A paper by Mariam Hamisi et al, “Epiphytic cyanobacteria of the seagrass Cymodocea rotundata: diversity, diel nifH expression and nitrogenase activity” was recently published in the Environmental Microbiology Reports. Its summary is attached below:

Seagrasses are photoautotrophic, ecologically important components of many globally widespread coastal ecosystems, in which combined nitrogen may limit their production. We examined the biodiversity and diazotrophic capacity of microbial epiphytes associated with the phyllosphere of the seagrass Cymodocea rotundata of the Western Indian Ocean. Light microscopy, 16S rRNA and nifH gene analysis revealed the dominance of cyanobacteria in the epiphytic microbial community. Most phylotypes were related to free-living uncultured benthic cyanobacteria, while some to cyanobacterial endosymbionts of marine diatoms. Novel and potentially diazotrophic species, some of known pantropical distribution, were also discovered. Significant diel nitrogenase activities (acetylene reduction assay) were recorded (up to 358± 232 nmol C₂H₄ g^-1 of seagrass FW h^-1). The nifH gene expression patterns showed that heterocystous phylotypes may be the dominant diazotrophs during the day and non-heterocystous at night. These data show that C. rotundata is colonized by diverse diazotrophic cyanobacteria species and suggest that these may be beneficial partners of seagrasses in nitrogen-depleted waters.

Full citation: Mariam Hamisi, Beatriz Díez, Thomas Lyimo, Karolina Ininbergs and Birgitta Bergman. 2013. Epiphytic cyanobacteria of the seagrass Cymodocea rotundata: diversity, diel nifH expression and nitrogenase activity. Environmental Microbiology Reports 5(3), 367–376

A sea cucumber species identification guidebook entitled: Commercially important sea cucumbers of the world, has been published by FAO. It gives identifying features and photos for both the live and dried specimens, in addition to information on biology, ecology, fisheries and distribution. The guidebook is intended for fishery officers and managers, customs officers and researchers.

Hard copies can be requested by contacting Mr Alessandro Lovatelli (Alessandro.Lovatelli@fao.org) by providing full name, position, name of your institute, full mailing address and contact details (including email address).

Full Citation: Purcell, S.W., Samyn, Y. & Conand, C. 2012. Commercially important sea cucumbers of the world. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 6. Rome, FAO. 150 pp. 30 colour plates.

The guide could be downloaded from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i1918e/i1918e.pdf

The third issue of the Seychelles National Park Authority (SNPA) Newsletter is out with interesting articles on topics such as Alien Invasive Species; concerns of boat operators and sea turtle monitoring.

Download the full issue

A paper by Ofer Gon et al, “Re-description of two species of the cardinalfish genus Archamia (Teleostei: Apogonidae) from the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean” was recently published in the Zootaxa. Its abstract is attached below:

The cardinalfishes Archamia bilineata and A. pallida were originally described from a small number of specimens collected in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea and Oman, respectively. Both species are re-described using specimens collected recently in Yemen and Kenya, including the first known adult of A. pallida. These new collections increased the geographical range of both species considerably. Differences between the two populations now known for each of the species are discussed.

Full citation: Ofer Gon, Gavin Gouws, James Mwaluma & Monica Mwale. 2013. Re-description of two species of the cardinalfish genus Archamia (Teleostei: Apogonidae) from the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean. Zootaxa 3608 (7): 587–594

The latest Issue of the Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science, Volume 11 No. 1 is out. The Issue consists of ten papers, which are:

i) New observations on the crustacean fauna of Europa Island, Mozambique Channel (Crustacea, Decapoda) – Joseph Poupin, Mayalen Zubia, Nicole Gravier-Bonnet, Pascale Chabanet, Machel Malay

ii) Pseudione elongata africana (Bopyridae, Isopoda) population structure and reproduction parameters – Gil Penha-Lopes, Joana F. Marques, Miguel C. Leal, Ana F. Carvalho, José Paula

iii) AFLP assisted DNA-Barcoding of mullets (Mugilidae) used in East African aquaculture – Oskar Henriksson, Augustine Mwandya, Martin Gullström, Marika Thorberg, Mats Grahn

