This study presents a new method (LBB) for the analysis of length frequency data from commercial catches. LBB works for species that grow throughout their lives, such as most commercially-important fish and invertebrates, and requires no input in addition to length frequency data. It estimates asymptotic length, length at first capture, relative natural mortality, and relative fishing mortality. Standard fisheries equations can then be used to approximate current exploited biomass relative to unexploited biomass. In addition, these parameters allow the estimation of length at first capture that would maximize catch and biomass for a given fishing effort, and estimation of a proxy for the relative biomass capable of producing maximum sustainable yields. Relative biomass estimates of LBB were not significantly different from the “true” values in simulated data and were similar to independent estimates from full stock assessments. LBB also presents a new indicator for assessing whether an observed size structure is indicative of a healthy stock. LBB results will obviously be misleading if the length frequency data do not represent the size composition of the exploited size range of the stock or if length frequencies resulting from the interplay of growth and mortality are masked by strong recruitment pulses.

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We studied three-dimensional distribution patterns of temperature, phyto-and zooplankton, and fish in the large, prealpine Lake Constance during spring 2007. A strong westerly wind induced an intense eastward displacement of epilimnetic water and upwelling of hypolimnetic water in the western part of the lake. This led to the formation of an internal front separating cold, hypolimnetic water depleted of chlorophyll in the western part from epilimnetic, warm water with high chlorophyll concentrations in the eastern part. Hydroacoustic detection of zooplankton (by Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) and juvenile fish (by echosounding) revealed both to be passively transported by the wind. Consequently, zooplankton and fish showed comparable horizontal distributions as temperature and chlorophyll. During periods of low wind velocities (,6 m s 21 ), water temperature was more evenly distributed, whereas phytoplankton distribution was still heterogeneous, probably because of local differences in resource supply. The relative influence of biotic factors for the distribution of organisms increased when external forcing was low. At periods with weak wind forcing, phytoplankton typically showed highest concentrations in the metalimnion, where zooplankton also aggregated in thin layers. In conclusion, we found spatial distributions of temperature and organisms to be strongly controlled by wind forcing when wind velocities were sufficiently high, whereas the importance of internal biotic factors for distribution of organisms increased when wind velocities were less strong. Abiotic factors appeared to act over relatively large spatial scales and affected distributions within the entire ecosystem, whereas biotic factors affected distributions of algae, zooplankton, and fish on a more local scale.

The ultrastructural localization of calcium in synaptic areas of the CNS of fish was investigated. Prefixation with phosphate-buffered glutaraldehyde followed by post-fixation with osmium/potassium-bichromate was used to precipitate and visualize endogenous calcium without the addition of external calcium. The presence of calcium in the electron-dense precipitates produced using this method was demonstrated by electron spectroscopic imaging using a Zeiss EM-902 transmission electron microscope, and in various control experiments using the calcium chelator EGTA. In the optic tectum of fish, electron dense precipitates containing calcium were found not only in intracellular compartments, e.g. the smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and synaptic vesicles, but also at extracellular locations, particularly in synaptic clefts. In the extracellular sites, only chelate complexes of ionic calcium were found. This would seem to be in agreement with electrophysiological and biochemical data reported in earlier studies. Thus, using the present method, it should be possible to obtain further ultrastructural information concerning the mechanisms of synaptic transmission.