The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic.

Volume 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae).

FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5.Rome, FAO. 2002. pp. 601-1374.

Summary:

This 3 volume field guide covers the species of interest to fisheries of the major marine resource groups exploited in the Western Central Atlantic. The area of coverage includes FAO Fishing Area 31. The marine resource groups included are the bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, stomatopods, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, hagfishes, sharks, batoid fishes, chimaeras, bony  fishes, sea  turtles,  nd marine mammals. The introductory chapter outlines the environmental, ecological, and  biogeographical factors influencing the marine biota, and the basic components of the fisheries in the Western Central Atlantic. Within the field guide, the sections on the resource groups are arranged phylogenetically according to higher taxonomic levels such as class, order, and family. Each resource group is introduced by general remarks on the group, an illustrated section on technical terms and measurements, and a key or guide to orders or families. Each family generally has an account  summarizing family diagnostic characters, biological and fisheries information, notes on similar families occurring in the area, a key to species, a checklist of species and a short list of relevant literature. Families that are less important to fisheries include an abbreviated family account and no detailed species information. Species in the important families are treated in detail (arranged alphabetically by genus and species) and include the species name, frequent synonyms and names of similar species, an illustration, FAO common name(s), diagnostic characters, biology and fisheries information, notes on geographical distribution, and a distribution map. For less important spe-cies, abbreviated accounts are used. Generally, this includes the species name, FAOc ommon name(s), an illustration, a distribution map, and notes on biology, fisheries, anddistribution. The final volume concludes with an index of scientific and common names.

carpenter-biblio

Captive reproduction of sea turtles: An important success story.

Proceedings of the International SymposiumReproduction of Marine Life, Birth of New Life! Investigating the Mysteries of Reproduction. February 21-22, 2009, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, 2009: 23-40.

Abstract

All seven extant species of sea turtles are considered endangered or threatened with extinction. Because of their commercial value for food (particularly the green turtle) and for craft materials (bekko or tortoiseshell from the hawksbill turtle) they have been heavily exploited around the world. Sea turtles are also charismatic animals to view in large aquaria and three species have proven easily reared in captivity. Initially, in the 1970s, the green sea turtle was bred in captivity by the Cayman Turtle Farm on Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean. Subsequently, the loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley and hawksbill have also been bred in captivity at several aquaria and research labs around the world. Research on captive sea turtles has proven very important in improving our understanding of the reproductive biology of sea turtles. Our group, as well as other researchers, has made key original observations on captive animals, particularly at the Cayman Turtle Farm over the last four decades. These include the first evidence of temperature dependent sex determination in sea turtles, the first understanding of the ovulation cycle in any sea turtle, the first description of the hormonal control of reproduction 2 in turtles, the first quantitative description of mating and courtship behaviour in a sea turtle, and the first captive breeding of the green, hawksbill, loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. In addition, multiple paternity has been observed in captive greens with as high as seven fathers in a single clutch. Proper nutrition in captive animals has permitted sea turtles to reach sexual maturity 2-5 times faster than they do in the wild. On the other hand, imbalanced free fatty acid ratios from the diet appear to cause a reduction in viability of captive bred embryos. Finally, unique observations of sea turtles in aquaria have improved our knowledge of physiological processes such as the occurrence and possible seasonal cycles of a softened plastron in adult males, an adaptation important in mating behaviour. It can be argued that successful captive breeding of four species of sea turtles, while not favoured as a current conservation strategy, has nonetheless reduced the prospect of extinction for these species. Captive breeding programs for the other three species would teach us much more about these turtles and improve the longterm conservation options for these species as well.

owens-biblio