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International conference on the biology of whales, held at Skyland, Luray, Virginia, 10–12 June 1971
CONFERENCES & MEETINGS
SYMPOSIUM ON DISEASES OF FISH, HELD AT THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, REGENTS PARK, 20 AND 21 MAY 1971
While pathology may be defined as the study of disease, this latter, per se, is not an end alone but represents the response of the host to a noxious agent. At this Symposium, although many specific disease problems were discussed in great detail--including bacterial and viral infections, immune responses, and tumours, of fish--the principal message which seemed to underlie many papers was the far-reaching effect of the environment. Fish, being poikilothermic vertebrates (i.e. of variable body-temperature), are particularly sensitive to their environment, and while the major problems of pollution were not fundamental to this Symposium, the various effects of changes in the watery environment were discussed in relation to many of the disease processes covered. Whilst disease was the principal theme, preventive medicine or positive health of fish was considered in some detail; for, in many diseases of fish, prevention is the only effective 'therapeutic weapon' which is readily available. Whilst one can treat aquaria fish and small ponds, one cannot colour vast lakes, rivers, and coastal waters, with malachite green! The interaction between various disciplines also soon become evident, and important though a pathological diagnosis is, it must be seen against the nutritional, physiological, and aquatic husbandry background, if a proper appreciation of the problem is to be realized. The relationship between the many scientific disciplines was brought out particularly by those interested in fish farming, whether they were the trout farms of Denmark, the carp farms of central Europe, or the rearing of sole, plaice, and turbot, by the White Fish Authority in the UK. The epidemiology of various infectious diseases was considered in relation to Carp Spring Viraemia and Carp Erythrodermatitis--formerly considered, erroneously, to be part of the same syndrome associated with ascites. A better understanding of these syndromes will certainly be a welcome addition to the current literature. The outbreak of ulcerative dermal necrosis (UDN) in the U K was considered in detail for the late 19th century*; while the aetiology is still uncertain, it is comforting to know that the outbreak, now well on the decline, is not considered to represent a biological disaster. The poorly-documented field of haematology was considered and a very useful guide to the would-be fish haematologist was given. This speciality, however, still requires much further investigation, as much is still unknown. The problems of neoplasia were briefly considered. All cell types of tumours have been noted, and are analogous,
in many ways, to the neoplasia seen in the higher vertebrates. While many new tumours were documented, much consideration was given to aetiological factors--such as nutrition, physiology, mode of feeding, genetic background, oncogenic viruses, and direct trauma--while last, but by no means least, the possible connection between water pollution, whether by sewage, chemicals, or biocides, and neoplasia, was discussed. Emphasis was also placed on treatment of disease, and much new and helpful information on detailed treatment using antibiotics and other chemotherapeutic agents was given. This up-to-date information will be of the utmost value--not only to fish farmers, but also to aquarium curators and research workers using fish as experimental models. This latter topic was discussed and the potential use of the fish as a useful model in the study of hepatocarcinogenesis emphasized. Finally, in summing up, it was felt that under the heading of fish disease it was not just the pathologist who should be interested, but a far wider range of specialists. The symposium showed that 'no man is an island', and that fish diseases are just as much the province of the nutritionist, geneticist, physiologist, and animal husbandry worker, as of the parasitologist, microbiologist, and histopathologist - - a l s o that if any rapid advances are to be made, it is only by a multidisciplinary approach that such aims can be achieved. LIONEL E. MAWDESLEY-THOMAS,
Editor, Journal of Fish Biology, Huntingdon Research Centre, Huntingdon, England.
INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ON THE BIOLOGY OF WHALES, HELD AT SKYLAND, LURAY, VIRGINIA, 10-12 JUNE 1971
Leading marine mammalogists, biometricians, and conservationists, met 10-12 June 1971 near Washington, D.C., to discuss the critical gaps in the biological data on whale populations and to recommend international research necessary to fill these gaps. Participating in the meeting were 34 representatives from Australia, Canada, Chile, Great Britain, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, the United States, Uruguay, the U N F o o d & Agriculture Organization, and UNESCO. In addition, observers were invited from 17 national and international organizations. Plans for the meeting grew out of the November 1970 statement by the US Secretary of the Interior when he * See the illustrated paper by Dr A. L. S. Munro published in announced the addition of eight species of whales to the Biological Conservation, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 129-32, January Endangered Species List. The Conference was jointly organized by the US Department of the Interior, the 1970reEd. 232 Biological Conservation, Vol. 4, No. 3, April 1972--~ Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England--Printed in Great Britain
Conferences and Meetings Smithsonian Institution, the New York Zoological Society, and the International Biological Programme. Cosponsors were the Conservation Foundation, the US Department of Commerce, the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Audubon Society, the US National Science Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, and the World Wildlife Fund. The Marine Mammal Council of the US International Biological Programme arranged and conducted the Conference. Programme chairman was Dr Kenneth S. Norris, Director of the Oceanic Institute of Hawaii and executive committee member of the Marine Mammal Council. Scheduled papers, covering the distribution and abundance of whale stocks, biometrics and management, whale biology and natural history, and methods of observation and of tagging whales, were delivered in general sessions early in the meeting. These provided background for discussion when the participants divided into three working groups, assigned to meet and report on: biology and natural history; regional populations; and biometrics, conservation, and management. Biology and Natural History :--This working group was chaired by Dr George A. Bartholomew, Jr (United States), and called for two innovations in research methodology in order 'to produce a picture sufficiently complete to be the basis of biologically-sound harvesting' of whales. These innovations are: (1) a programme of pelagic research captures, away from traditional whaling grounds, using specially-equipped whaling vessels such as a combined catcher/factory ship, and (2) the development of methods for the study of individual whales through radiotelemetry. Regional Populations :--This working group, chaired by Peter B. Best (South Africa), concluded that existing gaps in catch and effort data for large cetaceans must be filled before reasonable estimates of density distributions can be obtained. It recommended that a central agency, such as the Bureau of International Whaling Statistics, assume the task of collecting and handling these catch figures. The group also placed much importance on the use of biochemical methods for stock identification. Biometrics, Conservation, and Management:--This was the largest of the three groups and was the one with perhaps the most complex task. It was chaired by Sidney J. Holt (UNESCO) and its recommendations included: immediate institution of an International Observer Scheme, abolition of the Blue Whale unit as a means of expressing catch limits, establishment of quotas that would maintain stocks at, or above, their optimum levels, and establishment of a quota for Minke Whales in the Antarctic. The working groups also stressed the importance of considering not only the 'commercial' species but also the smaller types--including porpoises and dolphins, which represent a resource of major potential economic importance. A report on the Conference is being prepared for publication by the Marine Mammal Council and is expected to be available this year. Editors are Dr Carleton Ray, Dr Kenneth S. Norris, and Mr William E. Schevill-all of the Council's Executive Committee. Assisting them is a seven-member Editorial Advisory Committee, drawn from participants at the Conference. SUZANNE M. CONTOS,
Executive Secretary, US/1BP Marine Mammal Council, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA.
233
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND MEASUREMENTOF ENVIRONMENTALPOLLUTANTS, HELD AT THE NATIONALARTS CENTRE, OTTAWA, CANADA, ] 4 - ] 7 JUNE ]971
The Technical Programme comprising the Symposium featured 80 invited experts from around the world who presented papers on the most recent developments in areas of their specialization, covering a wide range of topics including pollutants and indicators of pollution in air, water, soil, and food. The meeting was held under the sponsorships of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Agricultural Institute of Canada, and the National Research Council of Canada. Three special plenary talks were presented at the meeting: Dr Martin W. Holdgate, Department of the Environment, London, England, spoke on 'The Need for Environmental Monitoring'; Mr William B. Foster, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, spoke on 'Environmental Problems for the 70s'; and the Hon. Jack Davis, Minister, Department of the Environment, Canada, presented an address on 'Pollution and Our Environment'. An edited draft of each paper, including abstracts in English and French, together with the written comments and views of members of the audience, is contained in the published Proceedings of the Symposium. These papers contain a wealth of new material on pollutants, written especially from the viewpoint of their identification and measurement, and as such represent a significant contribution to the scientific literature. The Symposium was highly successful in stimulating new ideas among the approximately 850 participants at the meeting. This stimulation can be broadened and extended through widespread distribution and further study of these important presentations. The cost of the hard-cover Proceedings is $35 Canadian funds. To obtain a copy, contact Mr M. K. Ward, Executive Secretary, ISIMEP, c/o National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I. HOFFMAN,
