Abundance of Northwest Atlantic grey seals in Canadian waters

Northwest Atlantic grey seals form a single stock, but for management purposes are often considered as 2 groups. The largest group whelps on Sable Island, 290 km east of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The second group referred to as ‘non-Sable Island’ or ‘Gulf’ animals whelps primarily on the pack ice in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, with other smaller groups pupping on small islands in the southern Gulf and along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. Estimates of pup production in this latter group have been determined using mark-recapture and aerial survey techniques. The most recent visual aerial surveys flown during January-February 1996, 1997 and 2000 in the southern Gulf of St Lawrence and along the Eastern Shore resulted in pup production estimates of 11,100 (SE = 1,300), 7,300 (SE = 800) and 6,100 (SE = 900) in 1996, 1997 and 2000 respectively after correcting for births and including counts of pups on small islands. Incorporating information on pup production, reproduction rates and removals into a population model indicates that the Gulf component increased from 15,500 (95% CI = 14,600-16,300) animals in 1970 to 62,700 (95% CI = 49,800-67,800) animals by 1996 and then declined to 22,300 (95% CI = 17,200-28,300) animals in 2000. On Sable Island the population has increased from 4,800 (95% CI = 4,700-4,900) animals in 1970 to 212,500 (95% CI = 159,600-276,200) in 2000. The total Northwest Atlantic grey seal population is estimated to number around 234,800 animals in 2000.

Detection and activity of a bacteriocin produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides

Leuconostoc mesenteroides UL5 was found to produce a bacteriocin, referred as mesenterocin 5, active against Listeria monocytogenes strains but with no effect on several useful lactic acid bacteria. The antimicrobial substance is a protein, since its activity was completely destroyed following protease (pronase) treatment. However, it was relatively heat stable (100 degrees C for 30 min) and partially denaturated by chloroform. The inhibitory effect of the bacteriocin on sensitive bacterial strains was determined by a critical-dilution micromethod. Mutants of L. mesenteroides UL5 which had lost the capacity to produce the bacteriocin were obtained. The mutant strain was stable and phenotypically identical to parental cells and remained resistant to the bacteriocin. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to detect bacteriocin activity corresponding to an apparent molecular mass of about 4.5 kDa.