Wild fish populations are currently experiencing unprecedented pressures, which are projected to intensify in the coming decades. Developing a thorough understanding of the influences of both biotic and abiotic factors on fish populations is a salient issue in contemporary fish conservation and management. During the 50th Anniversary Symposium of The Fisheries Society of the British Isles at the University of Exeter, UK, in July 2017, scientists from diverse research backgrounds gathered to discuss key topics under the broad umbrella of 'Understanding Fish Populations'. Below, the output of one such discussion group is detailed, focusing on tools used to investigate natural fish populations. Five main groups of approaches were identified: tagging and telemetry; molecular tools; survey tools; statistical and modelling tools; tissue analyses. The appraisal covered current challenges and potential solutions for each of these topics. In addition, three key themes were identified as applicable across all tool-based applications. These included data management, public engagement, and fisheries policy and governance. The continued innovation of tools and capacity to integrate interdisciplinary approaches into the future assessment and management of fish populations is highlighted as an important focus for the next 50 years of fisheries research.

1994. Phosphorus metabolism monitored by 31 P NMR in juvenile sea scallop (Blacopecten rnagellawicus) overwintering in pearl nets at a Nova Scotian aquaculture site. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 51 : 21 85-21 14.j'P Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used to examine i n vivo phosphorus metabolism in juvenile sea scallop (Placspecten magellanicus) from an aquaculture site in Nova Scotia. NMRvisible arginine phosphate (Arg P) concentrations declined from summer to winter whereas inorganic phosphate (Pi) levels increased and those of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) remained relatively constant. Our results indicate that, in the scallop that uses the phosphagen Arg P to replenish AT$, the ratio of Arg P to Pi is a better indicator of energetic status than is the ratio of adenylate concentrations known as adenylate energy charge. Scallops collected in fall and winter, when exposed to hypoxic conditions, showed pronounced decreases in Arg P associated with increases in Pi and decreases in ATP levels whereas these remained relatively unchanged in scallops collected in summer. Scallops maintained under sim.ulated winter conditions showed lower levels of Arg P associated with poor nutrition, and a response to hypoxia similar to field scallops. The marked seasonality in concentrations of phosphorus metabolites emphasizes their potential importance as useful biomarkers in environmental stress assessment and the optimization of hatchery and grow-out conditions.

The pink sea fan, Eunicella verrucosa (Pallas, 1766), inhabits rocky substrates across the northeast Atlantic and the western Mediterranean. Across much of its range it has been detrimentally affected by fishing. DNA from 17 E. verrucosa specimens was amplified by phi29-induced rolling circle amplification. Following purification by sodium acetate-ethanol precipitation, the circular genomic DNA was sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq v2. Specimens originated from sites along the west coast of Ireland, southwest Wales, southwest/southern England, northwest France, southern Portugal, and the Mediterranean coast of northeast Spain. All samples had identical mitochondrial genome sequences of 19,267 bp and included 14 protein-coding genes (including the mutS gene), two ribosomal RNA subunits ( 12S and 16S ) and one methionine tRNA gene. Two genes ( nad2 and nad5 ) overlapped by 13 bp; all other genes were separated by non-coding intergenic regions. All protein-coding genes had the same start codon (ATG) and a TAA or TAG stop codon, except for cox1 that terminated with the incomplete stop codon T--. The mitochondrial genome of E. verrucosa (MW588805) showed 99.72% similarity with that of a related sea fan species, Eunicella cavolini , with six SNPs and a 49 bp deletion between nad5 and nad4 in E. verrucosa distinguishing the two.

A prototype device has been created to fuse septal tissue membranes as an alternative to sutures or staples through the controlled application of laser heating and pressure to induce protein denaturation and subsequent tissue fusion, through renaturation and intertwining, across the interface. Lasers have been used to close wounds in controlled laboratory tests over the last 15 years. Many encouraging results have been obtained; however, no commercial delivery systems are currently available. This is due primarily to two factors: requiring an inordinate amount of experience on the part of the operator, and attempting to achieve general applicability for multiple tissue systems. The present device overcomes these barriers as it is tailored for the particular application of septal laser fusion, namely for the coaptation of mucoperichondrial membranes.The important parameters involved in fusing biological tissues are identified. The development of the device followed from computational modeling based on Monte Carlo simulation of photon transport and on engineering firstprinciples. Experiments were designed and analyzed using orthogonal arrays, employing a subset of the relevant parameters, i.e., laser irradiance, dwell time and spot size, for a range of wavelengths. The in vitro fusion experiments employed 1cm by 1cm sections of equine nasal mucosa having a nominal thickness of 1mm.