Evaluation of Three Feeds for Hatchery Rearing Channel Catfish Fry

Two 7 day feeding trials were conducted with channel catfish swim-up fry to evaluate growth, feed conversion ratio, and body composition of fish fed one of the following feeds: salmon starter, catfish starter, or trout starter. Fish fed the salmon or trout starter feeds gained 50–75% more weight, converted feed more efficiently, and had higher body fat stores than fish fed the catfish starter feed. This may be related to the higher protein and energy content of these two feeds. It may be advantageous to feed salmonid starter feeds to hatchery reared catfish fry; however, it is not known whether or not the improved performance observed in the hatchery continues once the fish are stocked into nursery and grow out ponds.     

Spontaneous femoral capital physeal fractures in adult cats: 26 cases (1996-2001)

OBJECTIVE: To determine clinical, radiographic, and histologic abnormalities in adult cats > 1 year old with spontaneous (ie, nontraumatic) femoral capital physeal fractures. DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 26 cats. PROCEDURE: Medical records of cats > 1 year old with femoral capital physeal fractures and no history of trauma were examined. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD age of the cats was 22.5 +/- 6.5 months. Twenty-five cats were neutered males. Mean weight of the cats was significantly greater than mean weight of a group of age- and sex-matched control cats. Of 16 cats for which age at the time of neutering was known, 14 had been neutered before 6 months of age. Nine cats had bilateral fractures. Severity of femoral neck osteolysis and sclerosis increased with increased duration of clinical signs. The contralateral femoral capital physis, distal femoral physes, and proximal tibial physes were radiographically open in 13 of 18,19 of 24, and 24 of 24 cats, respectively. Histologically, the epiphysis contained normal articular cartilage and bone, but attached growth plate cartilage lacked the normal columnar arrangement of chondrocytes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that adult cats with spontaneous femoral capital physeal fractures were most likely to be heavier, neutered males with delayed physeal closure.     

Live Transport of Striped Bass and Rainbow Trout Using a Hidrostal Pump

Immediate and delayed (96 h) mortality, descaling, and injury rates of striped bass Morone sax-atilis and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss that were inserted into the entrance (suction side) of a Hidrostal pump were compared to those of control fish that were inserted at the exit (pressure side). Comparisons were made in 158-paired trials of striped bass and 86 trials with rainbow trout. The Hidrostal pump had no significant effect on immediate or delayed (96 h) mortality. Immediate mortality for striped bass and rainbow trout averaged 0.1 and 0%, respectively, and delayed mortality averaged 2.9 and 0.1%, respectively. Mean scale loss after passage for striped bass and rainbow trout was low (0.2 and 1.0%, respectively). Frequency of injury to the head, eyes, skin, and tins of pumped striped bass averaged 1.9, 2.8, 1.9, and 18.7%, respectively, and those of rainbow trout averaged 2.3, 0, 2.4, and 3.1%. No significant relationships were detected between fish mortality and pump speed, injected fish density, and debris load. Results suggest that large Hidrostal pumps have the capacity to transport live striped bass and rainbow trout at high density (1-6 fish/L) with little mortality and body injury.     

Analyses of assumptions and errors in the calculation of stomatal conductance from sap flux measurements

We analyzed assumptions and measurement errors in estimating canopy transpiration (E(L)) from sap flux (J(S)) measured with Granier-type sensors, and in calculating canopy stomatal conductance (G(S)) from E(L) and vapor pressure deficit (D). The study was performed in 12-year-old Pinus taeda L. stands with a wide range in leaf area index (L) and growth rate. No systematic differences in J(S) were found between the north and south sides of trees. However, J(S) in xylem between 20 and 40 mm from the cambium was 50 and 39% of J(S) in the outer 20-mm band of xylem in slow- and fast-growing trees, respectively. Sap flux measured in stems did not lag J(S) measured in branches, and time and frequency domain analyses of time series indicated that variability in J(S) in stems and branches is mostly explained by variation in D. Therefore, J(S) was used to estimate transpiration, after accounting for radial patterns. There was no difference between D and leaf-to-air vapor pressure gradient, and D did not have a vertical profile in stands of either low or high L suggesting a strong canopy-atmosphere coupling. Therefore, D estimated at one point in the canopy can be used to calculate G(S) in such stands. Given the uncertainties in J(S), relative humidity, and temperature measurements, to keep errors in G(S) estimates to less than 10%, estimates of G(S) should be limited to conditions in which D >/= 0.6 kPa.     

Retracted: Effect of Post‐Thaw Storage Time on Motility and Fertility of Cryopreserved Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) Sperm

The aim of this study was to test the influence of post ‐ thaw storage time on the duration of sperm motility, percentage of motile sperm, and fertilization and hatching rates of fresh sperm and sperm stored for 0, 30 and 60 min at 4°C post‐thawing. After being frozen in liquid nitrogen and then thawed, the percentage of motile sperm and duration of motility were not affected by 30 min of storage at 4°C, whereas a significant decline in these parameters was observed after 60 min of storage. Similarly, fertilization and hatching rates were significantly affected within 60 min of storage at 4°C, and the fertility of frozen‐thawed sperm was significantly lower than that of fresh sperm. We conclude that cryopreserved sperm of beluga sturgeon could be stored for 30 min without the loss of sperm quality. This described procedure for beluga sturgeon cryopreservation is reliable and efficient and therefore can be recommended for hatchery practice after scaling up this technique.     

