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In a preliminary analysis of listing decisions under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA), Mooers et al. (2007)demonstrated an apparent bias against marine and northern species. As a follow-up, we expanded the set of potential explanatory variables, including information on jurisdictional and administrative elements of the listing process, and considered an additional 16 species recommended for listing by SARA's scientific advisory committee as of 15 August 2006. Logistic model selection based on Akaike differences suggested that species were less likely to be listed if they were harvested or had commercial or subsistence harvesting as an explicitly identified threat; had Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) as a responsible authority (RA); were located in Canada's north generally, and especially in Nunavut; or were found mostly or entirely within Canada. Subsequent model validation with an independent set of 50 species for which a listing decision was handed down in December 2007 showed an overall misclassification rate of <0.10, indicating reasonable predictive power. In light of these results, we recommend that RAs under SARA adopt a two-track listing approach to address problems of delays arising from extended consultations and the inconsistent use by the RAs of socioeconomic analysis; consider revising SARA so that socioeconomic analysis occurs during decisions about protecting species and their habitats rather than at the listing stage; and maintain an integrated database with information on species' biology, threats, and agency actions to enable future evaluation of SARA's impact.

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Although wildlife management agencies commonly employ sex‐selective harvests to regulate white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations, few studies have documented the effectiveness of these harvests. Using data from 1980 to 1997 for the Algonquin Highlands region of Ontario, Canada, we assessed (1) the ability of wildlife managers to control the size of the antlerless harvest using sex‐selective permits, and (2) the ability of antlerless harvest to control changes in deer density. Antlerless harvest was related only to the number of permits issued when <40% of hunters had antlerless permits; above this threshold, kill was related only to hunter numbers, not the number of antlerless permits. Factors such as deer encounter rates and hunter selectivity or behavior also may influence the size of the kill. Historically, antlerless kill showed little detectable effect on deer population density, which appears to be regulated primarily by density‐dependent factors. This implies that antlerless kill historically occurred at levels too low to depress populations, or that existing data are simply too noisy to allow detection of a kill effect. Either way, the current harvest management system appears to have little ability to regulate deer populations in Ontario. Declining hunter participation and/or increasing deer populations will only decrease the effectiveness of the current sport harvest for management, and wildlife managers may need to look to other means of managing the population.

An analysis of 27 broods born in situ to wild male seahorses Hippocampus whitei, with known partners, showed that female size was the key determinant of the number of young released by the male. There was also an apparent decline in both the number of young per brood, and the size of those young, over the breeding season. The size of the brood and of the young may be more proximate indicators of reproductive success in seahorses than in other fishes, because they can be measured at the time of release, here 20–22 days after fertilization, after which survival is presumed to be relatively higher than in other species. The best model, however, explained <40% of the brood size.

Catch monitoring and surveys were used to assess the seahorse trade in Vietnam. Despite low daily catch rates, potentially 6.5 t of dried seahorses ($2.2 million seahorses) were taken annually as bycatch by trawlers operating out of five coastal provinces of Vietnam. Individual seahorse catches were collated by a few local buyers, who supplied wholesalers in three major markets: Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong City and Da Nang. Domestic consumption was small and most seahorses were exported, generally through unofficial and unregulated channels across the northern border into Guangxi province of China. Overall, the seahorse trade was of low economic value to Vietnam, but may constitute an important source of income to upper level buyers and exporters. Most fishers and buyers surveyed reported that seahorse catch had declined over time. This paper should help in meeting the new CITES requirements -through implementation of an Appendix II listing in 2004 -that all international trade in seahorses must be monitored and managed for sustainability.

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Objectives: To demonstrate how fuzzy cognitive maps may be used to extract, present and compare Aboriginal perspectives, using the determinants of diabetes as a case study. Methods:Participants from the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne and the Miawpukek First Nation in Conne River created fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) (N=3) detailing their views of "the causes of diabetes in their community", through a facilitated, group mapping session. For each FCM, the net causal effect of every determinant (direct or indirect) on diabetes was calculated from its transitive closure. The net causal effects were then compared across the set of FCMs to identify strong, weak and controversial determinants.Results: Comparison of FCMs revealed significant heterogeneity in the perspectives of diabetes. The Akwesasne participants focused heavily on social, traditional and spiritual factors, while Conne River participants placed more importance on direct personal and lifestyle factors. There was, however, a core of strong, validated determinants related primarily to healthy diet and physical activity. Conclusions:This work demonstrates how FCM may be used to extract and represent different perspectives of complex issues allowing for comparisons among stakeholders or knowledge groups. Comparison of multiple FCM employing the transitive closure may then be used to identify areas of agreement and controversy.