Effect of Illuminance Transition Rate on Survival of Juvenile Pacific Bluefin Tuna,Thunnus orientalis

To investigate the reason for the high mortality of cultured juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT), especially during land‐based culture, we examined the effect of the rate of light‐intensity change during the dawn period. Juvenile PBT kept in a natural light environment (control) were compared with those exposed to an artificially slowed change in light intensity during the dawn period (test group). For the test group, lamps, which were connected to automatic timers and placed above the rearing tank, were switched on from 0345 to 0515 h at 15‐min intervals. After 9 d, the survival rate of the test and control group was identical. Between Day 1 and Day 6, whole‐body cortisol levels were not different between groups. However, whole‐body glucose levels in the test group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Both groups displayed a diel rhythm in plasma cortisol concentration that peaked at 0300–0600 h. These results suggest that slowing the increase in light intensity during the dawn period did not improve survival and that low light intensity itself induces high mortality in cultured PBT juveniles.     

Changes in the scotopic vision of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) with growth

In cultured juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis), reducing the mass deaths caused by collision or contact with tank or net walls at night is a priority for seedling production. Pacific bluefin tuna is a visually dependant species, although its scotopic vision is poor. We recorded electroretinograms to investigate the visual function with growth in the dark-adapted eyes of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna. Peak wavelengths of spectral sensitivity [38–62 days posthatch (dph), 77–167 mm standard length (SL)] were observed between 474 and 494 nm. Visual light sensitivity has a tendency to increase slightly with growth at 28–64 dph in individuals that measured 29–175 mm SL. However, visual temporal resolution did not significantly increase with growth at 38–62 days dph in individuals that measured 77–167 mm SL. These results suggest that the mass death continues between 28 and 64 dph because of low visual function and increasing swimming speed with growth.     

Mortality of Northern Bluefin Tuna Thunnus thynnus Due to Trauma Caused by Collision During Growout Culture

Abstract.— Indoor and outdoor experiments were conducted to improve the rearing techniques for artificially hatched northern bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus during growout culture. Collisions with the walls of tanks or nets caused mass mortality that occurs during growout. The period when collisions frequently occur and the types of injury caused by collision were examined in this study. Juveniles were reared in indoor tanks from 30 to 120 d after hatching, and in an open sea net cage from 42 to 150 d after hatching. Dead fish were collected and counted daily in both of the experiments. In the indoor experiment, the sampled fish were preserved in 10% formalin solution, and each of 10 specimens of about 30, 50, 70, 85, 100, 130, 160 and 225 mm in body length (BL) were examined using x‐rays to detect injury of the bones. Juvenile and young adult bluefin tuna showed a reduction in numbers caused by collision with the tank or the net wall during the experiments. In the indoor tank, there were 1,200 fish on day 30 but only eight on day 120. The daily mortality increased from day 30 after hatching, when juveniles reached 50‐mm BL and remained over 4%/d until day 60 when juveniles grew to 300‐mm BL. The proportion of dead fish with injuries of bone, especially of the vertebral column and the parasphenoid, increased after fish reached 50‐mm BL, and exceeded 60% in fish with BL 85 mm or greater. In the open sea net cage, there were 3,841 fish at the start of the experiment on day 42 and only 65 on day 150. In this experiment, the reduction was greatest from the start of the experiment until day 80, when fish grew to approximately 25 cm in total length. Significant bacterial, viral or parasitic diseases were not observed in these fish; the only findings were dislocations of the vertebral column and injuries to the upper and lower jaws. These results show that the loss of juvenile and young adult bluefin tuna was caused by collision with the tank or net wall that fatally damaged the bones of the vertebral columns and the parasphenoid.     

Whole-body heat transfer coefficient and body temperature change of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis> according to growth

Bluefin tuna maintain a higher body temperature than ambient sea water. Body heat is derived mainly from metabolic heat to elevate and maintain regional body temperature that is higher than the ambient, while heat loss is caused by heat transfer throughout the whole body surface and gills. Retention of high body temperature is thought to differ at each growth stage, so that a larger body mass maintains a higher body temperature. We evaluated the whole-body heat transfer coefficient, thermal difference between each tissue and water temperature, and metabolic heat in tissues during swimming of juvenile bluefin tuna as a function of fork length (FL) using a small thermometer and a treadmill-type flow tank. A system for maintaining high body temperature was well developed in fish with FL greater than 20.0 cm. Whole-body heat transfer coefficient was fitted to a −0.695 power of mass. Juvenile bluefin tuna showed a transition speed of 3.0 FL/s at which they switched from aerobic to anaerobic motion.     