Optimal chemical triploid induction in geoduck clams, Panopea abrupta, by 6-dimethylaminopurine

The development of geoduck culture techniques coupled with increased market demand during the past decade led to cultured intertidal geoduck beds, over which concerns have arisen regarding the potential genetic risk posed by the reproductive contribution of hatchery outplants to wild stocks. Although an ongoing study to determine the genetic stock structure of Puget Sound geoducks has yet to yield definitive results, sterile triploids would enable geoduck culture to proceed irrespective of any genetic differences found, and may increase rate of growth. At 15 °C and salinity of 30‰, we evaluated the suitability of cytochalasin B (CB) and 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP) for triploid induction in geoducks. Parallel tests of induction agent, start time, duration, and concentration were conducted on the same gamete pool. We found optimal triploid induction (92%) and suitable survivorship (30%) resulted from a 600 μM 6-DMAP treatment. This work enables the future examination of the efficacy of triploid induction for conferring sterility and increasing growth rate in this commercially valuable species.     

Efficacy of an equal blend of canola oil and poultry fat as an alternate dietary lipid source for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in seawater. II: effects on haematology and immunocompetence

This research examined the haematological and immunological responses of quadruplicate groups of juvenile (～400 g initial weight) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) that had each been fed daily to satiation for 12 weeks one of three high‐energy extruded diets of identical composition except for the supplemental dietary lipid (234.7 g kg^?1) source. The three experimental diets varied in the composition of supplement lipid; diet 1 contained 100% anchovy oil (AO), while diets 2 and 3 replaced 29.8% and 59.7% of the AO (respectively) with a 1:1 blend of canola oil (CO) and poultry fat (PF). Immediately following the feeding trial, a random sample of fish from each diet was sampled for determination of baseline levels of various haematological and immunological parameters. Thereafter, duplicate diet groups were vaccinated (against Listonella anguillarum) and reared on their respective experimental diets for an additional 4 weeks. At that time, the remaining fish were sampled similarly, and the different parameters were measured again. Comparisons between the different diet treatment groups were made before and after vaccination. There were no significant diet treatment effects at either sample time, for haematocrit, differential leucocyte counts, erythrocyte counts, serum hemolytic activity or head kidney leucocyte respiratory burst activity. The fish fed diet 1 however, did show significantly higher post‐vaccination levels of peripheral blood leucocyte respiratory burst activity and higher serum antibody titres against L. anguillarum. The results suggest that the relatively low n‐6/n‐3 fatty acid ratios in the muscle and presumably other tissues of fish fed diet 1, may have resulted in a reduced production of immunocompromising eicosanoids than were produced in fish ingesting the other two diets that were based in part on the different amounts of the CO and PF blend. Long‐term studies are required to confirm this possibility.     

Nutritive value of partially dehulled and extruded sunflower meal for post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in sea water

This study determined the digestibility of protein in partially dehulled sunflower meal (SFM) and then, as the main goal, the nutritive value of high‐temperature extruded (≤149°C) partially dehulled SFM (SFM_EX) for post‐smolt Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in sea water. The digestibility study was conducted using the settling column approach (‘Guelph system’) for faeces collection as described by Hajen, Higgs, Beames and Dosanjh. In the nutritive value study, triplicate groups of 50 salmon (mean weight ～116 g) in 4000‐L outdoor fibreglass tanks supplied with 25–40 L min^?1, filtered, oxygenated (dissolved oxygen, 7.0–8.5 mg L^?1), 11–12°C sea water (salinity, 29–31 g L^?1), were fed twice daily to satiation one of five steam‐pelleted dry diets that contained 422 g of digestible protein (DP) kg^?1 and ～16.4 MJ of digestible energy (DE) kg^?1 on a dry weight basis for 84 days. Low‐temperature‐dried anchovy meal (LT‐AM) comprised 68.2% of the basal diet protein whereas in four test diets, SFM_EX progressively replaced up to 33.0% of the DP provided by LT‐AM in the basal diet (SFM_EX≤271 g kg^?1 of dry matter). Sunflower meal had 87.9% DP. Diet treatment did not significantly affect specific growth rate (1.39–1.45% day^?1), feed efficiency (1.19–1.26), percentage of dietary protein retained (45.8–47.5), gross energy utilization (46.5–49.4%), per cent survival (96.0–99.3) or terminal whole body and muscle proximate compositions. We conclude that SFM_EX can comprise ≥271 g kg^?1 of the dry diet or ≥22.7% of the digestible dietary protein of post‐smolt Atlantic salmon in seawater without any adverse effects on their performance.