Effects of salinity on growth characteristics and osmoregulation of juvenile cobia,Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus 1766), reared in potassium‐amended inland saline groundwater

The suitability of inland saline groundwater as a medium to culture juvenile cobia, Rachycentron canadum, was assessed. In the first experiment, juvenile cobia stocked in raw (unamended) saline groundwater at salinities of 5, 10, and 15 g/L exhibited complete mortality after 108, 176, and 195 hr, respectively. The second experiment evaluated the rearing of juvenile cobia (mean weight ~9.23 ± 0.12 g) in potassium (K⁺)‐amended saline groundwater (100% K⁺ fortified) and reconstituted seawater at salinities of 5, 10, and 15 g/L to assess growth and osmoregulation in distinct culture media. Following 60 days of culture, all fish survived the experimental period. Final mean bodyweight of cobia reared in K⁺‐amended saline groundwater (103.2–115.8 g) and seawater (111.2–113.8 g) of different salinities did not vary significantly (p > .05). No differences (p > .05) were observed in specific growth rate, weight gain (%), and feed conversion ratio between treatment groups. Serum osmolality increased with salinity and was significantly higher (p < .05) for fish in K⁺‐amended saline groundwater (353–361 mOsmol/Kg) than in reconstituted seawater (319–332 mOsmol/Kg), although differences were not observed between salinities by water type. Cobia stocked in saline groundwater of different salinities were osmoregulating normally, and the higher values observed may be because of variations in ionic composition and other interfering ions in saline groundwater. Trial results suggest that juvenile cobia can achieve optimal growth in K⁺‐amended saline groundwater of low and intermediate salinities.     

Embodied Resources in Fish and Shrimp Feeds

Global averages were obtained for amounts of energy, land, water, wildfish, nitrogen, and phosphorus embodied in aquaculture feed ingredients. These data allowed amounts of these embodied resources to be calculated for typical feed formulations for channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus; hybrid catfish, I. punctatus♀ × I. furcatus♂; Vietnamese catfish, Pangasius spp.; Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar; rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss; tilapia, Oreochromis spp.; whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei; and black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon. Embodied resource use per m.t. of feed varied among species: energy, 4.90–12.48 GJ/m.t.; land, 0.082–0.312 ha/m.t.; water, 502–1227 m³/m.t.; wildfish, 0–2880 kg/m.t.; nitrogen, 3.08–8.63 kg/m.t.; phosphorus, 1.16–5.62 kg/m.t. These calculations did not account for variations in site‐specific factors related to embodied resources and feed composition and use. But they suggest that reducing feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 0.1 unit for the seven species (species groups) could potentially reduce feed use by around 1.1 million tonne (Mt) while conserving 9.8 million GJ of energy, 270,000 ha of agricultural land, 1.4 billion m³ of freshwater, and 1.24 Mt of wildfish. Reduction of the FCR is a powerful means of lessening farm‐level production costs and negative impacts of feed production and use.     

Nano-calcium carbonate reinforced polypropylene and propylene-ethylene copolymer nanocomposites: Tensile vs. impact behavior

Improvement of both the tensile and impact strength of the same polymeric material has always been a great challenge for the plastic industry. The study focuses on the effect of incorporation of calcium carbonate nanoparticles (0.3 wt% to 15 wt%) into three polypropylene (PP) based matrices viz. PP homopolymer, propylene-ethylene (PP-PE) copolymer and the blend of PP:PP-PE (30:70) to improve their impact behavior without hampering the tensile strength much. A loss in both the tensile and impact properties was observed in PP based nanocomposite. However, PP-PE based nanocomposites showed a significant improvement in impact strength (47 %) at 10 wt% loading with a loss of tensile strength by 22 %. To minimize this loss a blend of PP:PP-PE (30:70) was explored as a matrix. At 10 wt% loading, this matrix showed an improvement of 30 % in impact strength whereas the tensile loss was minimized to 10 %. Further, silane coupling agent which promoted good interfacial adhesion was used for best compositions. The variation of crystalline morphology of the nanocomposites with various formulations was analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction.     

