Changes in reproductive patterns in relation to decline in stock abundance of the Japanese mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria in Tokyo Bay

ABSTRACT:   We investigated changes in the reproductive patterns of mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria concurrent with stock-abundance decline in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Stock abundance was high in the mid to late 1980s but decreased abruptly in the early 1990s. The yearly change in annual mean larval abundance was similar to that of stock abundance. Mantis shrimp in the bay have two spawning seasons, an early season (May–June) for ≥1-year-old individuals and a late season (July–September) for 0–1-year-old individuals. This general reproductive pattern does not differ among different stock-abundance levels. However, the monthly pattern in larval abundance has changed with stock-abundance decline; larval abundance from the early spawning season was highest in the high-stock-abundance period, and it decreased significantly in the low-stock-abundance period, probably as a result of decreased spawning-stock abundance of large female mantis shrimp ≥1-year-old. Correlation analysis on the egg production index and larval abundance suggested that during this low-stock-abundance period the population is supported mostly by late-hatched larvae spawned by small, 0–1-year-old female mantis shrimp. Considering the reproductive pattern and the present status of the fishery, the stock of small female mantis shrimp should be conserved to enhance reproduction of the population for stock recovery.     

Reproductive biology of the dolphin fish Corphaena hippurus on the east coast of Taiwan

ABSTRACT: The dolphin fish, Corphaena hippurus Linnaeus, is one of the most important migratory fishes on the east coast of Taiwan. Present results are based on an investigation of 1439 specimens caught using long-line and driftnet, and set net collected monthly between September 1996 and September 1997. The sex ratio of female to male and female combined was 65%, demonstrating a female predominance. Oocytes became mature and transparent when they attained 1.0 mm in diameter. The total number of oocytes per ovary was estimated to range from 2.78 × 10⁵ to 23.48 × 10>⁵, but batch fecundity was noticeably lower than the total number of ovarian eggs, ranging 5.3–32.7% (average 30.1%), and the relative fecundity ranging 10–344/g bodyweight (mean 111/g bodyweight). Minimum body size at sexual maturity was estimated to be 51 cm for both sexes. Dolphin fish spawned throughout the year with reproductive activity peaking in February to March. It is suggested that the dolphin fish has an extended spawning season, during which it lays eggs almost continuously.     

Reproduction and recruitment of the brown shrimp Crangon crangon in the inner German Bight (North Sea): An interannual study and critical reappraisal

The brown shrimp, Crangon crangon, is the most important target of the coastal crustacean fisheries in the German Bight. In order to evaluate the relation between the abundance of ovigerous females and larvae in spring and the recruitment success in autumn, we first analysed the seasonal appearance of ovigerous females and larvae from weekly samples throughout 2012. The spawning season in the German Bight extends over several months comprising multiple unsynchronized spawning events. The minimum shares of ovigerous females appeared in early autumn, and the highest shares in late winter bearing mostly early egg stages. We defined the putative start of the reproductive cycle for November when the frequency of ovigerous females started to increase. There was no distinct separation between winter and summer eggs, but a continuous transition between large eggs spawned in winter (the early spawning season) and batches of smaller eggs in spring and summer. Larval densities peaked in April/May. Consequently, regular annual larval surveys from 2013 to 2016 were scheduled for April/May and extended to six transects covering the inner German Bight. Ovigerous females were most abundant in shallow waters above the 20‐m isobaths, which also explained regional differences in abundance between the regions off North Frisia and East Frisia. No relation was obvious between the number of larvae in spring and recruited stock in autumn. Due to the short lifespan of C. crangon, the combination of various abiotic factors and predator presence seems to be the principal parameters controlling stock size.     

