The associative behaviour of silky sharks, Carcharhinus falciformis, with floating objects in the open ocean
- Authors: Filmalter, John David
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Silky shark , Silky shark -- Behavior , Silky shark -- Marking , Silky shark -- Food , Tuna fisheries -- Bycatches , Fish aggregation devices , Underwater acoustic telemetry , Fish tagging
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5381 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018177
- Description: The silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis forms the primary elasmobranch bycatch in tuna purse seine fisheries using fish aggregating devices (FADs) in all of the world’s tropical oceans. Its life-history traits of slow growth, late maturation and low fecundity make it vulnerable to over exploitation, as is apparent from historical bycatch trends. Very little is known about the associative behaviour of this species with floating objects, information which is essential in formulating effective mitigation and management measures. This study aims to address this knowledge gap through the use of various electronic tagging techniques in conjunction with dietary analysis. Dietary data were collected from 323 silky sharks incidentally caught at FADs. Approximately 40 percent of the diet consisted of prey associated with FADs while the remaining 60 percent were non-associated species of crustaceans, cephalopods and fishes. These results suggest that the associative behaviour is not primarily driven by trophic enhancement, but is likely a combination of predator avoidance, social interactions and feeding. Fine-scale behavioural data from silky sharks associated with drifting FADs were collected through the use of acoustic telemetry techniques. Acoustic tags were implanted into 38 silky sharks (69- 116 cm TL) at eight FADs. FADs were equipped with satellite linked acoustic receivers and abandoned to drift freely. Presence/absence and swimming depth data were telemetered via the Iridium satellite system. A total of 300 d of behavioural data were collected from 20 tagged individuals. Individuals remain associated with the same FAD for extended periods (min = 2.84 d, max = 30.60 d, mean = 15.69 d). Strong diel patterns were observed in both association and swimming depth. Typically individuals moved away from FADs after sunset and return later during the night, then remain closely associated until the following evening. Vertical behaviour also changed around sunset with sharks using fairly constant depths, within the upper 25 m, during the day and switching to rapid vertical movements during the night, with dives in excess of 250 m recoded. Broader scale movement behaviour was investigated using pop-up archival satellite tags (PSATs). Tags were deployed on 46 silky sharks (86-224.5 cm TL) for a total of 1495 d. Light data were used to calculate geolocation estimates and reconstruct the sharks’ trajectories. Movement patterns differed between animals and according to deployment duration. Several extensive horizontal movements were observed, with an average track length of 3240 km during an average tag deployment of 44.02 d. Horizontal movement patterns were found to correlate very closely with drift patterns of FADs. Consequently, it appears that the movement behaviour of juvenile silky sharks is strongly influenced by the movement of drifting FADs in this region. Ghost fishing of silky sharks through entanglement in FADs was also investigated using data derived from PSATs as well as underwater visual censuses. Thirteen per cent of the tagged sharks became entangled in FADs and entangled sharks were observed in 35 percent of the 51 FADs surveyed. Using this information in conjunction with estimated time that sharks remained entangled in the FAD (from depth data from PSATs), and scaling up according to estimates of FAD numbers, it was found that between 480 000 and 960 000 silky sharks are killed annually in this manner in the Indian Ocean. Subsequent management measures in this region prevent the deployment of FADs with netting that could lead to entanglement. Overall, floating objects appear to play a significant role in the juvenile life stages of silky sharks in this region. While their association with floating objects is clearly advantageous in an evolutionary sense, under current tuna fishery trends, this behaviour is certainly detrimental for the population.
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- Date Issued: 2015
The effects of particle precipitation on the ionosphere in the South Atlantic Anomaly Region
- Authors: Haggard, Raymond
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Precipitation (Chemistry) Ionosphere Ionospheric electron density
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5463 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005248
- Description: The first ground based observations of aeronomic phenomena in the South Atlantic Anomaly Region are presented. These data show that enhancements in foF2 and foE can be directly attributed to precipitated electron energy fluxes in the Anomaly Region. The regular occurrence of particle induced sporadic-E ionization is also presented together with the first measurable 391.4 nm airglow radiation of about 16 R. The first comprehensive survey of energy fluxes carried by energetic particles using satellites is also presented for both daytime and nighttime as well as the seasonal fluctuations. We found that the nocturnally precipitated electron energy fluxes varied between 1 x 10⁻⁴ and 38 x 10⁻⁴ erg cm²s⁻¹, depending upon magnetic activity and season, whereas the daytime precipitated electron energy fluxes tended to vary between 1 x 10⁻³ and 8 x 10⁻³ erg cm⁻²s⁻¹, with a tendency to decrease during magnetically active periods. Electron density and temperature contours as well as NO⁺ and 0⁺ ions contours for nighttime are also presented. The main conclusion of the study is that precipitating electrons provide a significant and sometimes dominant source of ionization in the ionosphere over the South Atlantic Anomaly Region.
