Aquatic Resources Research Articles

Human consumption of seaweed and freshwater aquatic plants in ancient Europe

During the Mesolithic in Europe, there is widespread evidence for an increase in exploitation of aquatic resources. In contrast, the subsequent Neolithic is characterised by the spread of farming, land ownership, and full sedentism, which lead to the perception of marine resources subsequently representing marginal or famine food or being abandoned altogether even at the furthermost coastal limits of Europe. Here, we examine biomarkers extracted from human dental calculus, using sequential thermal desorption- and pyrolysis-GCMS, to report direct evidence for widespread consumption of seaweed and submerged aquatic and freshwater plants across Europe. Notably, evidence of consumption of these resources extends through the Neolithic transition to farming and into the Early Middle Ages, suggesting that these resources, now rarely eaten in Europe, only became marginal much more recently. Understanding ancient foodstuffs is crucial to reconstructing the past, while a better knowledge of local, forgotten resources is likewise important today.

Of aquatic biological resources in the lower reaches of the Volga in 2003–2022

Based on research materials from 2003–2022, a review of the dynamics of stocks of aquatic biological resources for an unregulated section of the Volga River below the Volga hydroelectric dam within the Astrakhan region was carried out. The reasons, mainly of anthropogenic nature, causing changes in stocks are shown. The multidirectional nature of changes in the state of populations of aquatic biological resources depending on the sensitivity of species to environmental factors and their consumer value is demonstrated. The steps aimed at improving the situation are proposed.

Dynamics of stocks and biological indicators of the main commercial fish species of the Ivankovo reservoir for the period 1998–2021, their development by fishing

Ivankovskoe reservoir, the oldest of the cascade of Volga reservoirs. Based on research materials from 1998 to 2021, a review of the dynamics of stocks and biological indicators of the main fish species of the Ivankovo reservoir has been prepared. Data on their stocks and catch by users are given, the resource capabilities of the reservoir are shown. Recommendations are given on the rational use of aquatic biological resources of the reservoir, it is proposed to resume industrial fishing and increase the catch of roach, grouper, perch, crucian carp, tench, etc. underutilized species by 20%, which will allow obtaining additional high-quality freshwater fish.

Технология и качество сушено-вяленой продукции из водных биологических ресурсов поликомпонентного состава

The technology of chips production from aquatic biological resources of a polycomponent composition is considered, the formulations of minced meat and curing mixtures for their production are developed. An assess-ment of the quality of finished products was carried out. Chips were made from crushed tissues of hydrobionts. Recipes for minced meat for chips production were developed. It became possible to manufacture products with high nutritional value. Various salting mixtures were prepared for the processing the minced meat. The functional and technological properties of minced meat were improved. There were obtained products with a variety of or-ganoleptic characteristics. Modes of exposure of minced meat in salted mixtures are substantiated: the ratio of minced meat and salted mixture is 2 : 1, the duration of salting is from 60 to 90 minutes (depending on the recipe of the minced mixture at a temperature of 15 °C). The modes of drying in a convection drying chamber at a tem-perature of 55 °C, air velocity of 0.8 m/s, air humidity of 50%, for 5-6 hours are substantiated. The chemical composition of the finished product was studied: it contained of 51.3-63.7% protein, 1.5-7.2% lipids, 0.4-2.5% carbohydrates, 15.3-19.4% minerals, 16.5-23.2% water depending on the formulation. The energy value of chips was determined: it amounted to 259.40-295.2 kcal. It is substantiated that he shelf life of chips packed in bags of polymeric materials under vacuum and without it does not exceed 6 months. The product was assessed by mi-crobiological parameters and by the content of heavy metals, radionuclides, pesticides, and other chemical pollu-tants in it, which showed its compliance with the requirements and norms of the current technical regulation. The organization's standard for finished products STO 00471515-082-2020 “Dried-cured products from aquatic biological resources” was developed and approved.

