Rick Officer

Microplastic pollution in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean: Validated and opportunistic sampling

Levels of marine debris, including microplastics, are largely un-documented in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Broad scale monitoring efforts are required to understand the distribution, abundance and ecological implications of microplastic pollution. A method of continuous sampling was developed to be conducted in conjunction with a wide range of vessel operations to maximise vessel time. Transects covering a total of 12,700 km were sampled through continuous monitoring of open ocean sub-surface water resulting in 470 samples. Items classified as potential plastics were identified in 94% of samples. A total of 2315 particles were identified, 89% were less than 5mm in length classifying them as microplastics. Average plastic abundance in the Northeast Atlantic was calculated as 2.46 particles m(-3). This is the first report to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of microplastic pollution in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and to present a potential method for standardised monitoring of microplastic pollution.

Microplastics in Arctic polar waters: the first reported values of particles in surface and sub-surface samples

Plastic, as a form of marine litter, is found in varying quantities and sizes around the globe from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. Identifying patterns of microplastic distribution will benefit an understanding of the scale of their potential effect on the environment and organisms. As sea ice extent is reducing in the Arctic, heightened shipping and fishing activity may increase marine pollution in the area. Microplastics may enter the region following ocean transport and local input, although baseline contamination measurements are still required. Here we present the first study of microplastics in Arctic waters, south and southwest of Svalbard, Norway. Microplastics were found in surface (top 16 cm) and sub-surface (6 m depth) samples using two independent techniques. Origins and pathways bringing microplastic to the Arctic remain unclear. Particle composition (95% fibres) suggests they may either result from the breakdown of larger items (transported over large distances by prevailing currents, or derived from local vessel activity), or input in sewage and wastewater from coastal areas. Concurrent observations of high zooplankton abundance suggest a high probability for marine biota to encounter microplastics and a potential for trophic interactions. Further research is required to understand the effects of microplastic-biota interaction within this productive environment.

Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition along a latitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Ocean

Microplastics in the worlds oceans are a global concern due to the potential threat they pose to marine organisms. This study investigated microplastic abundance, distribution and composition in the Atlantic Ocean on a transect from the Bay of Biscay to Cape Town, South Africa. Microplastics were sampled from sub-surface waters using the underway system of the RV Polarstern. Potential microplastics were isolated from samples and FT-IR spectroscopy was used to identify polymer types. Of the particles analysed, 63% were rayon and 37% were synthetic polymers. The majority of microplastics were identified as polyesters (49%) and blends of polyamide or acrylic/polyester (43%). Overall, fibres (94%) were predominant. Average microplastic abundance in the Atlantic Ocean was 1.15±1.45particlesm-3. Of the 76 samples, 14 were from the Benguela upwelling and there was no statistically significant difference in microplastic abundance between upwelled and non-upwelled sites.

Investigating the feasibility of using growth increments for age determination of Norway lobster ( Nephrops norvegicus) and brown crab ( Cancer pagurus)

It has recently been confirmed that some species of decapod crustacean retain their gastric mill and calcified region of the eyestalks throughout their moults. It had previously been assumed that crustacea lost all growth structures that could potentially record age information, such as the bones and otoliths in fish, through moulting. In this study, a novel preparation method was used for observing growth increments within these calcified structures of Nephrops norvegicusand Cancer pagurus(Linnaeus, 1758). This method involved: boiling, drying, resin embedding, sectioning, and polishing the gastric mill and eyestalks. Clear and readable growth increments were observed in longitudinal sections of the mesocardiac ossicle of the gastric mill for N. norvegicus, and longitudinal sections of the zygocardiac ossicle of the gastric mill for C. pagurus. Growth increments were also observed in longitudinal sections of the calcified region of the eyestalk for N. norvegicus. Validation is needed to confirm the periodicity of these growth increments.

