Although recreational fishing at night is a popular activity, crepuscular and nocturnal fishing effort and catches are often unaccounted for in fisheries assessments. Here, we present a method for estimating 24-h shore-based recreational fishing effort involving the analysis of data from dual-lens thermographic cameras. Cameras were installed at three sites along the foreshore in Peel-Harvey Estuary, a Ramsar Wetland in Western Australia. Stratified random sampling was used to select days for image analysis between March 2015 and February 2016 and examination of images enabled fishing effort to be calculated for the 12-month period. Crepuscular recreational fishing effort at the three sites ranged between 4.5% and 11.3% and nocturnal recreational fishing effort ranged between 6.1% and 26.9% of total recreational fishing effort. Crepuscular and nocturnal recreational fishing were more prevalent between November and March and occurred on both weekdays and weekend days. The majority of recreational fishers identified from the day-time images (96.5%) were targeting blue swimmer crabs (Portunus armatus) using scoop nets. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that most crepuscular and nocturnal activity involved the same method of fishing. The results demonstrate that restricting onsite recreational fishing surveys to daylight hours can lead to large underestimates of total fishing effort and total recreational catches within a fishery. Our method can easily be applied to other fisheries to justify the inclusion of night-time onsite sampling and to design cost-effective sampling strategies.

The extent to which sharks segregate by size and sex determines the population structure and the scale at which populations should be managed. We summarized 20 years of fisheries-dependent and independent sampling to define the spatial patterns of size and sexual segregation for sharks in Western Australia. Carcharhinus obscurus and C. plumbeus showed a large-scale (more than 1000 km) latitudinal gradient in size. Large individuals occurred predominantly in the northwest and north whereas smaller individuals occurred predominantly in the southwest and south. Mustelus antarcticus and Furgaleus macki showed strong sexual segregation at very large scales. Females occurred predominantly in the west and southwest whereas the proportion of males in catches substantially increased in the southeast. The populations of other shark species did not show sex and size segregation patterns at very large scales; most species, however, showed varying degrees of segregation when data were analysed at a smaller scale. These findings highlight the importance of matching the scale of observation to the scale of the phenomenon observed. As many shark species are highly mobile, if sampling is opportunistic and constrained both temporally and spatially, the observed segregation patterns may not be representative of those at the population level, leading to inaccurate scientific advice.

Human preterm and term parturition is associated with inflammatory cascades in the uteroplacental unit. Activation of the complement cascade releases potent proinflammatory mediators, including the anaphylatoxin C5a, which exerts its biological effects through its receptors, C5AR (also known as CD88) and C5L2, official symbol GPR77. To date, there are few data available on the role of C5a and CD88 in human pregnancy, so the aim of this study was to determine the effect of C5a and CD88 on some key inflammatory pathways involved in human parturition. Placental tissue samples were obtained from normal pregnancies at the time of Cesarean section. Human placental and fetal membranes were incubated in the absence (basal control) or presence of 0.5 μg/ml (∼60 nM) human recombinant C5a for 24 h. Concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines, prostaglandins, and 8-isoprostane (a marker of oxidative stress) were quantified by ELISA and secretory matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity by zymography. NFKB DNA binding activity and NFKBIA (IkappaB-alpha; inhibitor of NFKB) protein degradation were analyzed by ELISA and Western blotting, respectively. In the presence of C5a, proinflammatory cytokines (IL6 and IL8), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2; official symbol PTGS2) expression, and subsequent prostaglandin (PGE₂ and PGF_2alpha), MMP9 enzyme production, and NFKB DNA activation were all significantly increased. The C5a-induced prolabor responses were significantly reduced by treatment with the selective CD88 antagonist PMX53 and the NFKB inhibitor BAY 11-7082. We conclude that C5a upregulates prolabor mediators in human gestational tissues via CD88-mediated NFKB activation.