Study on the taxonomic diversity of fish in the East China Sea hairtail national aquatic germplasm resources conservation zone

The species composition and taxonomic diversity of fish in the East China Sea hairtail national aquatic germplasm resources conservation zone (EHCZ) were analyzed by average taxonomic distinctness (Δ+) and variation in taxonomic distinctness (Λ+) based on the fishery resource survey from 2009 to 2022. It was found that there are 169 species of fish that are collected in the EHCZ, belonging to 26 orders, 73 families, and 131 genera. The Δ+ of EHCZ was about 65.5 and Λ+ was about 40.2. The Δ+ has exhibited a slightly down trend over the decade, which implies a slight decrease in fish diversity. The Δ+ was highest in spring, possibly due to fish migration for spawning. Most of the Δ+ of a year fall within the 95% confidence funnel for Δ+ values and all Λ+ of a year fall within the 95% confidence funnel for Λ+ values. The indices were relatively stable and close to the expected value. Moreover, we recommend optimizing the protection period, improving fishing gear and methods, reducing bycatch and decreasing the number of fishing vessels and vessel power to restore the fish diversity.

Subsistence strategies in the Inner Congo Basin since the 14th century AD: the faunal remains from Nkile and Bolondo (DR Congo)

The faunal remains are described from Nkile and Bolondo, two archaeological sites in the equatorial rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both river-side settlements, located in the Ruki-Tshuapa basin and dating to between the 14th century to the second half of the 20th century, show a heavy reliance on aquatic food resources. The animal remains show that fishing was a major subsistence activity, whereas hunting, slaughtering of domestic stock and harvesting of molluscs were less frequent activities. The contribution to the diet of the different animal taxa suggested by the zooarchaeological data is in line with recently published stable isotope results obtained on humans and animals from Bolondo. The type of fish, and in particular their reconstructed sizes, show that the major exploited fishing grounds were shallow waters that became accessible during the low water seasons (nowadays July-August and a minor season in March at both sites). The proportions of the exploited fish taxa are comparable to those marketed nowadays in larger urban centres. Juvenile fish, and to some extent, small crocodiles, were heavily exploited but it is argued that at the time this was still a sustainable activity that did not deplete the fauna as much as today since human populations were smaller and the fishing gear less effective.

Incorporation of Biotechnologies into Gene Banking Strategies to Facilitate Rapid Reconstitution of Populations.

National animal gene banks that are responsible for conserving livestock, poultry, and aquatic genetic resources need to be capable of utilizing a broad array of cryotechnologies coupled with assisted reproductive technologies to reconstitute either specific animals or populations/breeds as needed. This capability is predicated upon having sufficient genetic diversity (usually encapsulated by number of animals in the collection), units of germplasm or tissues, and the ability to reconstitute animals. While the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO 2012, 2023) developed a set of guidelines for gene banks on these matters, those guidelines do not consider applications and utilization of newer technologies (e.g., primordial germ cells, cloning from somatic cells, embryo transfer, IVF, sex-sorted semen), which can radically change how gene banks collect, store, and utilize genetic resources. This paper reviews the current status of using newer technologies, explores how gene banks might make such technologies part of their routine operations, and illustrates how combining newer assisted reproductive technologies with older approaches enables populations to be reconstituted more efficiently.

Tropical and temperate differences in the trophic structure and aquatic prey use of riparian predators.

The influence of aquatic resource-inputs on terrestrial communities is poorly understood, particularly in the tropics. We used stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen to trace aquatic prey use and quantify the impact on trophic structure in 240 riparian arthropod communities in tropical and temperate forests. Riparian predators consumed more aquatic prey and were more trophically diverse in the tropics than temperate regions, indicating tropical riparian communities are both more reliant on and impacted by aquatic resources than temperate communities. This suggests they are more vulnerable to disruption of aquatic-terrestrial linkages. Although aquatic resource use declined strongly with distance from water, we observed no correlated change in trophic structure, suggesting trophic flexibility to changing resource availability within riparian predator communities in both tropical and temperate regions. Our findings highlight the importance of aquatic resources for riparian communities, especially in the tropics, but suggest distance from water is less important than resource diversity in maintaining terrestrial trophic structure.

Adsorptive Recovery of Heavy Metal Ions from Aquatic Systems Using Metal‐Organic Frameworks: A Perspective in the Sustainable Development of Nanomaterials

