At the second Implementation Plan Meeting of SPACC (Small Pelagic Fish and Climate Change), held 19-23 August 1996 in Mexico City, 10 new Working Groups were established to continue SPACC work. Terms of Reference (TOR), names and e-mail addresses of WG Chairmen are given below. All Working Groups are open for anybody wishing to participate.
WG on Modeling. TOR: Develop a modeling implementation plan to integrate the products generated by the working groups to predict the effects of climate change on populations of small pelagic fishes (Jarre-Teichmann, ajt@dfu.min.dk; Moisan, moisan@drifter.ucsd.edu; Moloney, cmoloney@sfri.sfri.ac.za)
WG on Decadal Changes of Ecosystems. TOR: Develop an implementation plan on how to use existing time series of data and modeling to investigate how large scale variability of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system affects ecosystems in which small pelagic fishes are important (Alheit, juergen.alheit@io-warnemuende.de; Crawford, crawford@sfri.sfri.ac.za)
WG on Comparative Population Dynamics. TOR: Calculate and compare the total production per unit biomass and per unit spawning habitat for all species of small pelagic fishes considered by SPACC and for which sufficient data exist (Jacobson, larryj@ucsd.edu; Serra, rserra@ifop.cl)
WG on Paleoecology. TOR: Reconstruct and compare between Pacific and Atlantic fish population histories and associated ecosystem changes inferred from sediment samples. Reconstruction will concentrate on decadal through centennial temporal increments over the past 2000 years (Baumgartner, trbaumgartner@ucsd.edu)
WG on Genetics. TOR: Develop an implementation plan for a SPACC genetics programme which identifies population units, validates current species designations, estimates rates exchange among metapopulations and models effects of climate change and population collapse on genetic variability (Grant, stew.grant@noaa.gov)
WG on Daily Growth and Zooplankton. TOR: Develop a SPACC implementation plan to determine how climate variability affects productivity of small pelagic fish populations by comparing daily somatic growth of young fishes, plankton production and physical forcing among ecosystems (Butler, jbutler@its.ucsd.edu; Sanchez, rsanchez@inided.edu.ar)
WG on Spawning and Nursery Habitat Quality and Dynamics. TOR: Develop a comparative SPACC research implementation plan to assess the effects on fish population growth on changes in the quality and dynamics of spawning and nursery habitat (Roy, croy@orstom.fr; Castro, lecastro@halcon.dpi.udec.cl)
WG on Spawning Habitat Dimensions. TOR: Design a comparative SPACC research implementation plan to assess the effects on population growth of changes in the spatial and temporal dimensions and location of the spawning habitat of small pelagic fishes (Hunter, john.hunter@noaa.gov; van der Lingen, vdlingen@sp.sfri.ac.za)
WG on Resource Availability. TOR: Develop an implementation plan to determine how spatial distributions of small pelagic fishes are affected by major shifts in ocean climate (Freon, freon@orstom.rio.net; Botsford, lwbotsford@ucdavis.edu)
WG on Economic Consequences. TOR: Develop a plan and determine the economic effects of climate induced changes in small pelagic fishes considering both the short-term effects such as El Nino as well as long-term decadal changes in ocean climate (No Chair yet)
The SPACC Implementation Plan is under preparation. For further information contact John Hunter, USA, Fax: +1-619-546 5656; e-mail: john.hunter@noaa.gov or Jürgen Alheit, Germany, Fax: +49-381-5197 440; e-mail: juergen.alheit@io-warnemuende.de.