May2013
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The document summarizes the following: 1) Dr. Mike Dobson is stepping down as Director of the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) after 6 years and John Davy-Bowker has been appointed as the new Acting Director. 2) The FBA has launched an oral history project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to interview local people about their perceptions of changes to water bodies in the Lake District over the past 50-60 years. 3) The FBA is offering various training courses in the spring/summer on topics like freshwater invertebrate and fish identification.
May2013
- 1. Freshwater Matters Editorial This month’s editorial has been written by Dr Mike Dobson, Director of the Freshwater Biological Association, As you are probably aware, I will be stepping down as Director the FBA after six years in the post. I will be finishing on 15th May, and I am pleased to announce that FBA Council has appointed as Acting Director John Davy-Bowker, Facilities and Research Manager at the River Laboratory in Dorset. John joined the FBA in 2009 after many years at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and, before that, at the Environment Agency. He brought to the FBA not only a recognised expertise in developing biological monitoring tools for fresh waters, but also a very practical hands-on approach to sorting out management of the FBA’s Dorset estate: if you visit the site you will almost certainly see brickwork, lighting or carpentry that was done by John himself. John has a passion for developing and extending the niche that the FBA is carving in applied ecological research, an area where there are still so many questions to be answered. John will occupy this role while the FBA undergoes a full review of requirements for the future. He will remain based at the River Laboratory, but will be making frequent visits to Windermere, where he will be ably assisted by the newly promoted Officer in Charge, Dr Karen Rouen, who will continue also to lead the Knowledge Transfer activities of the FBA. I am sure you will join me and the other FBA staff and Honorary Research Fellows in wishing Karen and John well in their new roles. What’s happening at the FBA? Clear Waters Oral History Project The FBA has recently embarked on a year-long oral history project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund called ‘Clear Waters – an oral history of people’s understanding of fresh water’. Over the summer we will be interviewing former staff and members of the FBA, local anglers and sport fishermen and local people with an interest in wildlife and recreation. The aim is to discover people’s perceptions of the changes in the water bodies of the Lake District during the last 50-60 years. We are seeking people to be interviewed and volunteers to conduct interviews, do transcriptions, photography and archive research. The information May 2013 Freshwater Matters is a monthly electronic bulletin of the most recent freshwater news from around the world, compiled by the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA). It includes updates of what is happening at the FBA and ways to get involved. Contents Editorial What’s happening at the FBA? This month’s articles Conservation Group Lists 10 Most Endangered US Rivers Beavers use their noses to assess their foes Cranes make first nest in 400 years... with help from their human ‘mum’ Measuring microbes makes wetland health monitoring more affordable, says researcher Researchers call for parasite to be monitored to protect UK freshwater fish Philippine Freshwater Crocodiles Pharmaceutical pollution wreaking havoc on aquatic wildlife in freshwater streams Invasive Asian carp survive harsher conditions than expected: bad news for freshwater rivers Contractors fined after pearl mussel population destroyed on River Lyon Managing freshwater wisely
- 2. gathered will be made available to the public, through a website and an exhibition which will tour Cumbria and will be shown in museums and other public places. For information on how to take part in the Clear Waters oral history project, please contact Faith Hillier, Project Officer at fhillier@fba.org.uk or ring 015394 87720. Please also visit http://www.fba.org.uk/fba-oral-history-project. FBA Training Courses 2013 Update Just a reminder that the FBA have a range of training courses running this spring and summer. These include: • Entomology for anglers – Level 1 and Level 2 • Identifying aquatic beetles • Identifying caddis • NEW FOR 2013! Identifying chironomid larvae • The Chironomid Pupal Exuvial Technique (CPET) We also have a number of courses running in the autumn, and there is a discount available for early bookings! These include: RIVPACS/RICT bioassessment training; Freshwater fish: assessment of condition and ageing; Fish health, parasites and disease; and Invertebrate identification for biotic assessment (including examination). FBA members receive generous discounts on course fees. For more information and to book a place, please contact us at events@fba.org.uk or ring 015394 42468. For a full course programme and downloadable booking form, please visit www.fba.org.uk. This month’s articles Conservation Group Lists 10 Most Endangered US Rivers A list of the ten most endangered rivers in the USA has been released this month by the environmental group American Rivers. This year the annual list names the Colorado River as the most threatened due to over-abstraction. As a result the river now dries up before it even reaches the ocean. http://news.yahoo.com/conservation-group-lists-10-most-endangered-us- rivers-175819918.html Beavers use their noses to assess their foes A study published this month in Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology shows that beavers use their noses when deciding whether to take on an opponent threatening their territory. The smell of secretions from the beavers anal gland contains a wealth of information about age and status allowing other beavers to gauge the best response. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/s-but040913.php Cranes make first nest in 400 years... with help from their human ‘mum’ Cranes are nesting in southern England again for the first time since the English Civil war in a success story for the Great Cranes Project. The project, set up four years ago, aimed to re-introduce a bird that was wiped out due to a mixture of hunting and the loss of habitat. http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/389127/Cranes-make-first-nest-in-400- years-with-help-from-their-human-mum Measuring microbes makes wetland health monitoring more affordable, says researcher Conventional assessments of wetland health often focus on the larger species. However, a study led by the University of Missouri has shown that monitoring the microbial community is cheaper and faster than traditional assessments and could lead to improvements in securing the provision of services such as water filtration. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130409132010.htm Researchers call for parasite to be monitored to protect UK freshwater fish
- 3. In a paper published this month in Conservation Ecology and Environmental Change, researchers from Bournemouth University are calling on the Environment Agency to require checks for the presence of the parasite Sphaerothecum destruens (also known as The Rosette Agent) when fish are moved between locations. The parasite has a 90% mortality rate in infected freshwater fish and could be economically disastrous for the angling industry. http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2013/researchers-call-for-parasite-to-be-monitored-to- protect-uk-freshwater-fish/ Philippine Freshwater Crocodiles Thirty six Philippine freshwater crocodiles were reintroduced into the wild this month in an effort to bolster the population of the critically endangered species. With only 250 individuals left in the wild the species is one of the most endangered reptiles. http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/29/philippine-freshwater- crocodiles-freshwater-species-of-the-week/ Pharmaceutical pollution wreaking havoc on aquatic wildlife in freshwater streams Researchers have found that chemicals commonly released into the environment including antibiotics and caffeine are exerting a profound effect on biofilms in freshwater systems. As biofilms are a key food source for invertebrates the effects could be drastically impacting the food web of rivers. http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/5960/20130402/pharmaceutical- pollution-wreaking-havoc-aquatic-wildlife-freshwater-streams.htm Invasive Asian carp survive harsher conditions than expected: bad news for freshwater rivers Research published this month in Freshwater Biology has shown that invasive Asian Carp in North America may be able to live and breed in areas previously thought unsuitable. Previous information on habitat was based on the species native distribution; however the new findings suggest that the species may be more adaptable than previously thought. http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/5836/20130327/invasive-asian-carp- survive-harsher-conditions-expected-bad-news-freshwater.htm Contractors fined after pearl mussel population destroyed on River Lyon Two contractors that destroyed an internationally important population of freshwater pearl mussels on the River Lyon in Scotland have been fined £11,000. The damage to the river was so severe that it cost £1 million to make basic repairs and it is thought that full recovery will not occur for hundreds of years. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-21852938 Managing freshwater wisely Biologists in Australia have developed a new approach to identifying major threats to aquatic habitats in the drier parts of the country. Their approach, published in Global Change Biology, classifies aquatic habitats as either evolutionary or ecological refuges. http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20132604-24305.html Please forward this bulletin to any of your colleagues who may be interested!