AbstractRapid industrialization in the developing countries has facilitated the unwanted mixing of wastes into the already depleting sources of potable, domestic and industrial water. In particular, the mixing of toxic heavy metal wastes into the aquatic resources have not only increased the scarcity of water at the different levels of usage but also hygiene of the ecosystem is further threatened by the presence of abysmal quality of aquatic environment around the living world. Thus, it has become quite imperative to mitigate such problems through the removal of such water contaminants at the sources before supplied for a specific purpose. In this direction, among the other available mass transfer techniques, specific and efficient adsorption of heavy metal species on the nanomaterials such as metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are found to be a promising method of heavy metal ions recovery. This reports targets to provide a new perspective into heavy metal ions removal from wastewater as a rationale for sustainable nanomaterial engineering through the recycling of toxic metal species as precious precursors in the synthesis of nanomaterials. Decades of exploring materials sciences led to the generation of groundbreaking materials of nanoscale regime, which has advanced myriad avenues of science and technology, viz. electronic, energy, biomedical, environmental, agriculture applications, and more. In this regard, nanotechnology has had a global impact by several folds, which can be observed in all day‐to‐day facilities. This perspective aims to conceptualize a strategy of wastewater decontamination through the adsorptive retrieval of heavy metal species to be subsequently recycled in the design of smart nanomaterials.

A Pioneering Assessment on the Physico-chemical and Health Status of a Small Sub-tropical Reservoir in North-Eastern, India

Background: The water resources of Northeast (NE) Indian reservoirs have been largely overlooked, despite their immense potential in various aspects. A comprehensive analysis of water quality parameters was conducted to assess the physio-chemical changes and health status of Maphou or Mapithel reservoir, Manipur, NE, India. Methods: Sub-surface water samples were collected from June 2021 to May 2022 to assess the spatio-temporal changes. Trophic State Index (TSI), Morpho Edaphic Index (MEI), Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and fish yield potential were calculated. The average water spread area was calculated through Normalised Difference Water Index (NDWI) method. Result: A total of eighteen (18) water quality parameters were examined following Standard Methods. ANOVA analysis indicated that all water quality parameters, except total alkalinity, exhibited significant seasonal variations (p less than 0.05). Spatially, most of the water quality was found to be insignificant, except for Chl-a and depth (p less than 0.05). All the water quality parameters were within acceptable ranges for the growth and survival of aquatic biotic resources. No signs of pollution were observed. The trophic status of the reservoir was found in an oligotrophic state. The MEI was estimated as 8.55 and the average fish yield for the reservoir was 14.98 kg ha-1, which is below the national average yield of small reservoir (49.9 kg ha-1). The MSY was estimated to be 21.46 kg ha-1. Heatmap cluster analysis revealed three distinct clusters of months. The actual average water spread area was determined to be 852.62 ha, hence the reservoir can be categorised as small reservoir.

The peculiarity of the strategy of using the aquatic biological resources of Lake Tsatsa by commercial fishing

The peculiarity of the strategy of using the aquatic biological resources of Lake Tsatsa by commercial fishing

World Trends in the Use of Aquatic Biological Resources

World Trends in the Use of Aquatic Biological Resources

Government changes in the fisheries business landscape and assessment of their consequences for small and medium-sized businesses

The article analyzes trends in changes in the fisheries business landscape within the framework of the ongoing state policy of supporting entrepreneurship; the author's approach to revealing the content of the concept of «business landscape» in relation to modern conditions for the development of Russian entrepreneurship is formulated; The main stages of the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the modern history of Russia are systematized according to the criteria of its actual state, trends and problems. The author has examined the effectiveness of government decisions in recent years on the development of aquatic biological resources in the Far Eastern basin and identified the formation of negative changes in the Russian business landscape over the past ten years, and especially in the context of sanctions restrictions on the development of the national economy. Based on a generalization of the results of foreign and domestic research, the article proposes the author’s definition of the economic category «business landscape», which is important for management purposes, and assesses the level of participation of Russian small and medium-sized businesses in the formation of gross domestic product in comparison with developed countries. Taking into account his own long-term practice of participating in the organization of management of business structures, the author proposed a staged development of entrepreneurship in Russia over the past 30-year period; Negative changes in the business landscape are outlined using the example of fishing activities in the Far Eastern basin, establishing the imperfections of government decisions taken in recent years to increase the tax burden and complicate the procedure for obtaining fishing quotas and environmental permits for fishing entrepreneurship. The results obtained in the course of the study allow us to consider the transition to a new paradigm of state management of the development processes of the Russian fishery business landscape in the interests of all levels of entrepreneurship and the national consumer market to be considered legitimate and appropriate.

