FINN(COM) DAILY RECORD: THURSDAY, 26 AUGUST 2004
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
RED CROSS LONG SERVICE AWARDS FOR TWO STANLEY WOMEN
By J. Brock (FINN)
Mrs. Nellie Hewitt and Mrs. Dot Keenleyside of Stanley have been awarded Long Service Medals from the British Red Cross Society. The stalwart members of the Falkland Islands Branch of the British Red Cross Society have clocked up 100 years of service between them. The Deputy Governor, Miss. Harriet Hall, presented Mrs. Hewitt and Mrs. Keenleyside with their 50 years service badges on Tuesday, 24 August 2004 at their own homes.
During the 50 years both ladies have been involved in fundraising for the organization in a variety of ways. Running stalls at Red Cross bazaars, baking cakes and generally contributing time and effort to fundraising events greatly helped the organisation in the Falklands. They were also involved in aiding victims in the aftermath of local tragedies.
Besides that, both women raised families and contributed to the community in a number of ways. Entries in the Craft Fair and Horticultural show are among their activities. Mrs. Hewitt is known for being an auxiliary nurse that cared for sailors after the Battle of the River Platte. Mrs. Keenleyside’s needlework is well represented in the number of bride dolls she dressed for charity.
Though both women have been inactive members for a short while, they both have a keen interest in the continuing work of the Red Cross.
INIDEP 2004 SUMMARY
Objectives :
The objectives concern the estimation of the ecological impact of fish farming on coastal seawater quality and benthos disturbance by the development of mathematical models, including phytoplankton as biological parameter. The biological disturbance of aquaculture wastes on phytoplankton communities, and various type-feed elutriates will be studied in view of imbalance prevention. The effects of ultraviolet radiations on phytoplankton populations will be studied, as the southern part of Latin America receives particularly high radiations due to the ozone gap, and this region is frequently affected by a toxic algal species PSP producer.
Activities :
The different actions were : 1) Missions in the fields in the sectors of three fish farms with typical hydrological feature, for the obtention of basic description data. 2) Mathematical data treatments for modeling development. 3) Experiments conducted in the different laboratories : on natural phytoplankton populations sampled either in the Region X (location of 90% of aquaculture production), or in region XII (high ultraviolet radiations). 3)To understand and improve interpretation of the results, experiments were realized in laboratories for chemical analyses and verification of the studied mechanisms.
Methodologies :
Direct data measurements were realized in situ by the use of a specific profiler including a particle size analyser and additionnal probes for salinity, temperature, density and chlorophylle(fluorescence) measurements, gave results in real time. Water sampling were performed for calibrations, and phytoplankton observations. Sediment sampling and in situ measurements of redox potential, dissolved oxygen and pH, benthic species observations provided good indications of the benthos status. The mathematical treatments of data was based on a previous model, adapted to the fish farms studied in the project. The chemical composition in inorganic nutrients, urea, dissolved organic substances, chlorophylle and polyunsaturated fatty acids were analysed following standard or classical methods.The study on pigments and photoprotectors produced by UV-stressed algae was in the forefront of chromatographic methods. Natural phytoplankton populations were studied by specific cells analyses and monospecific cultures by means of the culture growth rate. The method was bioasay with inputs of fish farm wastes, in total or fractionnated : hydrosoluble animal excretions, fish food elutriates, faeces elutriates, or detritic substances from dead fish.
Results obtained :
The analyses of the physico-chemical milieu (redoxpotential, pH, sulfide, oxygen), the hydrography (salinity, temperature, oxygen concentration) and the benthos, revealed that the influence of the fish farming activities are restricted to the area directly beneath the farm. Loading capacity of the benthal could be identified as high as 5 g C m-2 d-1 in the investigated area. In the water column, the indicators of fish farming impact were : large un-fluorescent detritic particles (70µm), and increase in ammonium concentration (max. 4µM-N). Direct impact of fish farms on the chlorophyllian particles was a decrease in fluorescence, attributed to physical (net stuckage, fish agitation?) and chemical factors (antifoulant biocide). The bioassays on the phytoplankton revealed that even without anthropic interference, there is a natural interaction between the marine animal excretions and phytoplankton, for example salmon excretions may have a repressive action on the algal development. Due to animal concentration and artificial feeding of salmon, the fish farm activity produces opposite effect increasing the enrichment in nutrients, and may stimulate the primary production in absence of dilution. Our results in laboratory showed that turbulence plays a determinant role in bloom prevention. UV radiations contribute to increase the concentration of inorganic nutrients (mainly ammonium), and limits the phytoplankton development in spite of the production of photoprotective substances.
