The past decade has seen increased international recognition of the importance of the services provided by natural ecosystems. It is unclear however whether such international awareness will lead to improved environmental management in many regions. We explore this issue by examining the specific case of fish migration and dams on the Mekong river. We determine that dams on the Mekong mainstem and major tributaries will have a major impact on the basin's fisheries and the people who depend upon them for food and income. We find no evidence that current moves towards dam construction will stop, and consider two scenarios for the future of the fisheries and other ecosystems of the basin. We conclude that major investment is required in innovative technology to reduce the loss of ecosystem services, and alternative livelihood strategies to cope with the losses that do occur.

Lakes, reservoirs and wetlands cover a total area of about 7.8 million km2 and provide a rich environment for inland capture fisheries. Production from the world's inland capture fisheries has grown steadily to over 11.6 million tonnes in 2012, with almost 95% of the catches from developing countries. The sector is composed primarily of small‐scale fishers and provides employment to approximately 61 million people, of which 50% are women. Inland capture fisheries yield is only 6.3% of the global reported fish production (capture fisheries and aquaculture). However, it is proposed that this is an underestimate and actual yield may be several times greater. The apparent low proportion of fish provided by inland capture fisheries globally does not reflect adequately the importance of inland capture fisheries in today's society. A lack of accurate information renders analysis of existing data sets difficult and makes decision‐making problematic. Is the sector in serious trouble because of the multiple uses of and threats to inland water ecosystems? Is the sector stable and increased production due only to better reporting? Or, is the sector growing?

The majority of the global inland fisheries catch is obtained in developing countries. However, there are severe constraints in collection of information on inland fisheries leading to doubts over the reliability of the available information at the global and regional scales. A major constraint of data collection is the dispersed characteristics of inland fisheries, which cannot be covered by traditional approaches. Sample‐based monitoring of inland fisheries with an appropriate sample frame will improve the present information on inland fisheries. However, it is argued that further rapid improvement of available information can be obtained by providing assessment tools to a global community of practitioners. One such a tool, a combination of databases making use of Google Earth, analysed in a GIS platform and yield modelling is presented and discussed.

Juveniles of five species of cyprinids of body length 15-90 mm as well as juvenile perch, Perca fluviatilis L., were fed on living natural zooplankton over periods o f 2 or 3 days. For all species the correlation of the daily ration (YO body weight) with body weight showed a maximum curve. The maximum was reached at a body weight (wet weight) of 0.6 g for Leuciscus leuciscus (L.) and 0. I g for a group consisting of varying numbers of Rutilus rutilus (L.), Abramis brama (L.) and Alburnus alburnus (L.). For L. leuciscus, the maximum was 220% body weight (wet weight), corresponding to 40% on a dry weight basis. For the mixed species group the maximum was about 500% (wet weight) and about 140% on a dry weight basis. The highest daily ration coincided with the occurrence of the spring bloom of zooplankton.

We looked at the effects of internally tagging adult female Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss via the urogenital tract. This method takes advantage of the fact that the oviduct in salmonids and some nonsalmonid species is not connected to the ovary; therefore, transmitters can be inserted into the body cavity of females through the urogenital opening. We found that dummy tags inserted into adult Atlantic salmon prior to egg formation did not alter survival, behavior, or general egg development. Sixty‐nine percent of transmitters were retained for the entire study period (60 d). Transmitter retention (45 d) was 83% in rainbow trout tagged approximately 6 weeks before ovulation. However, proper insertion of transmitters in rainbow trout was prevented by the developing ovary, affecting egg expulsion and viability. It appears that oviduct tagging is a promising nonsurgical option in certain fish species if the transmitter is inserted prior to ovary development or after eggs have been shed.