"Draw the sea…": Children's representations of ocean connectivity in Fiji and New Caledonia.

In the South Pacific region, marine territories and resources play a crucial role for local communities. Children engage with these territories and resources from an early age onwards. As the next ocean stewards, they are a stakeholder group whose understandings of ocean connectivity and fisheries should be given serious consideration in decision-making processes towards the sustainable use and management of coastal seas.

Conservation status and cultural values of sea turtles leading to (un)written parallel management systems in Fiji.

Globally and locally, conservationists and scientists work to inform policy makers to help recovery of endangered sea turtle populations. In Fiji, in the South Pacific, sea turtles are protected by the national legislation because of their conservation status, and are also a customary iTaukei resource. Centered on our interview-based study at Qoma and Denimanu villages, parallel management systems coexist, where both the (written) national legislation and the (unwritten) customary iTaukei rules determine the time and the quantity of sea turtle harvest.

Multibiomarker responses to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and microplastics in thumbprint emperor Lethrinus harak from a South Pacific locally managed marine area.

To determine the baseline threat of microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in an important seafood fish from Vueti Navakavu locally managed marine area, a multibiomarker risk assessment was conducted on the thumbprint emperor fish Lethrinus harak. Condition factor, a measure of relative general health condition of fish, was significantly lower in samples from the wet season compared to the dry season but no significant differences were observed for hepatosomatic index, a measure of relative stored energy/nutrition, between seasonal groups. PAHs levels of four metabolites in emperor fish from Fiji waters are reported here for the first time; seasonal groups showed no significant differences, but all samples presented levels of biliary PAHs.

Screening of pharmaceuticals in coastal waters of the southern coast of Viti Levu in Fiji, South Pacific.

The global reliance on pharmaceuticals coupled with the lack of effective treatment methods has resulted in pseudo-persistence of pharmaceuticals within the environment. Globally, efforts to quantify and monitor pharmaceuticals within the environment have been well underway, however few studies have been made within small Pacific Islands. This study aims at screening for the occurrence and concentration of pharmaceutical residues within the southern coastal waters of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu.

Synergies between local and climate-driven impacts on coral reefs in the Tropical Pacific: A review of issues and adaptation opportunities.

Coral reefs in the tropical Pacific region are exposed to a range of anthropogenic local pressures. Climate change is exacerbating local impacts, causing unprecedented declines in coral reef habitats and bringing negative socio-economic consequences to Pacific communities who depend heavily on coral reefs for food, income and livelihoods. Continued increases in greenhouse gas emissions will drive future climate change, which will accelerate coral reef degradation.

Soundscape of green turtle foraging habitats in Fiji, South Pacific.

The soundscape features of the marine environment provide crucial information about ecosystem health for many species, and they are defined by the local biological, geophysical, and anthropogenic components. In this study, we investigated the soundscape at green turtle neritic foraging habitats in Fiji, South Pacific, with the aims of characterizing the contribution of each component and of comparing the levels of acoustic pressure among sites with different abundances of sea turtles. Four sites were selected at two islands, and one hydrophone was deployed at each site.

Knowledge gaps in ecotoxicology studies of marine environments in Pacific Island Countries and Territories - A systematic review.

The Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) are heavily dependent on the marine resources for food security, employment, government revenue and economic development, hence the concern about the potential exposure of these resources to pollutants. The main goal of this review was to identify ecotoxicology studies published that were done in PICTs. Four major gaps were identified: i) a quantitative gap, with low number of studies published on the PICTs; ii) a geographic gap, where ecotoxicology studies have unevenly covered the different PICTs; iii) a temporal gap, as no biological effect monitoring study has so far been published for the PICTs; and, iv) a pollutants gap, as all of the PICTs studies focused mainly on environmental monitoring studying on average two types of pollutants (heavy metals and pesticides) per PICT only.

Microplastics in subsurface coastal waters along the southern coast of Viti Levu in Fiji, South Pacific.

Microplastics (MPs) remain largely understudied in Small Island Developing States. This study is aimed at comparing the abundance and characteristics of MPs in rural and urban marine coastal sites located along the southern coast of Fiji's main inhabited island, Viti Levu. Collection of subsurface waters (at depth of ca.

Essential waters: Young bull sharks in Fiji's largest riverine system.

Coastal and estuarine systems provide critical shark habitats due to their relatively high productivity and shallow, protected waters. The young (neonates, young-of-the-year, and juveniles) of many coastal shark species occupy a diverse range of habitats and areas where they experience environmental variability, including acute and seasonal shifts in local salinities and temperatures. Although the location and functioning of essential shark habitats has been a focus in recent shark research, there is a paucity of data from the South Pacific.