大黄鱼一年两次性成熟发育特征的研究

选择春季产过卵的2^ 龄大黄鱼Pseudosciaena crocea(Richardson)在网箱中进行隔离培育，秋季从中挑选当年再次性成熟的亲鱼进行人工催产，比较春、秋两季的人工繁殖与仔、稚鱼培育效果，并定期观察卵巢及卵细胞的发育情况。实验表明，春季产过卵的同一批大黄鱼雌鱼，有72．1％的个体当年秋季可再次成熟，有58．8％的个体可以再次产卵，证实养殖大黄鱼具有一年“两熟”的性腺发育特征。     

Reproductive biology of ridgeback shrimp Solenocera choprai (Decapoda, Penaeoidea, Solenoceridae) off Mangalore coast, south India

Abstract:   The ridgeback shrimp Solenocera choprai has emerged as one of the important commercial species in 60–100 m depth zone off Karnataka coast, India, since 1993. Studies were conducted on S. choprai to understand its reproductive biology which can help in formulating policies for management of the species. The diagnostic features of reproductive morphology of the species were studied and illustrated in detail. Based on the coloration and size of the ovary and ova diameter variations, five stages of maturity in female S. choprai were identified. The mature ova are fully yolked with diameters between 0.24 and 0.35 mm. Size at maturity (50%) has been estimated at 54.5 and 66.5 mm total length (TL) in males and females, respectively. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) showed an increasing trend according to the advancement of maturity of the ovary, and monthly mean GSI showed a positive correlation with monthly percentage of spawners. Solenocera choprai was found to be a continuous breeder with two peaks: a major peak in November and another extended peak during January–February. The estimated numbers of ova in the mature ovary were 38 532 and 133 689 in shrimps measuring 80 and 110 mm TL, respectively. A sigmoidal increase in the female-to-male sex ratio with increase in size was noticed in the species. A χ ²-test showed that the annual distribution of females and males is not significantly different from a 1:1 ratio at the 1% level.     

THE ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION AND CULTURE OF BEAR SHRIMP,Penaeus semisulcatus de HAAN,IN HONG KONG

Penaeus semisulcatus (bear shrimp) was used for biological and culture studies. A peak of reproductive periodicity was shown in the months of May, June and July. Increase in body weight and in gonad weight coincided with the increase in sea water temperature. This suggested that sexual maturation might be a direct response to increased sea water temperature. Fecundity of mature female shrimp was estimated as 415,000 to 479,000 ova. In most cases, half-spent spawnings led to the production of poor eggs, characterized by irregular cytoplasmic formation and final autolysis. The embryonic and larval development of P. semisulcatus proceeded satisfactorily in a slightly alkaline medium (pH range from 7.5–8.5), and in water of salinity ranging from 28 to 35 ppt for egg and nauplius stages, and thereafter 25–35 ppt for zoea and mysis stages. The shrimps exhibited faster increase in body length than body weight in early growth. Later, after the shrimps had reached a body length of about 7.0 cm, the growth rate of body weight increased more markedly than body length. The rate of daily increase in weight was 1.01% in 7.0 cm shrimp. The feed efficiency of the formulated shrimp pellets was found to be 31.4%. During the nutritional study of P. semisulcatus, it was found that the combination of high dietary protein (about 40%) and low dietary lipid produced best growth and survival of bear shrimp. High increase of biomass of the shrimp fed with clam meat and high quality fish meal demonstrated the favorable response of shrimp to these diets. The use of cages for culturing bear shrimp was found to be practicable, but not efficient.     

光裸方格星虫繁殖习性的初步观察

2011年6、7、8月每月10日,挑选♀∶♂为5∶1的性成熟光裸方格星虫(Sipunculus nudus)亲体,在水泥池中暂养20 d,观察其产卵习性、产卵量及其体腔中生殖细胞的变化。结果表明,光裸方格星虫雌雄异体、体外受精;卵母细胞分批成熟,分批产卵;产卵时间不固定,昼夜皆可产卵,但夜间产卵次数和产卵量均高于白天;大量产卵时集群游动;6、7、8月的雌光裸方格星虫平均产卵分别为:3.20×104、4.43×104、3.46×104cell,平均受精率达98.3%;6、7、8月日累计产卵量y与时间x的变化方程分别为:y=0.430 5x3-25.971x2+503.39x-582.56(R2=0.982 0)、y=0.583 3x3-33.942x2+659.04x-712.43(R2=0.984 7)、y=-0.31x3+1.4676x2+245.11x-278.22(R2=0.994 3)。6、7、8月成熟卵细胞相对百分含量分别降低4.8%、9.0%、26.0%(P<0.01);6、7月的光裸方格星虫产后具有较好的再繁殖能力。     