iv) Sexual Reproduction in Pocillopora damicornis at High Latitude off South Africa – Lola Melody Masse, Mathieu G. Séré, Albertus J. Smit, Michael H. Schleyer

v) Diversity of symbiotic algae in the genus Symbiodinium in Scleractinian corals of Tanzania – Leonard Jones Chauka

vi) Using an ecosystem model to evaluate fisheries management options to mitigate climate change impacts in western Indian Ocean coral reefs – Carlos Ruiz Sebastián, Tim R. McClanahan

vii) The role of community-based coastal conservation and development initiatives in building social-ecological resilience to climate change: experiences from southern Madagascar – Kame Westerman, Kirsten L.L. Oleson, Alasdair Harris

viii) Climate Change Adaptation in Mauritius: Considering the Role of Institutions – Matthew Gray, Bhanooduth Lalljee

ix) Coral bleaching and associated mortality in Mayotte, Western Indian Ocean – Hampus Eriksson, Julien Wickel, Alban Jamon

x) Hydrolithon sp. (Rhodophyta, Corallinales): A new threat to massive coral Porites lutea at Reunion Island, Western Indian Ocean – Mathieu Sere, M. H. Schlyer, P. Chabanet, J. P. Quod

The livelihood opportunity that sea cucumber fisheries provide to many coastal fishers in the Indian Ocean is threatened by widespread overfishing. The five-day SCEAM Indian Ocean workshop was held in November 2012 and brought together fishery managers from 13 countries to provide a forum for sharing knowledge and improving management plans in Indian Ocean sea cucumber fisheries. It followed the format of a similar workshop that was held in the Pacific in 2011. Workshop facilitators first presented background seminars on up-to-date research on fisheries management. The workshop then focused on interactive sessions with workgroup exercises and plenary discussions that helped participants diagnose their fisheries before deciding on appropriate objectives, regulatory measures and management actions. A field day was also included in the agenda to provide hands-on experience in species identification and product processing. The workshop outputs given in this report detail current management practices and constraints in Indian Ocean sea cucumber fisheries and the proposed strategies and research priorities of the participating fishery managers.

Citation: FAO, 2013. Report on the FAO Workshop on Sea Cucumber Fisheries: An Ecosystem Approach to Management in the Indian Ocean (SCEAM Indian Ocean), Mazizini, Zanzibar, the United Republic of Tanzania, 12-16 November 2012. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report. No. 1038. Rome. 92 pp.

The PDF publication can be downloaded from the following url:  http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3223e/i3223e.pdf

The March Issue of the WIOMSA Newsbrief (Volume 18 No 1) is out and comprises of thirteen articles as follows:

1. Election of the Board members: Call for nominations
2. Chwaka Bay Book launched!
3. Marine Mammal Research initiative in Kenya joins researchers, fishermen, tourists, local tour operators and national authorities.
4. In our hands – the building of a Community Coastal Network in Tanzania
5. WIO Mangrove Status and Management Book Commissioned
6. WIOMSA IOC-Africa Capacity Building Workshop For Oceanographers in Greater Horn of Africa- Pre Climate Outlook Forum (Pre-GHACOF33)
7. The Thirty Third Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF 33) and Sector Specific Workshop on Marine and Coastal Zones
8. Sustainable Seafood in Zanzibar
9. Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Coastal and Marine Development
10.  8^th WIOMSA Symposium: Call for Abstracts
11. New Publication: People, Nature and Research in Chwaka Bay, Zanzibar, Tanzania
12. WIOMSA News
13. The Chaza cooperative society Resource of Fumba officially opened

Download the full issue

A paper by C. Grove et al, “Madagascar corals reveal a multidecadal signature of rainfall and river runoff since 1708” was recently published in the Climate of the Past (Open Access Journal). Its abstract is attached below:

Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures (SST) influence rainfall variability on multidecadal and interdecadal timescales in concert with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). Rainfall variations in locations such as Australia and North America are therefore linked to phase changes in the PDO. Furthermore, studies have suggested teleconnections exist between the western Indian Ocean and Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV), similar to those observed on interannual timescales related to the El Ni˜no Southern Oscillation (ENSO). However, as instrumental records of rainfall are too short and sparse to confidently assess multidecadal climatic teleconnections, here we present four coral climate archives from Madagascar spanning up to the past 300 yr (1708–2008) to assess such decadal variability. Using spectral luminescence scanning to reconstruct past changes in river runoff, we identify significant multidecadal and interdecadal frequencies in the coral records, which before 1900 are coherent with Asian-based PDO reconstructions. This multidecadal relationship with the Asian-based PDO reconstructions points to an unidentified teleconnection mechanism that affects Madagascar rainfall/runoff, most likely triggered by multidecadal changes in North Pacific SST, influencing the Asian Monsoon circulation. In the 20th century we decouple human deforestation effects from rainfall induced soil erosion by pairing luminescence with coral geochemistry. Positive PDO phases are associated with increased Indian Ocean temperatures and runoff/rainfall in eastern Madagascar, while precipitation in southern Africa and eastern Australia declines. Consequently, the negative PDO phase that started in 1998 may contribute to reduced rainfall over eastern Madagascar and increased precipitation in southern Africa and eastern Australia. We conclude that multidecadal rainfall variability in Madagascar and the western Indian Ocean needs to be taken into account when considering water resource management under a future warming climate.

Full citation: Grove, C. A., Zinke, J., Peeters, F., Park, W., Scheufen, T., Kasper, S., Randriamanantsoa, B., McCulloch, M. T., and Brummer, G.-J. A. 2013. Madagascar corals reveal a multidecadal signature of rainfall and river runoff since 1708. Clim. Past, 9, 641–656, 2013

Researchers have developed a model that allows malaria epidemics in arid northwest India to be predicted four months in advance, helping authorities prepare for them much earlier than before.

The seasonal malaria outbreaks in the region are known to be driven by higher rainfall, which allows the mosquitoes that transmit the disease to breed, and can currently be forecasted up to around a month in advance.

But a study published on 3 March in Nature Climate Change has found a strong association between malaria outbreaks in the desert fringe of northwest India and sea surface temperatures in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean.

Read the full article from http://www.scidev.net/en/health/malaria/news/ocean-temperatures-give-early-warning-of-indian-malaria-1.html

WIOMSA’s initiative to promote the synthesis information of important case studies in the Western Indian Ocean has borne first fruits. After intensive writing, editing and art work the “Chwaka book” entitled: People, Nature and Research in Chwaka Bay, Zanzibar, Tanzania, was launched on 6^th February 2013 at a formal ceremony presided over by Honorable Abdilahi Jihad Hassan, the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.

The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Hon. Mohammed Said Mohammed, Dr. Omar Amir- the Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Dr. Yohanna Shaghude- the Associate Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences, directors of different government departments, village heads from the 7 villages in Chwaka Bay, selected villagers who have assisted researchers in their work and representatives of NGOs. Also present at the ceremony were the editors of the book, Profs Maricela de la Torre-Castro (Stockholm University) and Thomas Lyimo (University of Dar es Salaam) as well as a number of authors of the different chapters of the book.

The book is a major synthesis of the knowledge available in terms of research and management of Chwaka Bay’s social-ecological system and consists of 15 chapters addressing:

• Physical and geological features
• Main key ecosystems in the tropical seascape: coastal strip vegetation, mangroves, seagrasses and corals
• Key components and processes in the system: For example, microalgae and calcareous algae as well as carbonate production
• Wider basin interlinkages: Nutrients and pesticide pollution considering surrounding landscapes and connectivity and nursery function within the Bay
• Human activities: Artisanal fisheries, Seaweed farming and Invertebrate collection
• Management issues: Historical changes in the management of the Bay, the consideration of management in the wider governance sphere and future management prospects

WIOMSA is proud to be associated with this book and wishes to congratulate the editors an authors for work well done.

The Guest of Honour, Hon Abdilahi Jihad Hassan, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries (middle, seated) in the group photo

Hon. Abdillahi Jihad Hassan, the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries displays the book after launching it