Factors affecting the feeding response of larval southern bluefin tuna,Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau, 1872)

Southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii, are cultured in Australia following collection of wild juveniles. Hatchery culture from egg is in the experimental stage. High early mortality has hindered the production of quality juveniles in the hatchery. This study investigated the visual capacity of T. maccoyii during early larval ontogeny in order to describe the best larval rearing conditions to produce high‐quality seed stock. Functional visual ability, determined through behavioural experimentation, identified the effect of light intensity, prey density, turbidity, tank colour and turbulence on the feeding response. Larvae were visually challenged to feed under a range of conditions in short‐duration (4 h) feeding experiments. Feeding performance was measured as the proportion of larvae feeding and the intensity of feeding. First‐feeding performance was positively affected by increasing prey density and lower turbidities and unaffected by light intensity, tank colour, turbulence, prey size and larval density. The key findings from feeding experiments on 6 and 9 dph larvae was that as T. maccoyii aged, lower light intensities and higher prey densities significantly increased feeding performance. In addition, the study has identified that high light intensity and high air‐driven turbulence induced significant mortality. The proficient first‐feeding response indicated that early mortality common in culture is unlikely to be associated with a failure to initiate feeding. Our findings show the use of low light intensity has the potential to significantly improve survival and feeding response during the first two critical weeks of culture, when the major bottleneck in hatchery production is currently experienced.     

Diving behavior of immature, feeding Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus orientalis) in relation to season and area: the East China Sea and the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition region

Twenty‐four archival tags were recovered from Pacific bluefin tuna previously released off Tsushima Island in the East China Sea. By analysis of the time‐series data of the pressure and the ambient and internal temperature from the 24 tags, we examined the relationship between the tuna's pattern of diving and the thermocline depth. In the East China Sea, diving and feeding events occurred throughout almost the entire day in both winter and summer, suggesting that the purpose of diving is for feeding. In summer, the feeding frequency was greater than that in winter, which corresponds to the fact that growth is more rapid in summer than in winter. During summer in the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition region, on the other hand, feeding events were much more frequent than those in the East China Sea, in spite of a lower diving frequency. The mean horizontal distance traveled was also significantly higher and it seems that in this area they may move horizontally to feed on prey accumulated at the surface. We conclude that, in addition to the ambient temperature structure, the vertical and horizontal distribution of prey species plays an important role in the feeding behavior of Pacific bluefin tuna. One bluefin tuna migrated to the Oyashio frontal area, where both the horizontal and the vertical thermal gradients are much steeper. The fish spent most of the time on the warmer side of the front and often traveled horizontally to the colder side during the day, perhaps to feed. This implies that there is a thermal barrier effect, in this case from the Oyashio front, on their behavior. The frequency of feeding events was low, although all the monitored fish dived every dawn and dusk, irrespective of the seasons or location. It is possible that these twice‐daily diving patterns occurred in response to the change in ambient light at sunrise and sunset.     

Three cone opsin genes and cone cell arrangement in retina of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   In bluefin tuna aquaculture, collision of juveniles with the tank or net walls is a major cause of high mortality. This problem may be related to color sensibility of the visual mechanisms of this species. As a first step in understanding of color vision of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis , we applied a molecular technique and histology to study cone cell distribution in the retina of juvenile fish. We isolated three cone opsin genes encoding one blue-sensitive ( SWS2 ) and two green-sensitive ( RH2 ) visual pigments. In situ hybridization revealed that SWS2 mRNA is localized in the single-cone photoreceptors. The localization of the two RH2 signals in distinct cone cells was not determined, probably because of the high homology between the two RH2 genes. Single-cone photoreceptors appeared frequently in the ventral–temporal retina in approximately 80-mm fish and in the temporal retina in approximately 230-mm fish. These cone distributions may define a visual field with best color contrast vision in front and above the fish with a short wavelength (blue) reflecting target (sensed by single cones), and may be enhanced against the longer wavelength (green) background when fish see a target below them (sensed by double cones).     