Food organisms and feeding habits of larval and juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus at Ohama Beach in Hiuchi-Nada, the central Seto Inland Sea, Japan

ABSTRACT:   The abundance of food organisms and feeding habits of larval and juvenile Japanese flounder were examined during the period from May to August in 1999, 2000 and 2001 at the sandy Ohama beach, the central Seto Inland Sea. The food organisms collected with a sledge net consisted of 40 families from 18 orders, dominated by mysids, crangonids and gammarids. The mean densities of mysids, crangonid shrimp ( Crangon spp.), gammarids and fish were 2.74, 6.74, 2.91 and 0.15 individuals/m², respectively. The main prey of the flounder ( n  = 202; range of total length 9.80–75.95 mm) was mysids and small crangonid shrimp (<14 mm in body length). Prey fish availability was low, as the density of fish was low. The small crangonid shrimp was abundant, and the large crangonid shrimp, which could prey on larval flounder, was not abundant. The crangonid shrimp was important not as a predator for the flounder but as prey. The flounder preferred epifaunal mysids, Nipponomysis ornata and Anisomysis ijimai , to sand-burrowing mysids, Iiella oshimai , and avoided crangonid shrimp.     

Ontogeny of anti-predator behavior in hatchery-reared jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus larvae and juveniles: patchiness formation, swimming capability, and interaction with jellyfish

ABSTRACT:   Laboratory rearing and behavioral observations of larval and juvenile jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus were conducted to elucidate their life-history traits with emphasis on the interaction with the moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita . Jack mackerel were raised from naturally spawned fertilized eggs and they attained 10.3 ± 0.7 (mean ± standard deviation) mm in body length (BL) by 30 days post hatching (dph) and 26.6 ± 1.8 mm BL at 48 dph raised at 19.3–25.0°C. Patchiness (dense aggregation) was confirmed from 5–16 dph (2.9–5.9 mm BL) during the day and from 9–48 dph (4.0–27 mm BL) at night. Cruise and burst swimming speeds were 1.5–1.9 BL/s and 16–24 BL/s, respectively, during larval and juvenile stages, in experimental tanks. Although escape performance from jellyfish was not different between the larvae of jack mackerel and chub mackerel Scomber japonicus , both species showed better survival compared to red sea bream Pagrus major larvae of a similar size. Although jack mackerel were slow in growth, their slow cruise swimming may reduce the chance of encountering predators and fast burst swimming may help escape from gelatinous predators.     

细鳞鲴卵巢发育的组织学观察

采用组织学方法对细鳞鲴卵巢周年变化和卵母细胞发育进行了观察研究。结果表明,细鳞鲴卵巢发育分为6个时期,卵母细胞发育分5个时相,从第Ⅲ时相卵母细胞开始表现出种的特异性。3月卵巢处于产前发育阶段,4-7月为繁殖期,5-6月为繁殖盛期,8月卵巢基本修整完毕,9-10月为Ⅱ′期发育,11月至翌年2月以Ⅲ期卵巢越冬。细鳞鲴的产卵方式为短期分批同步产卵类型,在一个生殖周期内一般产卵2~3次。     

Fertilization and Development of Eggs of the Sea Urchin Lytechinus variegatus Maintained on an Extruded Feed