Institutionalizing Cooperation and Sustaining Collective Action: The Case of the Binulasan Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Association

Institutionalizing Cooperation and Sustaining Collective Action: The Case of the Binulasan Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Association

Predatory impacts of invasive Blue Catfish in an Atlantic coast estuary

AbstractObjectivePredatory invasive fishes may consume species of management interest and alter food webs. Blue CatfishIctalurus furcatusis a large‐bodied, salinity‐tolerant species that exhibits broad diet breadth and preys on species of both conservation concern and fisheries management interest. To better understand the ecological consequences of the establishment of Blue Catfish fisheries, estimates of predatory impacts are needed.MethodsUsing a Monte Carlo simulation, we integrated abundance estimates, diet information, and consumption‐to‐biomass ratios to estimate population‐level Blue Catfish predation for a large Chesapeake Bay tributary along the mid‐Atlantic coast of the United States, the James River.ResultPopulation‐level annual predation estimates by Blue Catfish exceeded 100 metric tons for several species or taxa of interest, including an estimated 400.7 metric tons (95% CI = 272.6–613.2) of blue crabCallinectes sapidus. Prey species abundances were unknown and thus limited opportunities to evaluate prey population responses. For instance, effects of Blue Catfish on blue crab populations remain unknown without tributary‐specific estimates of blue crab abundance, but comparisons to landings data suggests that Blue Catfish predation on blue crab in the James River may be low compared with harvest.ConclusionEstimation of Blue Catfish predatory effects may inform development of management goals and objectives that balance diverse stakeholder interests. This work provides beneficial information to assess trade‐offs of Blue Catfish fisheries and their effects on coastal aquatic resources.

Solving the problem of optimizing fishing activities

A model for optimal planning of fishing activities has been proposed. It includes the formation of a biological component (a set of fishing objects considered taking into account their distribution over fishing zones) and a technological component (a set of fishing vessels and fishing technologies). On the basis of these two components, the technological chain "field object – production vessel – production technology" is formed. For each type of fishing vessel, it is permissible to use a certain type (or several types) of fishing technologies that are directly related to fishing objects, their catch can be carried out only using a certain production technology. Particular attention in the model is given to the problem of determining the optimal quantitative composition of the production fleet. The optimization criterion is the minimization of the costs associated with the fishing activities of specialized vessels, provided that the specified volumes of catch are achieved. The costs are directly related to the types of vessels used, fuel costs depending on the vessel's home port and the time required for loading and unloading operations. In the optimization problem, estimates of the weighted average daily catch and fishing time are used to account for most of the costs associated with the extraction of aquatic biological resources. The optimization algorithm is considered on the example of the Commander squid (Berryteuthis magister) in the North Kuril zone. In the area under consideration, squid production is carried out using trawl technology. The main types of vessels engaged in squid harvesting are large-capacity and medium-capacity vessels.

Предупреждение органами внутренних дел на транспорте административных правонарушений в сфере незаконной добычи водных биологических ресурсов

Abstract: Introduction. The fundamental goal of our state in the sphere of the use and protection of aquatic biological resources is the comprehensive enforcement of thelegislation not only by economic entities, but also by all parties concerned, aimed at conservation of biological natural resources. Fishingfor some small northern peoples of Russia is their means of existence, and for example, in the coastal regions of Kamchatka, Primorsky and Sakhalin Territory and some others, fishing is the main type of employment for the population living there. Despite this, it should not be forgotten that biological resources as alimentary raw materials are restored under conditions of their rational use and control by the state. Ill-considered and irrational use of biological resources will ultimately lead to the complete disappearance of aquatic biological resources.
 In recent years, a significant increase in offenses related to the use of aquatic biological resources has been recorded in the Russian Federation. In this regard, law enforcement agencies, state control and supervision bodies in the sphere of protection of aquatic biological resources jointly carry out many preventive measures to counter such offenses and to identify the causes and conditions of their commission.
 Methods. Working on the paper, we used the research method, methods of analysis of the current legislation, as well as available statistical indicators of the activities of territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia on transport and othergovernment institutions exercising supervision, control and protection of aquatic biological resources.
 Results.This article discusses administrative offenses inthe sphere of illegal harvesting of aquatic bioresources and preventive measures taken bytransport police agencies to hinder the violations in question. The statistics of preventive measures carried outbyterritorial law enforcement bodies on transport and other government institutions exercising supervision, control and protection of aquatic biological resourcesare analyzed. The main areas of activity and measures taken by the relevant authorities to prevent offenses in the sphere of illegal harvesting of aquatic biological resources are also highlighted.

Fish diversity, composition, and guild structure influenced by the environmental drivers in a small temporarily closed tropical estuary from the western coast of India.