Mixed stock analysis of juvenile green turtles aggregating at two foraging grounds in Fiji reveals major contribution from the American Samoa Management Unit.

In this study we assessed the breeding population, or Management Unit (MU), origin of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) present at Yadua Island and Makogai Island foraging grounds in Fiji, central South Pacific. Based on analysis of mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences from 150 immature green turtles caught during surveys carried out in 2015-2016, we identified a total of 18 haplotypes, the most common being CmP22.1 (44%) which is a primary haplotype characterizing the American Samoa breeding population.

High-speed imaging reveals how antihistamine exposure affects escape behaviours in aquatic insect prey.

Aquatic systems receive a wide range of pharmaceuticals that may have adverse impacts on aquatic wildlife. Among these pharmaceuticals, antihistamines are commonly found, and these substances have the potential to influence the physiology of aquatic invertebrates. Previous studies have focused on how antihistamines may affect behaviours of aquatic invertebrates, but these studies probably do not capture the full consequences of antihistamine exposure, as traditional recording techniques do not capture important animal movements occurring at the scale of milliseconds, such as prey escape responses.

Author Correction: Sporadic nesting reveals long distance colonisation in the philopatric loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Sporadic nesting reveals long distance colonisation in the philopatric loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).

The colonisation of new suitable habitats is crucial for species survival at evolutionary scale under changing environmental conditions. However, colonisation potential may be limited by philopatry that facilitates exploiting successful habitats across generations. We examine the mechanisms of long distance dispersal of the philopatric loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) by analysing 40 sporadic nesting events in the western Mediterranean.

Fisheries-independent surveys identify critical habitats for young scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Rewa Delta, Fiji.

Sharp declines in numerous shark populations around the world have generated considerable interest in better understanding and characterising their biology, ecology and critical habitats. The scalloped hammerhead shark (SHS, Sphyrna lewini) is subject to a multitude of natural and anthropogenic threats that are often exacerbated within the coastal embayments and estuaries used during SHS early life stages. In this study, we describe the temporal and spatial distribution, age class composition, and reproductive biology of SHS in the Rewa Delta (RD), Fiji.

Ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems--impacts through behavioural alterations.

The study of animal behaviour is important for both ecology and ecotoxicology, yet research in these two fields is currently developing independently. Here, we synthesize the available knowledge on drug-induced behavioural alterations in fish, discuss potential ecological consequences and report results from an experiment in which we quantify both uptake and behavioural impact of a psychiatric drug on a predatory fish (Perca fluviatilis) and its invertebrate prey (Coenagrion hastulatum). We show that perch became more active while damselfly behaviour was unaffected, illustrating that behavioural effects of pharmaceuticals can differ between species.

Effectiveness of a preventive educational programme on the oral health of preschool children.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a preventive-educational programme in a group of preschool children. The study's population group comprised 58 four-year-old children, with a mean age of 4.17 +/- 0.

Effect of a chlorhexidine varnish on Streptococcus mutans in saliva.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of a thymol/chlorhexidine varnish at 1% on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) in saliva applied after teaching and evaluating an oral hygiene technique and dressing the cavities to reduce the bacterial load. Streptococcus mutans levels in saliva samples and dental status were evaluated in 38 girls between 6 and 13 years of age with high risk of caries.

Clinical and microbiological associations in chronic periodontitis.

Chronic Periodontitis is the most prevalent form of periodontal disease. The subgingival microflora has been associated with the onset and progression of the disease. The aim of this work was to establish associations and correlations between clinical indicators and subgingival plaque microbiological data in patients diagnosed with moderate or severe Periodontitis.

Effect of supragingival plaque control on subgingival microflora and gingivo-periodontal tissues.

The aim of this study was to carry out a short term evaluation of the effect of supragingival plaque control on the subgingival microflora and gingivoperiodontal tissues in patients with moderate and severe periodontitis. A total of 92 sites from 23 patients were studied; patients ranged between 35 and 60 years of age (x 46.4 +/- 1.

[Effect of supragingival plaque control on subgingival microflora and periodontal tissues].

The aim of this study was to investigate, clinically and microbiologically, forty-four sites in 11 patients presenting with generalized chronic periodontitis. Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), Probing Bleeding (PB), Probing Depth (PD) and Insertion Level (IL) were registered. Samples of subgingival plaque were collected in the same sites for cultivation of anaerobic bacteria and determination of microbiological morphotypes using dark field microscopy.

Effect of self-brushing with acidulated phosphate fluoride (pH 5.6) on dental caries in children.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of a preventive program on the dental plaque and on the caries incidence in school children. The program comprised weekly supervised self brushing with acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) gel (pH 5.6; concentration: 4520 ppm of ion F-).