BACKGROUND Seamounts have been identified as aggregating locations for pelagic biodiversity including tuna; however the topography and prevailing oceanography differ between seamounts and not all are important for tuna. Although a relatively common feature in oceanic ecosystems, little information is available that identifies those that are biologically important. Improved knowledge offers oppo...

In computational neuroscience it is generally accepted that human motor memory contains neural representations of the physics of the musculoskeletal system and the objects in the environment. These representations are called "internal models". Force field studies, in which subjects have to adapt to dynamic perturbations induced by a robotic manipulandum, are an established tool to analyze the c...

Despite their importance for human well-being, nearshore fisheries are often data poor, undervalued, and underappreciated in policy and development programs. We assess the value chain for nearshore Hawaiian coral reef fisheries, mapping post-catch distribution and disposition, and quantifying associated monetary, food security, and cultural values. We estimate that the total annual value of the...

Rapido trawls are used to catch sole around the coast of Italy and to catch scallops in the northern Adriatic Sea but little is known about the environmental impact of this gear. Benthic surveys of a commercial scallop ground using a towed underwater television (UWTV) sledge revealed an expansive area of level, sandy sediment at 25 m characterized by high population densities of scallops (2·82 ...

Yellowfin tuna, an important component of tuna fisheries throughout the WCPO, are harvested with a diverse variety of gear types, from small-scale artisanal fisheries in Pacific Island and southeast Asian waters to large, distant-water longliners and purse seiners that operate widely in equatorial and tropical waters. Purse seiners catch a wide size range of yellowfin tuna, whereas the longline...

One of the most exciting discoveries in biological adhesion is the recent and counter-intuitive observation that the lifetimes of some biological adhesive bonds, called catch bonds, are enhanced by tensile mechanical force. At least two types of adhesive proteins have been shown to form catch bonds--blood proteins called selectins and a bacterial protein called FimH. Both mediate shear-enhanced...

In this document, different scenarios of uncertainties in a multispecies fishery are presented. Uncertainties have been considered in the estimation of the species composition of the tropical tuna catch as well as in the total catch. Although three species (yellofin, skipjack and bigeye) are involved in the tropical tuna fishery, only uncertainties in the bigeye vs skipjack have been taken into...