Sea urchin eggs are used extensively as models for studies in developmental and molecular biology. Developing aquaculture techniques and facilities for sea urchins would facilitate their use for this purpose and for production of young sea urchins for stock enhancement. A basic requirement for the aqua-culture of sea urchins is the availability of a feed that predictably produces eggs of a consistent, high quality. We tested an extruded feed with Lyrechinus variegatus for this purpose. Lytechinus variegatus (mean horizontal diameter 55 mm, 75 g wet weight) were collected in April 1998. Nine individuals were maintained in each of four aquaria with closed, recirculating filtered sea water. They were fed approximately 1 g extruded feedindividual per week. All feed was consumed. The mean weight of the sea urchins changed little with this feeding regime. The sea urchins spawned spontaneously on a monthly basis during water changes. Four females in February and one in March were spawned by injection with potassium chloride. Fertilization was 99–100% successful in each case. Egg diameters from these spawnings and a spontaneous spawning in April ranged from 102 × 6 to 128 × 1 μm. Gastrulation occurred in <20 h and metamorphosis after 22 to 37 d. Newly metamorphosed juveniles ranged in size from 435 × 38 to 473 × 56 μm. Egg size, larval size, the chronology of embryonic and larval development, and size of newly metamorphosed juveniles are similar to those obtained from field individuals reported in the literature. These results indicate that a predictable production of high quality eggs by sea urchins under controlled conditions in the laboratory with a prepared feed is feasible.     

Annual reproductive cycle of the greasyback shrimp Metapenaeus ensis in Ise Bay,Japan

The greasyback shrimp Metapenaeus ensis is widely distributed along the coast of India and the West Pacific where it is an important fisheries species. We have examined seasonal changes in ovarian development, spermatogenesis, and mating of Me. ensis in histological studies and by external observations on specimens collected in Ise Bay, its northernmost habitat. Ovaries were found to be previtellogenic from February to May, with the first signs of development being the accumulation of yolk in oocytes in late May. Ovarian shadow ratios were high during the period late July to mid-September. The formation of cortical rods in the peripheries of oocytes and germinal vesicle breakdown were observed in ovaries from late June to September. Male shrimps had sperm in the testes during the period early June to early October, and female shrimps had spermatophores in spermatheca after early July. In late July, some post-spawn female shrimps had exogenous vitellogenic oocytes in their ovaries, indicating that ovarian development had been repeated in preparation for the next spawning. Ovarian shadow ratios, which were positively correlated with gonadosomatic indices and ovarian development, seem to be a useful marker to determine ovarian development. Our results indicate that mating in Me. ensis started in early July and that the spawning season ranged from July to September with more than two cycles of spawning in Ise Bay.

     

Interannual variation in quantitative relationships among egg production and densities of larvae and juveniles of the Japanese mantis shrimp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oratosquilla oratoria</Emphasis> in Tokyo Bay,Japan

To explore which lifestages affect the stock size of young-of-the-year mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria in Tokyo Bay, Japan, we investigated interannual variations in the quantitative relationships among egg production, larval density, and juvenile density. We collected adult females, larvae, and juveniles during monthly field surveys from 2004 to 2007. The interannual trend for the juvenile density index differed from those for egg production and larval density; although indices of both egg production and larval density were high in 2004 and 2007, the juvenile density index was high only in 2007, suggesting high mortality during the pelagic larval stage or the early phase of the postsettlement juvenile stage in 2004. We found that larval settlement started at the end of August and peaked in October, although larvae from the early spawning season (May–June) should have settled in August or earlier. Juveniles were found throughout the bay except in areas where bottom hypoxia occurred, suggesting that hypoxia restricts the spatial distribution of juveniles. Our results suggest that mortality during the early life history fluctuates among years, probably because of changes in environmental conditions in the bay, resulting in interannual variation in the stock size of young-of-the-year juvenile O. oratoria.     

