Aquatic Pollution and Risks to Biodiversity: The Example of Cocaine Effects on the Ovaries of Anguilla anguilla.

Pollution is one of the main causes of the loss of biodiversity, currently one of the most important environmental problems. Important sources of aquatic pollution are illicit drugs, whose presence in waters is closely related to human consumption; their psychoactive properties and biological activity suggest potential adverse effects on non-target organisms, such as aquatic biota. In this study, we evaluated the effect of an environmentally relevant concentration of cocaine (20 ng L−1), an illicit drug widely found in surface waters, on the ovaries of Anguilla anguilla, a species critically endangered and able to accumulate cocaine in its tissues following chronic exposure. The following parameters were evaluated: (1) the morphology of the ovaries; (2) the presence and distribution of enzymes involved in oogenesis; (3) serum cortisol, FSH, and LH levels. The eels exposed to cocaine showed a smaller follicular area and a higher percentage of connective tissue than controls (p < 0.05), as well as many previtellogenic oocytes compared with controls having numerous fully vitellogenic and early vitellogenic oocytes. In addition, the presence and location of 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, and P450 aromatase differed in the two groups. Finally, cocaine exposure decreased FSH and LH levels, while it increased cortisol levels. These findings show that even a low environmental concentration of cocaine affects the ovarian morphology and activity of A. anguilla, suggesting a potential impact on reproduction in this species.

Habitat preference, movements and growth of giant mottled eels, Anguilla marmorata, in a small subtropical Amami-Oshima Island river.

Although anguillid eel populations have decreased remarkably in recent decades, few detailed ecological studies have been conducted on tropical eels such as the giant mottled eel whose range extends across the whole Indo-Pacific. This species was studied throughout the entire 0.5 km mainstem reaches of Oganeku River on the subtropical Amami-Oshima Island of Japan over a two-year period using four sampling periods to understand its habitat preference, early life-stage dispersal process, movements, and annual growth using a mark-recapture experiment conducted with quantitative electrofishing. A total of 396 juvenile growth-phase A. marmorata eels were caught and tagged, with 48 individuals being recaptured at least once. Their density irrespective of size of eels was most strongly determined by distance from the river mouth, followed by riverbank type according to random forest models. Eel density decreased with increasing distance from the freshwater tidal limit located about 100-150 m from the river mouth. Eels preferred vegetated riverbanks, while they avoided those of concrete and sand. The density of small eels (total length: TL < 240 mm) was also associated with depth and velocity, with small eels tending to prefer riffle or run habitats. In contrast, large eels (TL ≥ 240 mm) were found in habitats of any depth and velocity. The TL of eels had a minimum peak at around the tidal limit, and it increased with increasing distance from the tidal limit. The observed density and size gradients of eels in relation to the distance from the river mouth suggested that A. marmorata initially recruited to freshwater tidal limit areas and then dispersed in both downstream and upstream directions. The growth rate of eels varied greatly among individuals that were at large for various periods of time and ranged from 0 to 163.2 mm/year (mean ± SD of 31.8 ± 31.0 mm/year). Of the recaptured eels, 52.1% were recaptured in a section that was different from the original capture section, and their mean ± SD distance travelled was 46.5 ± 72.5 m (median = 20 m). 47.9% of the eels were recaptured from the original section of capture (i.e., <10 m distances travelled), suggesting that they had strong fidelity to specific habitats with limited movements. The distance travelled of eels that had moved was greater for small eels (range = 10-380 m; mean ± SD = 84.4 ± 121.9 m) than large individuals (range = 10-120 m; mean ± SD = 30.9 ± 31.0 m), which indicates that the mobility of the eels declines as they grow. This is the first clear detailed documentation of the spatial distribution, growth, and movements of tropical eels in a small river system in relation to environmental conditions that provides an example of how future studies can be conducted in other areas to understand how conservation efforts can be most efficiently targeted for maximum success.

Age, Growth, and Sex Ratios of the Giant Mottled eel, Anguilla marmorata, in Freshwater Habitats Near Its Northern Geographic Limit: A Comparison to Tropical Regions.

To understand the latitudinal difference in the basic ecology of the giant mottled eel Anguilla marmorata, we measured its age, growth, and sex ratios in freshwater areas of Amami-Oshima Island, Japan (28.223°N-28.332°N and 129.329°E-129.439°E), near the northern geographic limit of its range and compared these biological characteristics with those observed in the tropical regions of Indonesia. A total of 109 A. marmorata were captured from three rivers on Amami-Oshima Island. The total length (TL) and age of sampled individuals varied across an order of magnitude (TL range: 119-1320 mm, mean: 385.5 ± 172.6; age range: 3-30 years, mean: 12.8 ± 4.9 years). Neither TL nor age differed among rivers. Male A. marmorata accounted for 88.5% of sexually differentiated individuals, which it contrary to previous results for males living in Indonesian watersheds where males were only found in small rivers and areas close to estuaries. Moreover, we found no males larger than 700 mm in TL and few males that were older than 20 years. The growth rates of male A. marmorata were significantly lower than those of females, and growth rates of sexually undifferentiated fish were significantly less than those of males. The mean growth rate of all individuals was 25.9 ± 6.6 mm/y, which is considerably lower than what has been found at lower latitudes, suggesting that growth differences occur along a latitudinal cline.

Reconsidering pectoral girdle and fin morphology in Anguillidae (Elopomorpha: Anguilliformes).

