Consumer Acceptability and Composition of Crayfish Harvested from Commercial Production Fields and Moist-Soil Wetlands

ABSTRACT

The consumer acceptability and proximate and fatty acid composition of crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) harvested from commercial systems and moist-soil wetlands were evaluated. Aroma and appearance acceptability scores for abdominal muscles from commercial crayfish were higher over samples from moist-soil wetlands. Aroma and texture acceptability scores for whole crayfish from commercial fields were also higher compared to moist-soil wetland samples. No differences existed between treatments for flavor and overall acceptability. Results indicate that although scores for aroma were slightly higher for commercial crayfish, crayfish from both populations were acceptable to consumers. Hierarchical cluster analyses of panelists’ scores for overall acceptability revealed that 25% of panelists rated moist-soil wetland and commercial crayfish abdominal samples equally high, and an additional 31% of panelists rated moist-soil wetland crayfish samples as more liked than commercial crayfish samples. Few differences existed in crayfish proximate composition and fatty acid content from the two harvest practices.     

Predisposition to invasive pneumococcal illness following parainfluenza type 3 virus infection in chimpanzees

An outbreak of invasive disease, including pneumococcal bacteremia, meningitis, and pneumonia, involved 17 of 83 (20.5%) chimpanzees at a primate rehabilitation unit. Invasive disease was more common in splenectomized than in nonsplenectomized animals (42.9% vs 18.4%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The outbreak followed closely an outbreak of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) that occurred with equal frequency in splenectomized and nonsplenectomized chimpanzees. Those with URTI were 5.7 times as likely to develop invasive disease than those without URTI (P less than 0.005). Fourteen of 20 (70%) chimpanzees with recent URTI and serologically examined had a 4-fold or greater rise in titer to parainfluenza type 3 virus. The outbreak of invasive disease occurred despite the fact that most of the chimpanzees had been vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine. Efficacy of pneumococcal vaccine could not be demonstrated among any segment of the chimpanzee population, and testing of sera from 23 vaccinated chimpanzees against 4 pneumococcal serotypes (3, 6, 8, and 14) failed to show a meaningful immune response. The findings demonstrated that viral URTI can predispose primates to invasive infections and suggested that pneumococcal vaccine is not protective in chimpanzees.     

Migrations and movements of Atlantic tarpon revealed by two decades of satellite tagging

Understanding large‐scale migratory behaviours, local movement patterns and population connectivity are critical to determining the natural processes and anthropogenic stressors that influence population dynamics and for developing effective conservation plans. Atlantic tarpon occur over a broad geographic range in the Atlantic Ocean where they support valuable subsistence, commercial and recreational fisheries. From 2001 through 2018, we deployed 292 satellite telemetry tags on Atlantic tarpon in coastal waters off three continents to document: (a) seasonal migrations and regional population connectivity; (b) freshwater and estuarine habitat utilization; (c) spawning locations; and (d) shark predation across the south‐eastern United States, Gulf of Mexico and northern Caribbean Sea. These results showed that some mature tarpon make long seasonal migrations over thousands of kilometres crossing state and national jurisdictional borders. Others showed more local movements and habitat use. The tag data also revealed potential spawning locations consistent with those inferred in other studies from observations of early life stage tarpon leptocephalus larvae. Our analyses indicated that shark predation mortality on released tarpon is higher than previously estimated, especially at ocean passes, river mouths and inlets to bays. To date, there has been no formal stock assessment of Atlantic tarpon, and regional fishery management plans do not exist. Our findings will provide critical input to these important efforts and assist the multinational community in the development of a stock‐wide management information system to support informed decision‐making for sustaining Atlantic tarpon fisheries.