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). The blooms originated in the coastal area of Jiangsu province and spread north-east towards the Shandong Peninsula. The blooms grew at different rates and mesoscale variability in surface winds explained the differences in the spatial and temporal patterns of blooms in 2008 and 2009. The 2009 bloom was tracked to its origin immediately offshore of extensive intertidal flats between Yancheng and Nantong where recent rapid expansion of Porphyra aquaculture has occurred. We review published hypotheses which have been advanced to explain the occurrence of blooms and in light of our findings, we conclude that the accumulation and disposal of waste Ulva prolifera from Porphyra aquaculture rafts is the most likely cause of the blooms.

Fish biodiversity management relies on an accurate understanding of species identity. Biomonitoring of marine fishes conventionally involves observational identification and counts of species using an assortment of techniques including fishing, trapping, baited or unbaited remote underwater video, diver-operated stereo-video, or underwater visual census. Each biomonitoring technique has strengths and weaknesses, but all rely on expertise in fish taxonomy or, at a minimum, observers skilled in fish identification (Harvey

A combination of laboratory and field experiments with the commercial abalone species Haliotis laevigata showed that fertilization may be a limiting factor in some exploited populations when distances separating spawning individuals are too large. The effects of gamete age, gamete concentration, and gamete contact time in the laboratory were used to model fertilization success in situ and compared with experimental fertilization rates in the field. Highest fertilization rates in vitro (80%) were found for sperm concentrations in the range of 1 × 104 to 1 × 106·mL-1. Fertilization rates of 48 ± 1.7% (95% CI) were measured at separation distances of 2 m and dropped to 2.8 ± 0.7% (95% CI) at 16 m downstream, agreeing closely with rates predicted by the model. Recruitment failures reported for South Australian populations of H. laevigata have occurred when densities fell below ca.0.3 animals·m-2, or mean nearest-neighbor distances between 1 and 2 m. This density corresponds well to critical nearest-neighbor distances for fertilization success. Stocks at higher densities are predicted to have higher fertilization rates (ca.90%) such that fertilization success is not a factor limiting recruitment.

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Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a sensitive and widely used approach for species detection and biodiversity assessment. The most common eDNA collection method in aquatic systems is actively filtering water through a membrane, which is time consuming and requires specialized equipment. Ecological studies investigating species abundance or distribution often require more samples than can be practically collected with current filtration methods. Here we demonstrate how eDNA can be passively collected in both tropical and temperate marine systems by directly submerging filter membranes (positively charged nylon and non-charged cellulose ester) in the water column. Using a universal fish metabarcoding assay, we show that passive eDNA collection can detect fish as effectively as active eDNA filtration methods in temperate systems and can also provide similar estimates of total fish biodiversity. Furthermore, passive eDNA collection enables greater levels of biological sampling, which increases the range of ecological questions that eDNA metabarcoding can address.