Mortality processes of hatchery‐reared Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck et Schlegel) larvae in relation to their piscivory

In mass culture of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis, yolk‐sac larvae of other species are fed as a major prey item to tuna larvae from 7 to 8 mm in total length. Marked growth variations in tuna larvae are frequently observed after feeding of yolk‐sac larvae, and this variation in the growth of tuna larvae is subsequently a factor leading to the prevalence of cannibalistic attacks. To elucidate details of the mortality process of hatchery‐reared tuna larvae after the initiation of yolk‐sac larvae feeding, we compared the nutritional and growth histories of the surviving (live) tuna larvae to those of the dead fish, found dead on the bottom of the tank, as direct evidence of their mortality processes. Cause of mortality of tuna larvae 3 and 5 days after the initiation of feeding of yolk‐sac larvae was assessed from nitrogen stable isotope and otolith microstructure analyses. Stable isotope analysis revealed that the live fish rapidly utilized prey fish larvae, but the dead fish had depended more on rotifers relative to the live fish 3 and 5 days after the initiation of feeding of yolk‐sac larvae. The growth histories based on otolith increments were compared between the live and dead tuna larvae and indicated that the live fish showed significantly faster growth histories than dead fish. Our results suggest that fast‐growing larvae at the onset of piscivory could survive in the mass culture tank of Pacific bluefin tuna and were characterized by growth‐selective mortality.     

Horizontal and vertical movements of juvenile bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) in relation to seasons and oceanographic conditions in the eastern Pacific Ocean

Electronically tagged juvenile Pacific bluefin, Thunnus orientalis, were released off Baja California in the summer of 2002. Time‐series data were analyzed for 18 fish that provided a record of 380 ± 120 days (mean ± SD) of ambient water and peritoneal cavity temperatures at 120 s intervals. Geolocations of tagged fish were estimated based on light‐based longitude and sea surface temperature‐based latitude algorithms. The horizontal and vertical movement patterns of Pacific bluefin were examined in relation to oceanographic conditions and the occurrence of feeding events inferred from thermal fluctuations in the peritoneal cavity. In summer, fish were located primarily in the Southern California Bight and over the continental shelf of Baja California, where juvenile Pacific bluefin use the top of the water column, undertaking occasional, brief forays to depths below the thermocline. In autumn, bluefin migrated north to the waters off the Central California coast when thermal fronts form as the result of weakened equatorward wind stress. An examination of ambient and peritoneal temperatures revealed that bluefin tuna fed during this period along the frontal boundaries. In mid‐winter, the bluefin returned to the Southern California Bight possibly because of strong downwelling and depletion of prey species off the Central California waters. The elevation of the mean peritoneal cavity temperature above the mean ambient water temperature increased as ambient water temperature decreased. The ability of juvenile bluefin tuna to maintain a thermal excess of 10°C occurred at ambient temperatures of 11–14°C when the fish were off the Central California coast. This suggests that the bluefin maintain peritoneal temperature by increasing heat conservation and possibly by increasing internal heat production when in cooler waters. For all of the Pacific bluefin tuna, there was a significant correlation between their mean nighttime depth and the visible disk area of the moon.     

Turbulence effect on survival and feeding of pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis> larvae,on the basis of a rearing experiment

ABSTRACT:   Physical conditions such as oceanic turbulence related to food availability are considered to be important factors affecting fish larval survival. Rearing experiments were conducted to elucidate the effects of turbulence on the survival and feeding rates during the initial feeding period of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis . Six levels of turbulence intensity were provided by changing flow rates from pipes set on the bottom of rearing tanks. The result showed a dome-shaped relationship between turbulence level and survival rate, in which the feeding rate appeared higher at a logged turbulence energy dissipation rate of −6.32, and decreased at both higher and lower turbulence levels. Compared with the turbulence intensity in the ocean, the optimal turbulence level for Pacific bluefin tuna larvae corresponded to the turbulence caused by sea surface winds with speeds of 4–12.5 m/s. The estimated optimal turbulence intensity for Pacific bluefin tuna larvae is comparable to that for yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares .     

光照强度对人工养殖的山女鳟幼鱼生长性能的影响

在水温12.1～13.9°C下和直径80 cm、高60 cm,水深40 cm的圆形选育缸中研究了不同光照强度(1200lx、600 lx和300 lx)对平均体质量为10.10±0.8g的山女鳟(Oncorhynchus masou masou)幼鱼生长和存活的影响。结果表明,光照强度显著影响山女鳟幼鱼特定生长率(SGR)、肥满度(CF)和变异系数(CV)(P<0.01),高光照强度组SGR和CF值显著高于两个低光照强度组,而CV值则是高光照强度组显著低于两个低光照强度组;高光照强度组摄食率(FI)明显高于两个低光照强度组。实验表明,适度增强光照强度有利于山女鳟幼鱼的生长,这对于优化山女鳟幼鱼培育条件具有指导意义。     

Critical swimming speed and maximum sustainable swimming speed of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis

