The text is intended as supplementary reading for fisheries workers, especially in developing countries, who do not always have ready access to current literature on applied marine ecology. An attempt is made to develop a wide range of concepts in a form that will hopefully encourage their incorporation into a practical, decision-making context. The food web and associated trophic interactions form the principal theme, in an approach that gives equal emphasis to qualitative, as well as the less easily measured quantitative considerations. An attempt is made to illustrate the consequences of the aggregated nature of much of marine production, as well as the subsequent dispersal of production in space and time, and how these processes affect the potential for economic harvest of commercial components of the ecosystem. Separate sections touch on environmental influences on production, relevant spatial and temporal scales for ecosystem analysis, life history strategies, diversity and stability, the concepts of the ecological niche, the community and the assemblage, and outline some first steps towards quantifiying production in marine ecosystems. Different approaches to representing trophic and other interactions are discussed, with examples from the literature. Reference is made to several ecological subsystems, in order to illustrate the main concepts presented. These include the mangrove ecosystem, the arcto-boreal macrophyte community, a mediterranean demersal fish assemblage, and the oceanic ecosystem associated with high seas tuna stocks. In practical terms, it is concluded that the first and simplest approach to multispecies resource management is not necessarily the manipulation of individual food web components, but the identification, mapping and conservation of critical habitats, especially centres of local production, and their associated ecological dissipation structures.

The text is intended as supplementary reading for fisheries workers, especially in developing countries, who do not always have ready access to current literature on applied marine ecology. An attempt is made to develop a wide range of concepts in a form that will hopefully encourage their incorporation into a practical, decision-making context. The food web and associated trophic interactions form the principal theme, in an approach that gives equal emphasis to qualitative, as well as the less easily measured quantitative considerations. An attempt is made to illustrate the consequences of the aggregated nature of much of marine production, as well as the subsequent dispersal of production in space and time, and how these processes affect the potential for economic harvest of commercial components of the ecosystem. Separate sections touch on environmental influences on production, relevant spatial and temporal scales for ecosystem analysis, life history strategies, diversity and stability, the concepts of the ecological niche, the community and the assemblage, and outline some first steps towards quantifiying production in marine ecosystems. Different approaches to representing trophic and other interactions are discussed, with examples from the literature. Reference is made to several ecological subsystems, in order to illustrate the main concepts presented. These include the mangrove ecosystem, the arcto-boreal macrophyte community, a mediterranean demersal fish assemblage, and the oceanic ecosystem associated with high seas tuna stocks. In practical terms, it is concluded that the first and simplest approach to multispecies resource management is not necessarily the manipulation of individual food web components, but the identification, mapping and conservation of critical habitats, especially centres of local production, and their associated ecological dissipation structures.

Longhurst examines the proposition, central to fisheries science, that a fishery creates its own natural resource by the compensatory growth it induces in the fish, and that this is sustainable. His novel analysis of the reproductive ecology of bony fish of cooler seas offers some support for this, but a review of fisheries past and present confirms that sustainability is rarely achieved. The relatively open structure and strong variability of marine ecosystems is discussed in relation to the reliability of resources used by the industrial-level fishing that became globalised during the 20th century. This was associated with an extraordinary lack of regulation in most seas, and a widespread avoidance of regulation where it did exist. Sustained fisheries can only be expected where social conditions permit strict regulation and where politicians have no personal interest in outcomes despite current enthusiasm for ecosystem-based approaches or for transferable property rights.

The Gulf of Guinea volume is part of a series on the Large Marine Ecosystems. This volume combines the latest research on the Gulf of Guinea from scientists working primarily in the region and from Europe. It covers the dynamics of the oceanic and coastal waters of the region, the major biological resources, pollution in the marine environment and the socio-economics and governance of marine fisheries. A significant number of new data sets, including some which have been repatriated from outside the region, are now made available through this publication.The combination of the various chapters underlines the interlinkages that exist between the interannual and seasonal dynamical behaviour of the oceanic offshore waters and the living marine resources along the coast, and the direct effect they have on the livelihoods of the populations living throughout the Gulf of Guinea.The volume is intended for those who have a general interest in the region as well as those who work professionally in the field. It will also be of immense value to resource managers and policy-makers as a demonstration project on how research can help solve the pressing problems of economic and food security in coastal regions.

This publication considers issues of global change versus global warming, using climate history graphics to illustrate the earth's climate variability from paleoclimate research. Topics discussed include: the hydrological cycle and its relevance to fisheries and the evolution of species and fisheries variability, production variabilities and changes in vulnerability owing to constant dynamics of ocean motion affects, bioindicators, spatial and temporal scales, regional ecological responses, examples of ocean ecosystems defined by seasonal thermal properties, synchrony and systematic transitions.

Presents an illustrated, A-Z encyclopedia with more than 600 entries providing information on topics related to marine science.