Spatio-temporal distribution of sergestid shrimp Acetes intermedius in the coastal waters of southwestern Taiwan

SUMMARY: Spatio-temporal variation of the sergestid shrimp Acetes intermedius in the coastal waters of southwestern Taiwan was investigated based on 1546 samples collected by 13 commercial fishing vessels from July to October 1996. Adult sergestid shrimp started a down-estuary migration with the increased river discharge associated with heavy summer rainfall. Fishing season for this species was to commence after that. In July, the shrimp stock was found on the shallow continental shelf off Tungkang and Fangshan. They mainly aggregated in Kaoping Canyon off Tungkang during August and September occurring at very high densities. In October, the shrimp returned to the coastal waters off Tungkang and Fangshan at lower densities. The heavy rainfall is a factor that triggers the shrimps to make a down-estuary migration that could reduce competition for food between adults and their offspring during the period of high river discharge. When the northeast monsoon prevailed, the sergestid shrimp moved back to the estuaries and the fishing season was terminated.     

Multiple GnRHa injections to induce successful spawning of wild caught greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) matured in captivity

Reliable reproduction and sufficient amounts of juveniles obtained in captivity constitute a main bottleneck for mass production of greater amberjack. The aim of the present study was to combine several aspects of broodstock management and hormonal induction, to obtain a large number of high quality spawns. Captured Seriola dumerili sub‐adults were kept for three years in 10 m³ tanks. When fish were larger than 75 cm, they were individually tagged, periodically explored to determine gonad maturation and injected with gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue from June to October. A total of 15 inductions to four males and two females produced 330 821 ± 219 519 eggs/induction and a total of 22 spawns. The number of spawns and female fecundity (2.48 millions eggs/female/spawning season) were similar to those of free wild populations and higher than those previously obtained in captivity for this species. Egg quality increased from an initial low in the first two spawns in June to give, during July to October, a mean of 96.01 ± 6.50% fertilized eggs, 92.58 ± 17.56% hatched eggs, 78.66 ± 12.60% larval survival at day 3 after. These results showed that intramuscular injections of 20 μg kg^?1 body weight GnRHa under natural temperature and photoperiod conditions in the Canary Islands produced a high induction efficiency.     

Transport and survival processes of eggs and larvae of jack mackerel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trachurus japonicus</Emphasis> in the East China Sea

ABSTRACT:   Recent surveys showed substantial aggregation of larvae of jack mackerel in the southern East China Sea, indicating intensive spawning grounds near Taiwan. A numerical model was applied to investigate transport and survival processes of eggs and larvae of jack mackerel from the spawning area to the nurseries. The results show that: (i) the distributions of larvae simulated by the model agreed well with those obtained by field survey; (ii) the stock of jack mackerel in the Sea of Japan is composed of both groups from north of Taiwan and from the western coast of Kyushu. It takes more than two months for the former to reach the Sea of Japan, while it is within 40 days for the latter; and (iii) large proportions of the eggs and larvae spawned off the north of Taiwan are transported rapidly to the Pacific side of Kyushu by the Kuroshio Current, and the rest slowly to the east or north-east along the continental slope in the East China Sea. In contrast to the larval flux, survivors are more abundant in the northern East China Sea than in the Pacific Ocean, indicating that survival in the northern East China Sea would determine the jack mackerel stock in Japan.     

Reproductive ecology of two cyprinid fishes in an oligotrophic lake near the southern limits of their distribution range

Abstract –  The reproductive activities of two dominant fish species, roach Rutilus rutilus and rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus were investigated from August 2000 to July 2002 in an oligotrophic lake, Lake Sapanca, in the northwest of Turkey. A total of 907 roach and 593 rudd individuals were examined. Macroscopic appearance of ovary, gonadosomatic index and oocyte diameter frequency distribution suggested that the spawning season of roach and rudd were from early April (13 °C) to late May (18 °C) and from early May (17.5 °C) to late June (23.5 °C), respectively. The spawning cycles of both species showed the same tendency in two successive years. The estimated mean total lengths at first maturity ( L _T50) were 12.26 and 14.98 cm for male and female roach, respectively, and 7.12 and 8.10 cm for male and female rudd, respectively. The sizes at 50% maturity corresponded to 3 years for roach and 1 year for rudd, for both sexes. The ratio of males to females was 1.3:1 and 1.2:1 for roach and rudd, respectively. The average condition factor K was 1.21 for rudd and 1.14 for roach, and it was not affected by sex or reproductive effort. Absolute fecundity varied from 7829 to 95,387 eggs between ages 3 and 9 for roach and from 1807 to 35,629 eggs between ages 1 and 7 for rudd. Comparisons of these results with earlier studies from more northern regions revealed that spawning of both species in this area started earlier, but spawning temperature and the duration of spawning was approximately the same.     