Tank wall collision is one of the major causes of mortality during the early-stage rearing of Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis (PBT). Therefore, to design a rearing environment that meets the needs of juvenile PBT, it is important to gather information about their swimming capabilities. We conducted experiments to examine the relative critical swimming speed (RCSS) and maximum sustainable swimming speed (MSSS) of early-stage PBT. The fish were kept in 3-tonne tanks and fed on artificial pellets every 2 h from dusk to dawn. We conducted two sets of experiments to measure swimming speed; the fish were introduced one at a time into a water funnel, and the water current velocity was gradually increased over time to estimate RCSS, or the water current was kept at a constant velocity to estimate MSSS. We measured the RCSS of 72 PBT juveniles (24–29 days after hatching (DAH); standard length (SL), 15.0 ± 2.3 mm) and the MSSS of 32 PBT juveniles (28–37 DAH; SL, 20.0 ± 5.1 mm) in the laboratory. The RCSS ranged from 4.7 to 20.3 SL/s (average, 12.4 ± 3.3 SL/s), and the MSSS was estimated to be approximately 4 SL/s. We speculate that introducing a water current in the rearing tank of no more than 4 SL/s could positively affect the survival of juvenile PBT.     

Why do young Pacific bluefin tuna repeatedly dive to depths through the thermocline?

Young Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis with archival tags were released in the East China Sea. Time-series data for depth, and ambient and peritoneal temperatures for nine fish, recorded every 128 s, were analyzed. Our objectives were to describe monthly changes in diving patterns in relation to the ambient thermal structure and the occurrence of feeding events during March–June, and to discuss possible reasons why bluefin tuna repeatedly dived to depths below the thermocline in terms of their thermoconservation mechanisms. It was found that the fish repeatedly dived through the thermocline at intervals of 1.2 h on average, and the dive frequency was high during March–May. However, the dive frequency and periodicity decreased in June, when the gradient became steeper. In contrast, feeding events increased in June. These results indicate that from March to May, bluefin tuna repeatedly dive because food biomass is inadequate at the surface, and they stop undertaking repeated dives in June when food becomes more readily available at the surface, in addition to low visibility caused by low solar radiation. Further, the range of heat transfer times for these fish was so long that their peritoneal temperature was probably maintained by engaging in brief dives. The periodicity of dives may lead to a lower fluctuation in the peritoneal temperature, suggesting that the dives are a kind of behavioral thermoregulation.     

Distribution,growth and hatch date of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis> in the coastal area of the sea of Japan

ABSTRACT:   Mid-water trawl surveys were conducted from late August to late September in 1999 and 2004 in order to investigate the distribution pattern, hatch date, and growth of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis in the Sea of Japan. Juveniles were collected at the stations where ambient water temperature (mean water temperature from surface to 30 m deep, WT₀₋₃₀) was 23.4–25.9°C, and most of them were found in waters where WT₀₋₃₀ was higher than 24°C. Sampled juveniles ranged 108–280 mm fork length. Based on otolith analysis, they were estimated to grow to approximately 180 and 250 mm at 60 and 90 days old, respectively, and showed similar growth to that of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea. The back-calculated hatch date of the samples was mostly in July and most juveniles spawned in the Sea of Japan.     

Completion of the Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck et Schlegel) life cycle

Tuna aquaculture is currently dependent on the wild capture of juveniles for production. The development of hatchery technology for bluefin and other tunas would be a major step forward in improving sustainability of their aquaculture. The present study overviews the technology in the life cycle completion of the Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT) Thunnus orientalis (Temminck et Schlegel) under aquaculture conditions in Kinki University, and the problems to be solved for the establishment of tuna hatchery technology. On 23 June 2002, broodstock of PBT that were artificially hatched and reared spontaneously spawned in captivity. The resulting eggs hatched and were subsequently reared to the juvenile stage. The spawning fish were the result of a research project started in 1987 to rear wild‐caught juvenile PBT that were several months old. Fertilized eggs were obtained from these fish in 1995 and 1996. Resulting juveniles (the artificially hatched first generation) were reared to maturity and spawned in 2002. Over the summer of 2002, 1.63 million eggs from these fish were used for a mass rearing experiment, and 17 307 juveniles were produced and transferred to an open sea net cage. Of these artificially hatched second‐generation PBT, 1100 grew to approximately 95 cm total length and 14 kg body weight in 22 months. This procedure means the completion of PBT life cycle under aquaculture conditions, which was first attained among large tuna species. The problems awaiting solution in PBT hatchery production are their unpredictable spawning in captivity, to improve survival during the first 10 days post hatch, to reduce cannibalism in larval and juvenile stages, and to solve collision problem causing high mortality during the juvenile stage.     