Surveys play an integral role in providing reliable recreational fishing information for the sustainable management of fisheries resources. The selection of a representative sample is an important and often challenging part of designing surveys. Here we compare concurrent telephone surveys conducted in 2016 and 2017 using a telephone directory (White Pages®, WP) and a Recreational Boat Fishing Licence (RBFL) as sampling frames. Information on boat- and shore-based recreational fishing was collected from both surveys. The response rates for the RBFL surveys were more than double those from the WP surveys. The RBFL surveys identified more respondents who had recreationally fished in the previous 12 months compared to the WP surveys. Fishing activity differed markedly between fishers in the WP and RBFL surveys; however, characteristics were consistent for boat-based fishers sampled from the two types of surveys. The high levels of sample loss observed in the WP surveys suggest that other general population lists may provide greater coverage of shore-based fishers. We recommend testing the demographic and behavioural characteristics of recreational fishers sampled in offsite surveys against benchmark data to assist in assessing whether or not the characteristics of the sample are representative of the target population.

Obtaining accurate estimates of catch can be challenging for small-scale recreational fisheries. Using inner Shark Bay as a case-study, we investigated whether a state-wide phone-diary (PD) survey could provide robust estimates of boat-based fishing effort and catch (kept and total) of pink snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) and grass emperor (Lethrinus laticaudis). Estimates were compared with those from concurrent surveys for two spatial scales corresponding to the fishery and the three pink snapper stocks within the fishery. A supplementary access point (SAP) survey incorporated remote camera data and interviews with fishers at boat ramps. An aerial survey was used to adjust the SAP estimates, accounting for catches from boat fishers launching from remote beaches (SAP_Aerial). The SAP survey provided the most precise estimates but underestimated catches for one of the stocks. Estimated fishing effort from the SAP_Aerial survey was comparable to the PD survey (3% lower) for inner Shark Bay, as was the estimated kept catch of pink snapper (7% lower) and these estimates were considered robust (Relative Standard Error < 40% and sample size ≥ 30). In contrast, estimates of the total catch of pink snapper and the catch (kept and total) of grass emperor from the PD survey were consistently lower. While the on-site surveys generally provided robust estimates of catch for each stock, most PD estimates were not robust at this scale. The SAP_Aerial survey is considered to be the most appropriate for ongoing monitoring because it provides robust estimates for the spatial scales examined. However, estimates of catch from periodic PD surveys for the entire fishery could be adjusted using the on-site data to provide the stock-specific information required for ongoing assessments of sustainability. Our study demonstrates that corroborative studies assist in monitoring recreational fisheries.

Background Periconceptional supplementation with folic acid results in a significant reduction in the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs). Nonetheless, NTDs remain a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the mechanism(s) by which folate exerts its protective effects are unknown. Homocysteine is an amino acid that accumulates under conditions of folate‐deficiency, and is suggested as a risk factor for NTDs. One proposed mechanism of homocysteine toxicity is its accumulation into proteins in a process termed homocysteinylation. Methods & Results Herein, we used a folate‐deficient diet in pregnant mice to demonstrate that there is: (i) a significant inverse correlation between maternal serum folate levels and serum homocysteine; (ii) a significant positive correlation between serum homocysteine levels and titers of autoantibodies against homocysteinylated protein; and (iii) a significant increase in congenital malformations and NTDs in mice deficient in serum folate. Furthermore, in mice administered the folate‐deplete diet before conception, supplementation with folic acid during the gestational period completely rescued the embryos from congenital defects, and resulted in homocysteinylated protein titers at term that are comparable to that of mice administered a folate‐replete diet throughout both the pre‐ and postconception period. These results demonstrate that a low‐folate diet that induces NTDs also increases protein homocysteinylation and the subsequent generation of autoantibodies against homocysteinylated proteins. Conclusion These data support the hypotheses that homocysteinylation results in neo‐self antigen formation under conditions of maternal folate deficiency, and that this process is reversible with folic acid supplementation. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 106:201–207, 2016.