Induced Final Maturation and Spawning of the Marbled Grouper Epinephelus microdon Captured from Spawning Aggregations in the Republic of Palau, Micronesia

A high percentage (98.3%, N = 60) of the marbled grouper Epinephelus microdon individuals captured from spawning aggregations during July and August 1993 in the waters surrounding the island of Koror, Republic of Palau, Micronesia, were in the stage of maturity at which final maturation and spawning could be hormonally induced. The sex ratio of the captured fish was highly skewed towards males (4 male:1 female). Sexually immature females comprised the smallest size class, (<0.6 kg body weight (BW) or 33.0 cm total length (TL)), while sexually mature females were restricted to the 0.6–1.5 kg BW (33.0–46.4 cm TL) groups. Males predominated in size classes >0.6 kg BW, and individuals >1.5 kg BW (46.4 cm TL) were exclusively male. All females with oocytes that averaged ( N = 50) >400 μm in diameter were successfully induced to spawn by a two-injection protocol using human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) at total dosages of 2,100–3,200 IU/kg fish. All males used in the spawning trials were administered a single injection of HCG at dosages of 500 or 1,000 IU/kg fish. Fecundity ranged between 7.96 × 10⁵−1.24 × 10⁶kg BW, average spawned egg diameters ranged between 769–832 μm, percent fertilization ranged between 32.6%–99.9%, and hatching percentages were >90.0%. Total fat content of eggs obtained from a pooled spawning event was 14.1 mg/100 mg dry weight. The data indicate that HCG is a suitable treatment for the induction of spawning in marbled grouper females that possess a mean oocyte diameter of 400 μm or greater.     

Seasonal and interannual variations in abundance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Euphausia pacifica</Emphasis> off north-eastern Japan

ABSTRACT:   Seasonal and interannual variations in abundance of Euphausia pacifica off north-eastern Japan were examined using Remodeled Norpac net samples collected from April 1993 to February 2000. Spawning occurred mainly during April–June and August–October in every year. When abundance of eggs was high in May, those of larval and immature stages in May–June and small adults (≤15 mm) during July–October tended to be high. There were high positive correlations between monthly average abundance of eggs in May–June and average abundance of small adults during July–October. However, there was low or negative correlation between monthly abundance of eggs in April and average abundance of small adults during July–October. Recruitment time to adult takes approximately 3 months, so these results suggest that small adults during July–October are mainly derived from spawning in May–June, but rarely from spawning in April. The apparent decrease in abundance of small adults from summer to winter was observed every year despite active spawning during August–October, which would recruit to adults in late autumn–winter. The possible effects on recruitment and mortality are discussed in relation to starvation and predation caused by low temperatures and low available food abundance.     

Fecundity and water flow influence the dynamics of Atlantic salmon

Populations are retained at reduced levels by resource competition and environmental stochasticity. In the Norwegian River Imsa, the relationship between fecundity of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) spawners and number of smolts per unit river area was investigated for cohorts spawned from 1976 to 2011. Annual number of smolts produced per unit area was best described by a multiplicative model and increased with the fecundity of the females as proxy for number of eggs deposited and the minimum water flow in August towards the end of the first growth season. Mean monthly water temperature, or water flow in any other month during the first year, had no significant effect on number of smolts produced. At sea, there was an almost linear relationship between number of emigrating smolts and returning adults, possibly because population abundance of Atlantic salmon is low relative to the carrying capacity in the ocean. Thus, both number of eggs spawned and minimum water flow in late summer influenced population abundance in the present river.