Review of the technical challenges facing aquaculture of the European abalone Haliotis tuberculata in Ireland

Insufficient supply of available market size abalone from the wild stocks has resulted in increasing efforts since the early 1990s to culture this valuable marine shellfish. Despite significant financial investment and the establishment and expansion of farms around Europe, the production of a saleable end product has remained undefined. The technical barriers to producing viable juvenile abalone spat still impair growth of the industry in Ireland. Critical developments required in the industry are identified. Uptake of these developments from research remains slow due to the trial-and-error approach taken by operators. Using technologies and procedures from producing countries and implementing them into Irish culture conditions will aid the development and expansion of the industry.

Culture methods of live algal feeds for European aquaculture: optimising culture conditions for Ulvella lens

AbstractThe Japanese development of mass culture techniques for Ulvella lens during the 1980s for aquaculture has stimulated the development of rearing techniques for abalone and sea urchins in producing countries. However, since the late 1980s, there has not been any in-depth evaluation of culture methods for U. lens, nor the development of a new robust method for aquaculture operators. The use of this known inducer for settlement of veliger larvae has not been employed on a commercial scale in Ireland or in European aquaculture systems. The new methodology described here has produced a threefold increase in the settlement of sea urchins (Paracentrotuslividus) and is recommended for adoption by the European aquaculture industry.

Gbm.auto: A software tool to simplify spatial modelling and Marine Protected Area planning

Boosted Regression Trees. Excellent for data-poor spatial management but hard to use Marine resource managers and scientists often advocate spatial approaches to manage data-poor species. Existing spatial prediction and management techniques are either insufficiently robust, struggle with sparse input data, or make suboptimal use of multiple explanatory variables. Boosted Regression Trees feature excellent performance and are well suited to modelling the distribution of data-limited species, but are extremely complicated and time-consuming to learn and use, hindering access for a wide potential user base and therefore limiting uptake and usage. BRTs automated and simplified for accessible general use with rich feature set We have built a software suite in R which integrates pre-existing functions with new tailor-made functions to automate the processing and predictive mapping of species abundance data: by automating and greatly simplifying Boosted Regression Tree spatial modelling, the gbm.auto R package suite makes this powerful statistical modelling technique more accessible to potential users in the ecological and modelling communities. The package and its documentation allow the user to generate maps of predicted abundance, visualise the representativeness of those abundance maps and to plot the relative influence of explanatory variables and their relationship to the response variables. Databases of the processed model objects and a report explaining all the steps taken within the model are also generated. The package includes a previously unavailable Decision Support Tool which combines estimated escapement biomass (the percentage of an exploited population which must be retained each year to conserve it) with the predicted abundance maps to generate maps showing the location and size of habitat that should be protected to conserve the target stocks (candidate MPAs), based on stakeholder priorities, such as the minimisation of fishing effort displacement. Gbm.auto for management in various settings By bridging the gap between advanced statistical methods for species distribution modelling and conservation science, management and policy, these tools can allow improved spatial abundance predictions, and therefore better management, decision-making, and conservation. Although this package was built to support spatial management of a data-limited marine elasmobranch fishery, it should be equally applicable to spatial abundance modelling, area protection, and stakeholder engagement in various scenarios.

Towards a flexible Decision Support Tool for MSY-based Marine Protected Area design for skates and rays

Original Article Towards a flexible Decision Support Tool for MSY-based Marine Protected Area design for skates and rays Simon Dedman,* Rick Officer, Deirdre Brophy, Maurice Clarke, and David G. Reid Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co, Galway, Ireland *Corresponding author: tel: þ1 415 944 7258; email: simon.dedman@research.gmit.ie

Correction: Gbm.auto: A software tool to simplify spatial modelling and Marine Protected Area planning

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188955.].

A general catch comparison method for multi-gear trials: application to a quad-rig trawling fishery for Nephrops

A general catch comparison method for multi-gear trials: application to a quad-rig trawling fishery for Nephrops D. Browne, C. Minto, R. Cosgrove, B. Burke, D. McDonald, R. Officer, and M. Keatinge Irish Sea Fisheries Board (BIM), New Docks, Galway, Ireland Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland *Corresponding author: tel: þ353 91539360; fax: þ353 91568569; e-mail:browned@bim.ie