A simplified identification key, redescriptions; illustrations, and data on nematocysts complement and size are provided for each species. Rhizodendrium sterreri and Parawrightia robusta are reported from Brazil for the first time.

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) consists of approximately 1800 full-time employees, of which some 400 are directly or indirectly involved in fisheries and wildlife resource activities. The organization and its responsabilities grew to the point that it operations required a Strategic Planning effort to focus on the agency's mission and harmonize its organizational goals and objectives toward management. The planning process that began in March, 1996 has resulted in a Management Plan comprised of a ten-year Strategic Plan for the Bureau of Fisheries and Wildlife (BFW) an Operational Plan to guide implementation, and a Monitoring Plan to track and assess implementation process. Planning waas conducted consistent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines. This paper describes the process for developing the plan and a brief summary of results.

Using Low Level Gamma Spectrometry it has been evaluated the activity (Bq/kg) of 40K, the gamma emisor daugthers of 238U and 232Th and the presence of artificial isotopes due to anthropogenic contamination. The probes used are coral as biodynamic captors. The results show a presence between low and mittel of natural isotopes compared to o!her accumulation processes like sedimentation in soil and agricultural production. The Caribbean side show a higher activity than Pacific for 40K and a similar for 226Ra. Results show low activity for artificial radionu­clides with short life (137Cs).

Novel pathologies of coral reef organisms, especially reef frame building scleractinian corals, have esca­lated during the decade between 1987 and 1997. These emerging diseases have appeared with progressively greater frequency and over wider distribution, and have revealed more diversified characteristics than ever before. The caus­es of most of these infections are no! ye! confirmed, but they evidence a gradual decline in the vital status of the coral reef ecosystem. As specific causes are identified for these afflictions, terminology will shift from non-specific descriptions, such as "white band", "white plague", "white pox", "yellow band" and "black band" diseases, to etio­logical and pathognomonic characterizations (e.g. aspergillosis and cyanobacteriosis). Stony corals are vulnerable to sedimentation, nutrient overloading, and chemical pollution from agricultural, urban, and domestic sources. They are incapable of relocation to other sites or of self-protection from cumulative effects of exposure to nitrates, phosphates, herbicides, pesticides, and raw sewage. In contrast to stresses attributed to warm water seasonal anomalies (e.g. coral reef bleaching), stresses imparted by pathogenic micro-organisms occur throughout !he calendar year, fluctuate with changing temperature, and invariably result in tissue mortality. The coral has several mechanisms for defense. The epidermis, especially in tentacles of !he coral polyp, contains nematocysts which are released in response to preda­tors. The epidermal cells also possess cilia and a flagellary apparatus which are responsible for generating microcur­rents in boundary water adjacent to the organism. These currents facilitate !he entry of food into !he coelenteron for digestion. Mesenterial filaments extend through !he epidermis, sweep !he surface of the colony, initiate digestion of food particles, and eventually return to the coelenteron. Bo!h the epidermis and the gastrodermis contain mucocytes (or "immunocytes") which release a mucous secretion. That mucous blanket physically insulates !he tissue from par­ticulates or soluble toxins, and may also be bacteriostatic because of immunoglobulin (IgA). The recent emergence of diseases in corals may be interpreted as the consequence of (1) changing coastal ocean water quality favoring the proliferation, attachment and colonization of microbes, and (2) reduced efficiency of the coral's normal defenses. In order to appreciate these changes, research efforts to evaluate !he microbial content of reef waters and to analyze the respective roles of mucus, cilia and flagella, and nematocysts of !he corals are necessary. In this study, we have begun to detail the structural, physiological, chemical, and immunological attributes of!he coral. Our analysis suggests that at least some of the emerging coral diseases may be explained by a decline in the capacity of coral colonies to mount effective protection against !he increasing prevalence and varied invasive strategies of marine pathogens.

The waters and surface sediments of a 200 m deep tropical fjord were investigated with respect to chemical zonation, rates of respiratory processes. and benthic fluxes. Oxygen was found to ca. 100 m water depth. but only the upper pan of the oxycline was associated with the pycnocline. which was situated above the sill located at 60 m. Nitrate-rich water entered the bay at sill depth, and denitrification was indicated at anoxic depths. Hydrogen sulfide was only found in low concentrations near the bottom, and nitrate was a possible oxidant for the hydrogen sulfide. The observations reproduced those of a survey in 1969 to a large extent. This suggests that water exchange is frequent enough to prevent the development of strongly reducing conditions in the bottom water, High rates of dark oxygen uptake indicated intense carbon cycling within the euphotic zone. The rates decreased rapidly with depth, and at anoxic depths, rates of denitrification and sulfate reduction were more than 100-fold lower than the surface oxygen uptake. The chemical zonation as well as x-radiographs indicated that sediments underlying oxic bottom water were strongly irrigated and bioturbated while anoxic sediments were laminated and composed of turbidites. The rates of carbon oxidation were 5-10 times higher in the sediments underlying oxic bottom water than in those of the bottom of the basin. Sulfate reduction was a dominating process. accounting for about 50% and 100% of the carbon oxidation at the oxic and anoxic sites respectively. Even at the anoxic sites, hydrogen sulfide did not accumulate in the pore Waler and a high sedimentation of reactive iron phases is suggested as a contributing cause.

The variety and frequency of diseased coral reef organisms has increased across the Caribbean during the last 10 years. Black band, white band, white pox, and white plague diseases have become more widespread. Yellow band disease now affects a major portion of Montastrea annularis across the Caribbean. Mortality of Yellow band disease-affected tissues was observed to increase in the southern Caribbean during early 1997 , with affected tissue turning white and dying. During the past two years a major fraction of encristing red calcareous Porolithon algae died across the Caribbean. This disease, also found in the Indian Ocean, lacks the orange band characteristic of Pacific coralline lethal orange disease. A millimeter thick white circular rim is seen between live tissue and dead skeleton. Numerous other emerging diseases have attacked many other organisms in this period, including gorgonians, sponges, and echinoderms. Many of those now known have not yet been described. Generally, most diseases affect one or few species (except white plague and black band diseases); and their spatial and temporal distributions appear unrelated to bleaching, pollution (except black band disease), sedimentation, or grazing. This paper brings together observations made separately by many researchers over a large area and long period; in order to evaluate the geographic and historical distributions of each disease: Photographic images are included which show diagnostic field criteria for recognizing each disease.