Chairman of the Symposium, Division of Biology, National Research Council of Canada, Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
SEVENTEENTHINTERNATIONALCONVENTIONON CIVILIZATION DISEASES,NUTRITION, ENVIRONMENT, AND LIVING CONDITIONS, HELD AT THE PALACEHOTEL, MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND,6-12 SEPTEMBER 1971
The Seventeenth Annual Convention of the International Society for Research on Civilization Diseases and Vital Substances lasted a full week. This organization, founded in 1954 as the International Society for Research on Nutrition and Vital Substances, has expanded in scope with an early change of name to its present form. It has also given birth to new organizations to strengthen and coordinate forces to attack certain evils of modern civilization----especially those affecting adversely the life
SYMPOSIUM ON DISEASES OF FISH, HELD AT THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, REGENTS PARK, 20 AND 21 MAY 1971
While pathology may be defined as the study of disease, this latter, per se, is not an end alone but represents the response of the host to a noxious agent. At this Symposium, although many specific disease problems were discussed in great detail--including bacterial and viral infections, immune responses, and tumours, of fish--the principal message which seemed to underlie many papers was the far-reaching effect of the environment. Fish, being poikilothermic vertebrates (i.e. of variable body-temperature), are particularly sensitive to their environment, and while the major problems of pollution were not fundamental to this Symposium, the various effects of changes in the watery environment were discussed in relation to many of the disease processes covered. Whilst disease was the principal theme, preventive medicine or positive health of fish was considered in some detail; for, in many diseases of fish, prevention is the only effective 'therapeutic weapon' which is readily available. Whilst one can treat aquaria fish and small ponds, one cannot colour vast lakes, rivers, and coastal waters, with malachite green! The interaction between various disciplines also soon become evident, and important though a pathological diagnosis is, it must be seen against the nutritional, physiological, and aquatic husbandry background, if a proper appreciation of the problem is to be realized. The relationship between the many scientific disciplines was brought out particularly by those interested in fish farming, whether they were the trout farms of Denmark, the carp farms of central Europe, or the rearing of sole, plaice, and turbot, by the White Fish Authority in the UK. The epidemiology of various infectious diseases was considered in relation to Carp Spring Viraemia and Carp Erythrodermatitis--formerly considered, erroneously, to be part of the same syndrome associated with ascites. A better understanding of these syndromes will certainly be a welcome addition to the current literature. The outbreak of ulcerative dermal necrosis (UDN) in the U K was considered in detail for the late 19th century*; while the aetiology is still uncertain, it is comforting to know that the outbreak, now well on the decline, is not considered to represent a biological disaster. The poorly-documented field of haematology was considered and a very useful guide to the would-be fish haematologist was given. This speciality, however, still requires much further investigation, as much is still unknown. The problems of neoplasia were briefly considered. All cell types of tumours have been noted, and are analogous,
in many ways, to the neoplasia seen in the higher vertebrates. While many new tumours were documented, much consideration was given to aetiological factors--such as nutrition, physiology, mode of feeding, genetic background, oncogenic viruses, and direct trauma--while last, but by no means least, the possible connection between water pollution, whether by sewage, chemicals, or biocides, and neoplasia, was discussed. Emphasis was also placed on treatment of disease, and much new and helpful information on detailed treatment using antibiotics and other chemotherapeutic agents was given. This up-to-date information will be of the utmost value--not only to fish farmers, but also to aquarium curators and research workers using fish as experimental models. This latter topic was discussed and the potential use of the fish as a useful model in the study of hepatocarcinogenesis emphasized. Finally, in summing up, it was felt that under the heading of fish disease it was not just the pathologist who should be interested, but a far wider range of specialists. The symposium showed that 'no man is an island', and that fish diseases are just as much the province of the nutritionist, geneticist, physiologist, and animal husbandry worker, as of the parasitologist, microbiologist, and histopathologist - - a l s o that if any rapid advances are to be made, it is only by a multidisciplinary approach that such aims can be achieved. LIONEL E. MAWDESLEY-THOMAS,
Editor, Journal of Fish Biology, Huntingdon Research Centre, Huntingdon, England.
INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ON THE BIOLOGY OF WHALES, HELD AT SKYLAND, LURAY, VIRGINIA, 10-12 JUNE 1971
Leading marine mammalogists, biometricians, and conservationists, met 10-12 June 1971 near Washington, D.C., to discuss the critical gaps in the biological data on whale populations and to recommend international research necessary to fill these gaps. Participating in the meeting were 34 representatives from Australia, Canada, Chile, Great Britain, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, the United States, Uruguay, the U N F o o d & Agriculture Organization, and UNESCO. In addition, observers were invited from 17 national and international organizations. Plans for the meeting grew out of the November 1970 statement by the US Secretary of the Interior when he * See the illustrated paper by Dr A. L. S. Munro published in announced the addition of eight species of whales to the Biological Conservation, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 129-32, January Endangered Species List. The Conference was jointly organized by the US Department of the Interior, the 1970reEd. 232 Biological Conservation, Vol. 4, No. 3, April 1972--~ Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England--Printed in Great Britain
Conferences and Meetings Smithsonian Institution, the New York Zoological Society, and the International Biological Programme. Cosponsors were the Conservation Foundation, the US Department of Commerce, the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Audubon Society, the US National Science Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, and the World Wildlife Fund. The Marine Mammal Council of the US International Biological Programme arranged and conducted the Conference. Programme chairman was Dr Kenneth S. Norris, Director of the Oceanic Institute of Hawaii and executive committee member of the Marine Mammal Council. Scheduled papers, covering the distribution and abundance of whale stocks, biometrics and management, whale biology and natural history, and methods of observation and of tagging whales, were delivered in general sessions early in the meeting. These provided background for discussion when the participants divided into three working groups, assigned to meet and report on: biology and natural history; regional populations; and biometrics, conservation, and management. Biology and Natural History :--This working group was chaired by Dr George A. Bartholomew, Jr (United States), and called for two innovations in research methodology in order 'to produce a picture sufficiently complete to be the basis of biologically-sound harvesting' of whales. These innovations are: (1) a programme of pelagic research captures, away from traditional whaling grounds, using specially-equipped whaling vessels such as a combined catcher/factory ship, and (2) the development of methods for the study of individual whales through radiotelemetry. Regional Populations :--This working group, chaired by Peter B. Best (South Africa), concluded that existing gaps in catch and effort data for large cetaceans must be filled before reasonable estimates of density distributions can be obtained. It recommended that a central agency, such as the Bureau of International Whaling Statistics, assume the task of collecting and handling these catch figures. The group also placed much importance on the use of biochemical methods for stock identification. Biometrics, Conservation, and Management:--This was the largest of the three groups and was the one with perhaps the most complex task. It was chaired by Sidney J. Holt (UNESCO) and its recommendations included: immediate institution of an International Observer Scheme, abolition of the Blue Whale unit as a means of expressing catch limits, establishment of quotas that would maintain stocks at, or above, their optimum levels, and establishment of a quota for Minke Whales in the Antarctic. The working groups also stressed the importance of considering not only the 'commercial' species but also the smaller types--including porpoises and dolphins, which represent a resource of major potential economic importance. A report on the Conference is being prepared for publication by the Marine Mammal Council and is expected to be available this year. Editors are Dr Carleton Ray, Dr Kenneth S. Norris, and Mr William E. Schevill-all of the Council's Executive Committee. Assisting them is a seven-member Editorial Advisory Committee, drawn from participants at the Conference. SUZANNE M. CONTOS,
Executive Secretary, US/1BP Marine Mammal Council, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA.
233
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND MEASUREMENTOF ENVIRONMENTALPOLLUTANTS, HELD AT THE NATIONALARTS CENTRE, OTTAWA, CANADA, ] 4 - ] 7 JUNE ]971
The Technical Programme comprising the Symposium featured 80 invited experts from around the world who presented papers on the most recent developments in areas of their specialization, covering a wide range of topics including pollutants and indicators of pollution in air, water, soil, and food. The meeting was held under the sponsorships of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Agricultural Institute of Canada, and the National Research Council of Canada. Three special plenary talks were presented at the meeting: Dr Martin W. Holdgate, Department of the Environment, London, England, spoke on 'The Need for Environmental Monitoring'; Mr William B. Foster, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, spoke on 'Environmental Problems for the 70s'; and the Hon. Jack Davis, Minister, Department of the Environment, Canada, presented an address on 'Pollution and Our Environment'. An edited draft of each paper, including abstracts in English and French, together with the written comments and views of members of the audience, is contained in the published Proceedings of the Symposium. These papers contain a wealth of new material on pollutants, written especially from the viewpoint of their identification and measurement, and as such represent a significant contribution to the scientific literature. The Symposium was highly successful in stimulating new ideas among the approximately 850 participants at the meeting. This stimulation can be broadened and extended through widespread distribution and further study of these important presentations. The cost of the hard-cover Proceedings is $35 Canadian funds. To obtain a copy, contact Mr M. K. Ward, Executive Secretary, ISIMEP, c/o National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I. HOFFMAN,
Chairman of the Symposium, Division of Biology, National Research Council of Canada, Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
SEVENTEENTHINTERNATIONALCONVENTIONON CIVILIZATION DISEASES,NUTRITION, ENVIRONMENT, AND LIVING CONDITIONS, HELD AT THE PALACEHOTEL, MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND,6-12 SEPTEMBER 1971
The Seventeenth Annual Convention of the International Society for Research on Civilization Diseases and Vital Substances lasted a full week. This organization, founded in 1954 as the International Society for Research on Nutrition and Vital Substances, has expanded in scope with an early change of name to its present form. It has also given birth to new organizations to strengthen and coordinate forces to attack certain evils of modern civilization----especially those affecting adversely the life