Application of the results:
Recommendation for management practice are to (i) monitor redoxpotential, sulfide and Nassarius sp. as indicators for organic pollution; (ii) combining aquaculture of autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms in order to reduce eutrophication effects by nutrient release; (iii) using organic wastes and alluvium for producing energy via biogas production. Moreover, the use of vegetal protein instead of animal protein in fish food contribute to decrease the impact of farm effluents on the algal population balance.
Design & Concept by Levent Piker
All Contents by the Aquatoxsal team
FIBS NEWS DIRECT: 26 AUGUST 2004 (Lee Hazell)
GCSE RESULTS:
This morning, 18 nervous students were finally put out of their misery when they received their GCSE results. I spoke to Director of Education, Sylvia Cole (SC), this morning after she had the chance to analyse the results.
SC: It was an unusually small cohort. Eighteen students actually took GCSEs and the results this morning are really producing very few surprises. The students in that particular year were a mixture of highly able and less able students. And, bearing in mind their abilities and personal circumstances of the students tested in June this year, the results are as you would have expected. As a result of today’s grades, we’ve got a number of students whose places for further education in the UK have been confirmed and I offer congratulations to them. In addition, we have a couple of disappointments. I am very hopeful that following re-sits, they will be able to take up their UK places next year. Those students will have an additional year in which to mature and then move into further education in September 2006.
LH: I gather there were some students that took re-sits from the November exams as well. How did they do?
SC: Special congratulations really need to go to a small number of students, whose grades in November were insufficient for them to gain UK places. They’ve worked really hard on the subjects and now they have managed to push up those grades and we can confirm that they will be attending Chichester College in early September. They are good examples of how students can improve their grades and can achieve what they want.
EXCO:
EXCO met this morning for the latest round of big decisions. The meeting is to be followed by the Standing Finance Committee, which meets on Friday morning in the Liberation Room at the Secretariat.
SNOWBALLS:
Police have issued a warning after they received reports yesterday evening that youngsters were throwing snowballs at moving vehicles on John Street. The person who lodged the complaint has a dent in their vehicle door as a result of one snowball strike. When Police went to the scene, the culprits had disappeared. Sgt. Tom Whistler said the RFIP want to make everyone aware how dangerous this can be to everyone on the roads.
WORK PERMIT REMINDER:
People could be looking at a fine of up to £3,000.00 if they are found working in the Islands without a work permit and don’t hold Falkland Islands status or a permanent residence permit. Customs and Immigration have issued a reminder about the rules and say they remind everyone changing jobs, taking on additional employment or taking a new job in the Islands. You also have to apply for your first work permit from outside the Islands, unless you are accompanying a spouse taking up a contract post. Employers have been reminded that it’s also an offence to hire anyone acquiring a work permit without getting one first.
GROUNDED:
FIGAS planes have been on the ground again this morning waiting for better weather. Flights from this morning have all been delayed. Director of Civil Aviation, Andrew Newman, told us they had to decide this lunchtime whether they will be able to get away this afternoon.
ITALIAN RESEARCHERS:
Italian researchers have just arrived in the Islands to carry out studies on Elephant Seals at Sea Lion Island. They are planning to spend three months on the Island to find out more about the animals’ mating patterns communications. They are part of the Elephant Seal Research Group, which is running two different projects. One is here and one in Mexico. In Mexico they are studying Northern Elephant Seals. It’s the 10th year that the study is taking place in the Falklands.
(100X Transcription Service)
