Economic impacts of marine debris encounters on commercial shrimping.

The commercial shrimping industry is subjected to myriad stressors that have led to financial hardships among industry members. One of these stressors is marine debris; however, there is limited understanding of the type and magnitude of impacts. Quantitative methods of estimating the economic impacts of marine debris on the commercial shrimping industry were developed. From June to December 2019, participating shrimpers submitted 393 daily summaries, including shrimping activities, marine debris encounters, damages, and impacts. The impacts of marine debris encounters were assessed from reports of daily damages to fishing assets, daily lost fishing time, daily loss-catch ratios, and daily catch losses. The results of this study demonstrate substantial negative economic impacts on commercial shrimpers related to marine debris encounters. About 17 % of shrimp caught were lost due to marine debris encounters, resulting in foregone total sales and job impacts of $3.2 million and 33 jobs in shrimping and associated businesses.

Qualitative assessment of the impacts of marine debris on Mississippi commercial shrimping.

Commercial fishing is a fragile industry that is exposed to a multitude of stressors. Marine debris is known to be one of these stressors; however, the prevalence and impact is rarely assessed. Therefore, this analysis assessed the perceived encounter frequency and impacts of marine debris on commercial fishing through an end-of-the year survey of registered Mississippi commercial shrimpers. Ninety-eight percent (98%) of shrimpers indicated they encountered marine debris in 2018 with 85% encountering it frequently. The most common debris reported to be encountered was abandoned or derelict fishing gear (93% of shrimpers), primarily crab traps. Most shrimpers reported reduced catch (80%), lost fishing time (82%), and vessel repairs (75%) due to marine debris. Additionally, 93% of shrimpers categorized marine debris as destructive to their operations. These results indicate that marine debris does have significant direct impacts on the commercial shrimping industry in Mississippi and likely other regions.

Treating PTSD in Pregnant and Postpartum Rural Women with Substance Use Disorders.

The co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder (PTSD-SUD) can pose significant problems for rural pregnant and postpartum women (PPW) and the well-being of their children. Although effective treatments exist, PPW experience limitations in their ability to access and engage in treatment that may be compounded by various aspects of rural settings, so providers must be attentive to these barriers in order to address this pressing public health need. In addition, as part of increasing rural access to care, it is important to consider the costs and benefits to PPW of selecting exposure-based techniques (e.g., prolonged exposure) to disseminate. The current article discusses the treatment of PTSD-SUD in rural PPW in the context of the authors' experiences providing an exposure-based cognitive behavioral treatment for PTSD in this population. Barriers to treatment access and engagement are discussed and recommendations are provided.