Globally, small temporarily closed estuaries are the least considered for fisheries assessment and management due to a low scientific priority and regional importance. However, these ecosystems are highly exposed to anthropogenic pressures and may deteriorate without assessing its aquatic resources. In this study, fish diversity and guild structure of Chettuva-a temporarily closed tropical estuary in the western coast of India-was investigated. A total of 70 fish taxa belonging to 32 families were recorded with the quantitative predominance of families; Mugilidae, Cichlidae, and Leiognathidae. Family Carangidae had the highest species diversity (seven species), followed by Clupeidae and Mugilidae (five species). Ecological guild assessment revealed thatthe immigrating marine fish species (marineestuarine opportunist (34 species) and marineestuarinedependent (13 species)) dominated the guild structure over theestuarine resident species (seven species). The marine species were found all along the saline gradient and throughout the sampling period indicating the salinity ingress towards the estuarine zone throughout the year. Carnivores and omnivores were the major feeding mode functional guilds in terms of diversity, whereas detritivores dominated in numerical abundance throughout the salinity gradient. The major environmental drivers of the fish assemblages in the estuary were salinity and chlorophyll a. The distribution of freshwater fishes and estuarine resident species was connected with the rising primary productivity as the majority of fishes rely on the algae for feeding, whereas marineestuarinedependent and marineestuarine opportunist species occurred in areas with the highest salinity concentrations.

Development of standards for artificial reproduction of pike perch Sander lucioperca in the West Siberian Fishery Basin (Novosibirsk region)

The results of fish-breeding works on artificial reproduction of sander — Stizostedion lucioperca in the West Siberian fishery basin, carried out at the fish-breeding and production base of LLC “Rybkhoz”, are presented. In the course of the research, standards for artificial reproduction of sander were worked out, taking into account the indicators approved for other regions of the country by the Order of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation dated 30.01.2015 № 25, “On approval of the Methodology for calculating the volume of extraction (catch) of aquatic biological resources necessary to ensure the conservation of aquatic biological resources and ensure the activities of fish farms, when fishing for aquaculture (fish farming)”, as well as according to literary sources. Such biotechnical indicators have not been developed for the West Siberian Fishery basin before. The process is briefly described, including trapping, transportation and bonitization of producers, their injection, obtaining eggs, fertilization, de-gluing and incubation, rearing of sander juveniles up to 0.5 g. The producers selected for artificial reproduction were divided into three experimental groups by weight categories, which were subsequently kept in the same conditions to obtain reliable results fertilization and incubation of eggs. Recommendations are given on the selection of the most suitable producers of sander with an average weight of 1.7 kg, superior to other weight groups in terms of relative fertility, the percentage of maturation of producers and the percentage of fertilization of eggs obtained from them. Recommendations are also given on the conditions for the rearing of juvenile and its release into the reservoirs of the Novosibirsk region.

Electroneutralization with simultaneous highly-efficient desalination exemplified by acidic brackish wastewater

Chemical neutralization has commonly been employed for the treatment of acidic brackish wastewater through the addition of external alkaline chemicals. However, this approach can potentially compromise the health of aquatic environment and resource sustainability. In this study, an innovative electroneutralization stack incorporating highly-efficient desalination was developed as a green solution for acidic hot-spring discharge treatment. Two distinct stack configurations, i.e., AECE and AEBP, were designed to evaluate the performance of simultaneous neutralization and desalination under different operating conditions. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of neutralizing acidic discharges while concurrently achieving a significant reduction in salinity. The brine solution produced during the process also presented the possibility of being harnessed as a valuable resource. Notably, the design parameters for the process were determined using a first-order kinetic model integrated with the Nernst-Planck equation. The maximum rate constants for sulfate and chloride removal were found to be 0.129 min−1 and 0.125 min−1 for AECE, and 0.039 min−1 and 0.042 min−1 for AEBP, respectively. The corresponding chloride-to-sulfate selectivities were observed to range from 0.42 to 1.00 for AECE, and from 0.15 to 1.21 for AEBP. Furthermore, the optimal operational conditions were identified through a comprehensive multi-objective assessment, resulting in process energy consumption ranging from 1.5 to 2.2 kWh/m3, while maintaining a clean water productivity of ∼30 L/m2/h. Significantly, in comparison to conventional chemical neutralization methods, the developed electroneutralization process demonstrated a substantial reduction in operating costs by 2 to 5-fold, along with a remarkable decrease in CO2 emissions (by approximately 4-fold) and the avoidance of sludge generation.