Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1984. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves [129]-141.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.) in Oceanography--University of Maine, 2008. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 29-32).

Thesis (M.S.)--George Mason University, 2008. / Vita: p. 103. Thesis director: Robert B. Jonas. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed July 3, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-102). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- California Institute of Technology, 2010. / Title from home page (viewed 05/17/10). Advisor and committee chair names found in the thesis' metadata record in the digital repository. Includes bibliographical references.

The production of an economic good derived from a renewable natural resource base involves the extraction of ecosystem function values as represented by the contribution made to production by the originating ecosystem. The artisanal fisheries of Jamaica is used as a case study in the examination of the characteristics of economic production processes and the development of a biophysically-based index to account for captured ecosystem values. The following is provided: (i) a description of the fisheries of Jamaica and derivation of economic production function models; (ii) a description of the socio-economic condition of the fisheries of Montego Bay Marine Park (Montego Bay, Jamaica) which serves to further illustrate the nature of artisanal fisheries in Jamaica, as well as a more traditional economic approach to resource valuation; and, (iii) the development of an index which as a proxy measure captures the biophysical values of the contributions of the natural biotic environment (the “embodied ecosystem values”) to the fisheries, and an examination of the extent to which those values are proportionately reflected in monetary exchange values. In addition, contributions are made concerning: (i) the development of an economic data collection and analysis programme for Jamaica (also more widely applicable to countries of the developing tropics) which will allow for more informed decisions concerning the management of coral reef fisheries; (ii) general principles concerning the development of biophysical indices, such as indices of biodiversity, which will ultimately be used to inform government policy and management decisions; (iii) the validity of indices derived from ecosystem statistics; and, (iv) the potential for the further development of models which explicitly incorporate the contributions of ecosystems to economic production processes. Cobb-Douglas and translog models of fishing effort are derived from catch and effort data for the years 1996 and 1997 to describe the relationships between catch and firm-level inputs as they vary by fishery within Jamaica. Data on the total catch, crew size, gear soak time, and quantity of gear used yield separate functions of effort for the use of China net, trap, hand line, palanca, speargun, and troll fishing technologies. By further accounting for the month and fishing location (i.e. north coast versus south coast), the seasonal and regional influences on catch rates are explored. Patterns of production include reduced catch rates associated with fishing the north coast shelf and a seasonal peak in catch levels during the late summer and fall. The use of production function models of effort are found to provide informative descriptions of fishery production processes, yet avoid many of the technical difficulties associated with more traditional bioeconomic approaches. The Index of Captured Ecosystem Value (ICEV) is developed from a basis in information theory relevant to an analysis of network flows in ecosystems. Technical coefficients, describing the production relationship between ICEV values and market values of catches associated with individual fishing efforts, revealed that captured ecosystem function associated with fisheries using distinct technologies (i.e. China net, trap, hand line, palanca, and speargun) were valued differently by the market. This “surplus value” appears to be rooted in the observation that certain fisheries target species which are more connected within the coral reef food web than those species typically captured by other fisheries. Consideration of the biophysical contributions of coral reef ecosystems to fisheries production reveals distortions between market and supply-side values, indicating that the role of ecosystems is not being consistently treated. / Graduate

No description available.

Patterns of settlement of larvae and population dynamics of juveniles are poorly known for coral reef fishes. During 1987 to 1989, I studied these phenomena in the domino damselfish (Dascyllus albisella), a species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Larvae settle onto branching coral heads as new recruits (10-15 mm in length), usually with conspecific groups, and remain on the coral heads through juvenile life until maturity (70 mm total length). By conducting experiments on natural patch reefs and on an artificially distributed grid of coral heads, I found that most larvae settle at night, and that they settle preferentially on corals supporting large conspecific groups compared to small groups or empty corals. Within a group, juveniles form a linear dominance hierarchy based on fish size; aggressive interactions are mainly directed by larger fish towards smaller fish. Tagging studies demonstrated that growth was retarded in larger groups and for fish of low social status, but that survival, especially of new recruits, was enhanced in larger groups. Therefore, I identified both a growth cost and a survival benefit to group living. I derived a measure of net benefit of group living by combining size-specific growth and survival data into an estimate of the probability of reaching mature size. This estimate increased with group size in 1988 but not in 1987. I developed a simulation model which used my field data on settlement rate, settlement preferences, and juvenile growth and survival to predict demography of juvenile groups. The model successfully predicted seasonal fluctuations in mean group size, and estimated the number of fish maturing in 1987 and 1988, as a function of settlement rate and preferences and of juvenile growth and survival. Numbers maturing were directly related to settlement rate in both years, except at high rates in 1987, suggesting that primary recruitment limitation of adult numbers could be occurring. Settlement preferences also influenced numbers maturing. At all settlement rates, numbers maturing differed between years, suggesting that secondary recruitment limitation of adult numbers may also occur. / Graduation date: 1991

No description available.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Sydney, 1983. / Includes statistical tables. Bibliography: leaves 60-68. Also available in print form.