Resource Use Assessment of Shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon,Production in Thailand and Vietnam

Resource use was investigated at 34 Litopenaeus vannamei and five Penaeus monodon farms in Thailand and 30 L. vannamei and 24 P. monodon farms in Vietnam. Farms varied in water surface areas for production, reservoirs, canals, and settling basins; in pond size and depth; and in water management, stocking density, feeding rate, amendment input, aeration rate, crop duration, and crops per year. Production of L. vannamei averaged 17.3 and 10.9 m.t./ha/yr, and feed conversion ratio averaged 1.49 and 1.33 in Thailand and Vietnam, respectively. On average, production of 1 m.t. of L. vannamei required 0.58 ha land, 5,400 m³ water, 60 GJ energy, and 1218 kg wildfish in Thailand and 1.76 ha land, 15,100 m³ water, 33.7 GJ energy, and 1264 kg wildfish in Vietnam. Resource use per metric ton of shrimp declined with greater production intensity. In Thailand, P. monodon was produced at 0.2–0.4 m.t./ha/yr, with no inputs but water and postlarvae. In Vietnam, P. monodon production averaged 3.60 m.t./ha/yr. Production of 1 m.t. of P. monodon required 0.80 ha land, 36,000 m³ water, 47.8 GJ energy, and 1180 kg wildfish, and resource use per ton production declined with increasing production intensity.     

Replacement of fish oil in plant‐based diets for Pacific white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei,by stearine fish oil and palm oil

Stearine fish oil (SFO) and palm oil (PO) have emerged as promising alternatives for the replacement of fish oil (FO) in aquafeeds. This study evaluated the replacement of FO with alternative oils in practical diets for Litopenaeus vannamei. In a clear brackish water study (14.1 g/L) utilizing shrimp (0.29 ± 0.02 g, initial weight), FO was replaced by SFO at inclusion ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 (FO:SFO) and PO as 90% of FO. After 55 days, no significant differences (p < 0.05) in final weight, growth, or survival of shrimp were observed. A second trial (8 weeks) in low‐salinity water (2.1 g/L) with shrimp (0.92 ± 0.02 g, initial weight) evaluated diets with 100% FO, 100% SFO, 90% PO, 90% soybean oil (SO), or 90% flaxseed oil (FXO) as a replacement for FO and four commercially produced diets with 2% of FO, SO, PO, or FXO. One treatment received half rations of the commercial FO diet, and one treatment was based entirely on natural productivity. Results show that the fatty acid profiles of the tail muscle conformed to the lipids of the feed, and highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) were preserved. Following 8 weeks of culture, there were no significant differences in production performance.     

Disinfection of almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana Valenciennes) eggs: Evaluation of three chemicals

Almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana Valenciennes) is an excellent candidate for aquaculture due to its fast growth rate and high market value. While S. rivoliana have adapted well to captivity, survival at early life stages can be improved to increase profitability during production. A wide range of variables cause larval mortalities but high bacterial loads in rearing tanks are often correlated with these losses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of egg disinfection on bacterial load and hatch rate of S. rivoliana. Disinfectants tested included formalin (F100 and F200; 100 and 200 mg/L, respectively, for 60 min), hydrogen peroxide (HPO; 300 mg/L for 10 min) and peracetic acid/hydrogen peroxide (PAA/HPO; 15.7 mg/L/39.6 mg/L for 1 min). Concentrations and contact times were determined based on current use in marine aquaculture and preliminary trials. Eggs treated with HPO and F100 had significantly higher hatch rates than the untreated control group. All treatments significantly decreased total Vibrio counts compared to untreated eggs; however, total bacterial counts were only decreased following treatments with PAA/HPO and F200. To prevent egg mortality due to bacterial overgrowth, consideration should be given to the use of surface disinfection using HPO or F100. Future studies should investigate the use of peracetic‐based products at lower doses.     

Price volatility dynamics in aquaculture fish markets

Abstract

In this paper, a time-varying student-t copula is used to capture information on price volatility dependence in the short-, medium-, and long-run horizon in the US market for frozen and fresh salmon, trout, tilapia and catfish. Using monthly data from July 1992 to March 2017, the volatility dynamics for these aquaculture species are assessed. The analysis allows indicating significant differences in the volatility relationships, depending on time-frequency. While short-run volatility has limited dependency, there is significant dependency in both the medium- and long-run, indicating that market integration is stronger in the long-run. The information is particularly important to buyers and producers utilizing the futures markets, as contracts are typically traded using a set of frequencies, and may help them manage and reduce price risk.     

Mechanical site preparation effects on understory plant diversity in the Piedmont of the southern USA

Diversity of understory vegetation was compared among four intensities of site preparation and an adjacent 50-year-old pine-hardwood forest. The study site was a six-year-old loblolly pine (Pines taeda) plantation in the lower Piedmont of Georgia. Species richness and Shannon diversity indices were used to evaluate vine and woody (trees and shrubs) species diversity. Biomass distribution was compared among four plant categories: vines, forbs, grasses, and woody. Moderate intensity treatments (chainsaw and shear and chop) consistently ranked highest overall in diversity, with the mature pine-hardwood forest ranking lowest. Distribution of the four plant categories was not significantly affected by intensity of site preparation.Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station Series No. 9-892325P.