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- Date Issued: 1994
The relationship between acquired resistance and transmission of Schistosoma Weinland, 1858, in man and its influences on the prevalence of S Capense (Harley, 1864) and S Mansoni Sambon, 1907, in Southern Rhodesia
- Authors: Clarke, H V de V
- Date: 1965
- Subjects: Platyhelminthes , Schistosoma , Schistosomiasis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5842 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010500 , Platyhelminthes , Schistosoma , Schistosomiasis
- Description: Bilharziasis ranks with Tuberculosis and Malaria as the three most important endemic diseases of man in Rhodesia. The prominence given to bilharziasis in the endemic diseases pattern arises from its high prevalence, particularly in the African population. It is probable that bilharziasis was endemic in the country even prior to the arrival in the conntry of the European settlers in 1890, but it was not until Orpen (1915) described the results of a small survey that local infections were proven. He reported 182 (31 percent) urinary infections in 592 African prisoners examined in the Salisbury gaol. In the ensuing 15 years there was only scanty evidence of the prevalence of the disease. However, in the decade 1931 to 1940 the Annual Public Health Reports of Southern Rhodesia indicated increasing prevalence, and this stimulated interest in the problem and led to the establishment in 1939 of a specialised laboratory to study the parasites causing the disease. The unpublished records of this laboratory indicate that in more recent years the disease has increased not only in prevalence but also in its intensity in infected individuals. Surveys show that the urinary form of the disease is more widespread than the intestinal form. Both forms are becoming more prevalent but the rapid increase of the latter, considered by most authorities to be the more severe, indicates that a greater importance must be accorded to it in the future. Introduction, p. 1.
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- Date Issued: 1965
Construction of a wide-frequency range double heterodyne conductance bridge and its use in the investigation of polarisation errors in conductance measurements
- Authors: Govinden, Herby Silvester
- Date: 1961
- Subjects: Electrodynamics Electrolytes -- Conductivity
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5522 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012074
- Description: (1) Developments in a.c. conductance techniques during the past ninety years have been reviewed, and a brief outline is given of the older theories regarding electrolytic polarisation. (2) A conductance bridge - incorporating the double heterodyne principle - has been constructed, capable of giving resistance readings to an accuracy of 0.01% over a range of frequencies covering the best part of 100 kc/s. It has also been found possible to calibrate the oscillator so that frequency settings can be guaranteed to an accuracy of , at least, 0.1% in the range: 2 kc/S to 50 kc/S. (3) The Wheatstone Bridge Network has been slightly modified to enable measurements at the high frequencies. (4) Resistances in the measuring arm of the bridge have been calibrated 'in situ' by the method of intercomparison. (5) A brief description is given of the modern theories regarding electrode processes and modern methods of eliminating electrode effects. (6) Two types of conductance cells, with bright Pt electrodes, have been used to carry out measurements on potassium chloride solutions: (a) Thomas- Gledhill Cell (b) Nichol-Fuoss Cell. The latter incorporates concentric, cylindrical electrodes with the lead to the outer electrode acting as an electrical shield for the lead to the inner electrode. This cell was constructed and used for the first time in this laboratory. (7) From resistance-frequency graphs plotted, it is shown that the Jones and Christian extrapolation procedure cannot be applied (with any degree of confidence) to obtain the true resistance, when measurements are effected over an extended range of frequencies. (8) The method of resistance-reactance diagrams is discussed and applied to various networks of resistances and capacitances. (9) By drawing resistance-reactance diagrams for the experimental readings obtained, equivalent circuits have been derived - for all the solutions investigated in the N-F cell, and for the approx. O.OlD solution in the T-G cell - which approximate to cell behaviour in the range: 500 c/s to 75 kc/s. The less concentrated solutions in the T-G cell show peculiar behaviour at the high frequencies. (10) Probable reasons are advanced for deviations from linearity on resistance-frequency graphs. (11) A new method is proposed for determining the true resistance of solutions measured in cells of the N-F type. Summary, p. 166-167.
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- Date Issued: 1961