The morphology of the pectoral girdle and fin of Anguillidae is reconsidered via the inclusion of skeletal components that have previously been unassessed. For example, the pectoral girdle and fin in Anguilla were erroneously reported to lack a scapular bone, a cartilaginous scapulocoracoid plate and a cartilaginous propterygium. The pectoral morphology of Anguilla is also compared with the closely related genus Nemichthys, including additional data on the anatomy of this eel family.

Core Data Human Resources for Health: Stocks and Flows ­ Education ­ Management. Anguilla 2011. Tracking Regional Goals for Human Resources for Health: A Shared Commitment

In its 2006 annual report, the World Health Organization (WHO) described the Human Resources for Health (HRH) situation among its 192 member states. This report recognized the widely varying data availability, with many non-OECD nations having limited access to information on their health workforce. National data were collected as part of this effort, using three approaches: WHO national surveys conducted through its regional and country offices, contacting various national administrative sources, or data "compiled from a previous version of the WHO's global database on the health workforce". Data from many Caribbean nations were collected using this third approach, which obtained very little detail, with information that had not been updated for a number of years. To improve this paucity of information, the Human Resources for Health Unit of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has partnered with the Ministries of Health in the Eastern Caribbean Countries (ECC) to support the systematic collection and country-level analysis of HRH data as part of the Region's 10-year commitment to health workforce development. The purpose of this data collection project was to establish a Core Data Set for the countries of the Caribbean region comprising the required information to establish the current status of HRH in each country. This core data investigation took place in Barbados in November 2007, and following on from this, a number of the Eastern Caribbean Countries conducted the same project study. There are seven Eastern Caribbean countries involved in this project (Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla and Montserrat), which has proceeded in two work phases: Phase 1, Data collection for Core Data Set, and Phase 2, Data collection to establish baseline indicators for the 20 Regional Goals for Human Resources in Health. This report describes the first initiative in Anguilla and its result. (AU)

A new species of dialictus from sombrero island, anguilla (hymenoptera, halictidae).

A new species of Lasioglossum Curtis subgenus Dialictus Robertson (Halictinae, Halictini) is described and figured from a series of female and males collected on Sombrero Island, Anguilla; the northernmost island of the Lesser Antilles. Lasioglossum (Dialictus) sombrerensesp. n. is distinguished from its congeners and the name made available for a forthcoming work on the arthropod diversity of Sombrero Island.

Migration transition in small Northern and Eastern Caribbean states.

PIP: 1 area of intra-Caribbean migration that has been overlooked is the "migration transition"--the transformation of rapidly modernizing societies from net labor exporters to net labor importers. This article assembles 8 case studies to 1) briefly present a spectrum of migration experiences in the Caribbean, 2) uncover some transitions under way, 3) pinpoint the forces that underlie the migration transition, and 4) point out some of the more important policy implications of labor migration reversals. The 8 island societies sampled for illustration purposes include 1) the Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands as post-migration transition societies (Zelinsky's advanced society), 2) the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands as undergoing transition (Zelinsky's late transitional society), and 3) Anguilla, St. Kitts-Nevis, Turks and Caicos, and Montserrat as premigration transition societies (Zelinsky's early transitional society). Population data for the islands were derived primarily from the West Indian censuses and government statistics. These 8 historical sketches reveal certain commonalities. All are at various stages in a long-term economic restructuring to displace traditional staple crops with more income elastic, high value export services. In such societies, population growth and progress along the migration transition is an increasing function of this kind of successful export substitution. In addition, along the migration and economic transitions, such insular economies exhibit a relatively large public sector (20-30% of all activity), declining unemployment, increasing fiscal autonomy, and are committed to a development strategy remarkably similar to the "successful" model of the Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands. Cursory evidence suggests that, because of intersectoral competition for land and labor, there is an inverse relationship between farm effort/manufacturing employment and tourism intensity. This review suggests that small islands undergoing rapid growth imperatives also experience a similar set of self-reinforcing socioeconomic and environmental imbalances. Particularly for post-transition and transition societies, these spillovers include increasing real estate speculation and inflation because of tourism and the allied development of retirement colonies of affluent North Americans, wage pressures and skilled manpower shortages, and increasing vulnerability to international business cycles.^ieng

Attaining higher coverage: obstacles to overcome. English-speaking Caribbean and Suriname.

PIP: In 1983, 8 (42%) of the 19 English-speaking Caribbean countries (including Suriname) achieved at least 50% coverage with 3 doses of diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine among children under 1 year of age and 6 countries (32%) had at least 50% coverage with 3 doses of trivalent oral polio vaccine (TOPV). In addition, 10 countries (53%) achieved over 75% DPT coverage and 11 (58%) achieved over 75% TOPV coverage. Despite this record of progress, several factors continue to impede further gains in immunization coverage. Of particular concern is the high dropout rate. As many as 25% of infants receive their 1st dose of DPT and TOPV but do not return to complete their course of immunization. There is also a need for each health center to estimate its annual target population for immunization every year through analysis of the total live births from the previous year in the health center's catchment area (minus infant mortality). Monthly target figures can thus be computed and coverage monitored. A further problem has been a reluctance on the part of some health workers to administer vaccines simultaneously. This does not reduce effectiveness or increase the risk of complications, and reduces the number of visits needed to complete the immunization schedule. An unresolved question is whether to immunize ill or malnourished children. Decisions on this matter should take into account the availability and accessibility of health care services, the ability to follow-up children who are not immunized, and the likelihood that children will return for subsequent immunizations. Finally, a number of immunizations performed by private practitioners and institutions are not reported. Both public and private health care providers should agree on a standardized reporting format to allow better estimation of coverage.^ieng