Employing an innovative underwater camera to improve electronic monitoring in the commercial Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery.

Vessel electronic monitoring (EM) systems used in fisheries around the world apply a variety of cameras to record catch as it is brought on deck and during fish processing activities. In EM work conducted by the Center for Fisheries Electronic Monitoring at Mote (CFEMM) in the Gulf of Mexico commercial reef fish fishery, there was a need to improve upon current technologies to enhance camera views for accurate species identification of large sharks, particularly those that were released while underwater at the vessel side or underneath the hull. This paper describes how this problem was addressed with the development of the first known EM system integrated underwater camera (UCAM) with a specialized vessel-specific deployment device on a bottom longline reef fish vessel. Data are presented based on blind video reviews from CFEMM trained reviewers of the resulting UCAM video footage compared with video from only the overhead EM cameras from 68 gear retrievals collected from eight fishing trips. Results revealed that the UCAM was a successful tool for capturing clear underwater video footage of released large (>2m) sharks to enable reviewers to improve individual species identification, determination, and fate by 34.4%. This was particularly important for obtaining data on incidental catches of large protected shark species. It also provided clear underwater imagery of the presence of potential predators such as marine mammals close to the vessel, more specifically bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) during gear retrieval, which often damaged or removed catch. This information is intended to assist researchers in need of gathering critical data on bycatch in close proximity to a vessel in which conventional overhead EM cameras are limited.

Systematic review of existing literature regarding the prevalence of pediatric atopic dermatitis in Honduras.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin condition, often multifactorial in origin, and most commonly manifests during childhood. Although there remains a deficit in literature, current data suggest Honduras may have the highest prevalence and severity of AD among all Latin American countries. Objective: To assess the current prevalence of pediatric AD in Honduras and evaluate existing gaps in available literature to monitor disease burden. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in March 2023. Articles were removed if they were published before 2007, were of the incorrect study design, or were focused on countries outside of Honduras. The articles were independently reviewed by 2 authors. Results: The initial literature search yielded 174 studies, of which 7 met inclusion criteria. AD prevalence rates in children in Honduras ranged from 0.7% to 40.0%. Limitations: Limitations include elements of study design, analytic methods, study populations, and limited articles. Conclusion: There appears to be a disproportionately higher prevalence and disease burden of pediatric AD in Honduras. Future research should acquire accurate data to further understand the prevalence, incidence, and severity of AD in Honduras.