Development of phototaxis in the early life stages of Pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis>

We investigated the development of phototaxis in larval and early juvenile stages of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis to detail behavior development in relation to light. We observed the distribution of Pacific bluefin tuna in an illumination gradient tank from 1 to 26 days after hatching (DAH). Two long rectangular tanks (100 × 10 × 10 cm) were used for experiments; each tank was divided into four sections for observations and one tank was equally illuminated at 1.0 × 10³ lx as the control tank, and the other was at 4.0 × 10², 1.0 × 10³, 1.0 × 10⁴ and 7.0 × 10⁴ lx as the illumination gradient tank. Laboratory-reared larvae and juvenile were released into each tank and acclimatized for 10 min. Thereafter, the number of individuals in each section was counted for 5 times with 10-min intervals. Until 2 DAH (3.6 ± 0.1 mm BL), larvae distributed homogeneously in each section in both tanks. After 3 DAH (3.7 ± 0.1 mm BL) when the eyes of the larvae were pigmented, most fish moved into the 7.0 × 10⁴ lx section in the illumination gradient tank, while fish in the control tank maintained a uniform distribution during the experimental period (Chi-square test, P < 0.05). The results suggest that the post-larvae and juvenile stages show strong positive phototaxis.     

Effect of tank wall colour and pattern on the survival rate of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel) during ship transportation

Juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis; PBT) often experience high mortality during ship transportation. This study investigated whether the addition of colours or patterns to the walls of tanks affected survival rate. In the first experiment, three colours and lattice patterns were tested: dark blue single‐colour, red single‐colour, and red–blue lattice pattern. Fish in all tanks exhibited abnormal behaviours when sunlight entered the tanks between 0800 and 1000 hours, but mortality only increased in the single‐coloured tanks as a result of collision with the tank walls. In the second experiment, four colours and patterns were tested: dark blue single‐colour, red–blue lattice pattern, red–blue lattice pattern with shade sheet and red–green lattice pattern with shade sheet. Again, we visually observed that fish in all treatment groups exhibited abnormal behaviour when sunlight entered the tanks, but there were no collision deaths in the lattice‐patterned tanks and survival in this group was significantly higher than in the single‐coloured tanks. Thus, the use of a high‐contrast colour pattern can prevent mass death of juvenile PBT during ship transportation.     

Relationship between prey utilization and growth variation in hatchery‐reared Pacific bluefin tuna,Thunnus orientalis (Temminck et Schlegel), larvae estimated using nitrogen stable isotope analysis

In mass culture of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis, a marked growth variation is observed after they start feeding at 6–7 mm in body length (BL) on yolk‐sac larvae of other species, and the growth variation in tuna larvae is a factor leading to the prevalence of cannibalism. To examine the relationship between prey utilization and growth variation, nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ¹⁵N) of individual larvae were analysed. A prey switch experiment was conducted under two different feeding regimes: a group fed rotifers (rotifer fed group), and a group fed yolk‐sac larvae of spangled emperor, Lethrinus nebulosus (fish fed group) from 15 days after hatching (6.87 mm BL). The fish fed group showed significantly higher growth than the rotifer fed group. Changes in the δ¹⁵N of the fish fed group were expressed as an exponential model and showed different patterns from those of the rotifer fed group. The δ¹⁵N of fast‐growing tuna larvae collected in an actual mass culture tank after the feeding of yolk‐sac larvae was significantly higher than those of the slow‐growing larvae, indicating that slow glowing larvae depended largely on rotifers rather than the yolk‐sac larvae.     

Possibility for decreasing of mercury content in bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis> by fish culture

ABSTRACT:   The bluefin tuna tested were reared for 22 months from eggs before the beginning of the experiment, and sampling was performed every 3 months over the following year. The experimental results showed that the mercury concentration in the muscle ranged from 0.32 to 0.85 μg/g, which is lower than that found in wild bluefin tuna of a similar size. Increase in the mercury concentration corresponding to the increase in body weight was not shown, and it was quite different with wild bluefin tuna. Furthermore, no significant relationship was found between the lipid concentration and the mercury concentration in muscle. Among the internal organs of cultured bluefin tuna, the heart (0.32–0.66 μg/g), liver (0.43–0.99 μg/g) and spleen (0.59–1.0 μg/g) contained higher concentrations of mercury. It was estimated that the full-cycle cultured bluefin tuna had been fed small fish containing lower concentrations of mercury, and that the mercury concentration of tuna would be almost equal throughout the year because the effect of mercury accumulation would be weakened by body growth. Therefore, it was concluded that selecting diet fish species might decrease mercury contents in cultured bluefin tuna.