Performance evaluation of forest co-management: a case study of Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary,Bangladesh

The objective was to evaluate the performance of the co-management of Nishorgo Support Project at Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary in Bangladesh. I adopted the Focus Groups Discussion method for opinion survey and applied the SWOTAHP technique for data analysis. Local people did not participate in the decision-making process of forest management and they perceived co-management as a threat to their livelihoods. Moreover, mistrust and misunderstanding among different stakeholders, political and ethical conflicts, lack of property rights of tribal communities, and lack of accountability and transparency were identified as the drawbacks of co-management.     

Evaluation of the Effects of Different Stunning Methods on the Stress Responses and Meat Quality of the Amazon hybrid surubim,Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum female × Leiarius marmoratus male

Different stunning methods (carbon dioxide [CO₂] and hypothermia) used in industrial fish processing were compared with asphyxia in air, which is used in traditional fishing, to evaluate the effects of these methods on the stress responses and the meat quality of the Amazon hybrid surubim, Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum female × Leiarius marmoratus male. After the application, blood and behavioral indicators were evaluated. Following death by gill cutting, the fish were gutted, and analyses of muscle pH, rigor mortis, the exudation of the meat, and coloration were performed. Significantly higher levels of cortisol and glucose were exhibited by the fish subjected to asphyxia than by the fish stunned by either CO₂ or hypothermia. The fish subjected to asphyxia displayed decreasing muscle pH during the first 2 h after death and showed higher rates of rigor mortis after 3 h than the fish that were stunned by the other two methods. The asphyxia is a practice that exposes fish to suffering by causing an increase in stress responses, which affects meat quality. The immersion of fish in water and ice (hypothermia) for 5 min was more effective stunning method than the use of CO₂, resulting in higher loss of sensibility and greater welfare.     

Unravelling the relationship between a seasonal environment and the dynamics of forage growth in grazed swards

It is well reported in the scientific literature that pastures can have similar net forage accumulation when managed with contrasting structures. However, we hypothesized that the dynamics of forage accumulation in grazed swards is linked to seasonal-environmental conditions. Marandu palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha [Hochst. ex A. Rich.] was used as the forage species model. The experimental treatments were four grazing heights (10, 20, 30 and 40 cm) allocated to experimental units according to a randomized complete block design with four replicates and evaluated throughout four contrasting environmental seasons (summer, autumn, winter–early spring and late spring). Under rainy and warm periods, greater net forage accumulation was observed in pastures maintained taller; on the contrary, during the mild and dry periods, net forage accumulation rate reduced as grazing height increased. Such patterns of responses were related to compensations between tiller population density and tissues flows during summer and late spring and the reduced capacity of taller canopies to compensate lower population with greater growth rates during autumn and winter–early spring. Grazed swards changed their patterns of forage growth as they transitioned from favourable to more abiotic stressful conditions, suggesting that seasonal adjustments in grazing intensities are necessary in order to maximize forage production.     

Survival and Growth Improvement of Palm Ruff,Seriolella violacea,Larvae Fed Artemia Nauplii Enriched with an Experimental Emulsion

The palm ruff, Seriolella violacea (Cojinoba), is a potential new species for Chilean aquaculture. To approach Cojinoba larviculture, an experimental Artemia enrichment emulsion, containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) = 2.5, supplemented with vitamin E, astaxanthin, and β‐glucan, was evaluated in both Artemia and Cojinoba larvae, 30–50 d.a.h. This study tested an experimental enrichment emulsion versus a commercial emulsion, with an integral approach of multicompound emulsions. After 23 h enrichment, experimental emulsion (EE)‐enriched nauplii reached DHA and EPA concentrations of 23.8 and 18.7 mg/g dry weight (dwt), respectively, while in Cojinoba larvae they were 18.4 and 19.7 mg/g dwt. Control emulsion (CE)‐enriched nauplii exhibited lower DHA and EPA (6.1 and 7.7 mg/g dwt), while only DHA decreased in the control larvae (12.6 mg/g dwt). Vitamin E was higher in EE‐enriched nauplii (29.2 mg/100 g dwt) than in the control (8.4 mg/100 g dwt). Larvae fed EE‐enriched Artemia exhibited 8% increase in survival and 19% in growth compared with the control. Astaxanthin was detected only in larvae fed EE‐enriched nauplii. The tumor necrosis factor‐α concentration was not significantly different between larvae fed EE‐ and CE‐enriched nauplii. EE looks promising as an Artemia enrichment and experimental diet to assess palm ruff larval requirements, and has a positive impact on fish larvae performance.