Structural and thermodynamic characterization of tropomyosin from fast skeletal muscle of bluefin tuna

ABSTRACT:   Tuna tropomyosin is a mixture of nearly equimolar amounts of two isoforms (designated α and β). cDNA encoding the α form was cloned from bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus fast skeletal muscle. The full-length cDNA contained 1220 bp, comprising an open reading frame of 855 bp encoding 284 amino acid residues, flanked by 5'-untranslational regions (156 bp) and 3'-untranslational regions (209 bp). The deduced amino acid sequence showed considerably high homology in a range of 93.7–98.6% to those of other vertebrate α-type tropomyosins. In phylogenetic analysis, bluefin tuna tropomyosin showed the closest relationship with the white croaker counterpart. The predicted mass was 32 919 Da, and isoelectric point was 4.50, assuming acetylation of the N-terminus. By differential scanning calorimetry, bluefin tuna tropomyosin gave two major endothermic peaks at 29.3 and 41.5°C, probably caused by the presence of two isoforms. Circular dichroism spectra supported such a unique denaturation profile.     

Separation of the Taiwanese regular and deep tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean using bigeye tuna catch ratios

ABSTRACT:   Taiwanese longline (LL) fisheries operating in the Indian Ocean usually target albacore tuna (ALB), swordfish (SWO) and yellowfin tuna (YFT) using regular LL. Bigeye tuna (BET), however, is targeted using deep LL. Thus, these two types of LL are considered to be different gears as they target different tuna species. Regular or deep LL fishing is defined by number of hooks per basket (NHB): regular LL if 6 ≤ NHB ≤ 10 and deep LL if 11 ≤ NHB ≤ 20. However, NHB information was available in only some of the recent LL data (1995–1999). This situation had caused problems of biased results in stock analysis in the past. Thus, the objective of our study was to explore an effective method to separate the two types of LL fishing by considering species composition. Some intervals of BET catch ratios were found to be effective in separating the regular and deep LL catches, i.e. 0.0 ≤ BET/(BET + ALB + SWO) ≤ 0.4 and 0.8 ≤ BET/(BET + ALB) ≤ 1.0, respectively. Using these two separators, the LL known data set (1995–1999) (learning data set) was classified. Correct classification occurred in 67.7% of the data, while 23.1% of the data were unclassified (11.9% due to zero catches and 11.2% due to classification into both LL types), and 9.2% were misclassifications. Then, using the methods developed, the LL unknown data set in the historical data (1979–1999) was classified and nominal CPUE values were calculated for four species. The CPUE trends based on this study were likely to be more reliable than those of previous studies.     

Application of a habitat-based model to estimate effective longline fishing effort and relative abundance of Pacific bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)

A new habitat‐based model is developed to improve estimates of relative abundance of Pacific bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). The model provides estimates of `effective' longline effort and therefore better estimates of catch‐per‐unit‐of‐effort (CPUE) by incorporating information on the variation in longline fishing depth and depth of bigeye tuna preferred habitat. The essential elements in the model are: (1) estimation of the depth distribution of the longline gear, using information on gear configuration and ocean currents; (2) estimation of the depth distribution of bigeye tuna, based on habitat preference and oceanographic data; (3) estimation of effective longline effort, using fine‐scale Japanese longline fishery data; and (4) aggregation of catch and effective effort over appropriate spatial zones to produce revised time series of CPUE. Model results indicate that effective effort has increased in both the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) and eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). In the WCPO, effective effort increased by 43% from the late 1960s to the late 1980s due primarily to the increased effectiveness of effort (deeper longline sets) rather than to increased nominal effort. Over the same period, effective effort increased 250% in the EPO due primarily to increased nominal effort. Nominal and standardized CPUE indices in the EPO show similar trends – a decline during the 1960s, a period of stability in the 1970s, high values during 1985–1986 and a decline thereafter. In the WCPO, nominal CPUE is stable over the time‐series; however, standardized CPUE has declined by ～50%. If estimates of standardized CPUE accurately reflect relative abundance, then we have documented substantial reductions of bigeye tuna abundance for some regions in the Pacific Ocean. A decline in standardized CPUE in the subtropical gyres concurrent with stability in equatorial areas may represent a contraction in the range of the population resulting from a decline in population abundance. The sensitivity of the results to the habitat (temperature and oxygen) assumptions was tested using Monte Carlo simulations.     

Changes to vertical thermoregulatory movements of juvenile bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the northwestern Pacific Ocean with time of day,seasonal ocean vertical thermal structure,and body size

Vertical movements related to the thermoregulation were investigated in 12 juvenile bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in Japanese waters using archival tag data. Movements changed with time of day, season, and body size. During daytime, bigeye tuna descended to greater depths, presumably to feed in the deep scattering layer (DSL). Thereafter, they repeatedly ascended to shallower layers, suggesting attempts at behavioral thermoregulation, although the beginning of vertical thermoregulatory ascents might reflect a shift in DSL depth. By the end of such movement, the whole‐body heat‐transfer coefficient might decrease because, although the depth and ambient temperature of the upper layers did not change, the body temperature gradually decreased significantly just after ascent for thermoregulation. Seasonal patterns indicated that the vertical thermal structure of the ocean might influence this ascent behavior. For example, from January to May, bigeye tuna made fewer ascents to less shallow waters, suggesting that they respond to increasing depths of the mixed surface layer by reducing energy expenditure during vertical migration. In addition, as body size increased, fewer thermoregulatory ascents were required to maintain body temperature, and fish remained deeper for longer periods. Thus, vertical thermoregulatory movements might change with body size as bigeye tuna develop better endothermic and thermoregulatory abilities. We hypothesize that bigeye might also increase cold tolerance as they grow, possibly due to ontogenetic shifts in cardiac function.     

Comparison of the behavior of skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye (T. obesus) tuna associated with drifting FADs in the equatorial central Pacific Ocean

We evaluated the behavior of skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna (T. obesus) associated with drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the equatorial central Pacific Ocean. A total of 30 skipjack [34.5–65.0 cm in fork length (FL)], 43 yellowfin (31.6–93.5 cm FL) and 32 bigeye tuna (33.5–85.5 cm FL) were tagged with coded transmitters and released near two drifting FADs. At one of the two FADs, we successfully monitored the behavior of all three species simultaneously. Several individuals remained around the same FAD for 10 or more days. Occasional excursions from the FAD were observed for all three species, some of which occurred concurrently for multiple individuals. The detection rate was higher during the daytime than the nighttime for all the species, and the detection rate for bigeye tuna was higher than for yellowfin or skipjack tuna. The swimming depth was deeper during the daytime than nighttime for all species. The fish usually remained shallower than 100 m, but occasionally dived to around 150 m or deeper, most often for bigeye and yellowfin tuna during the daytime. The swimming depth for skipjack tuna was shallower than that for bigeye and yellowfin tuna, although the difference was not large, and is probably not sufficient to allow the selective harvest of skipjack and yellowfin tuna by the purse seine fishery. From the detection rate of the signals, bigeye tuna is considered to be more vulnerable to the FAD sets than yellowfin and skipjack tuna.     

Changes in myoglobin content and proximate compositions of the dorsal ordinary muscles of full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck et Schlegel) with body size

We investigated the changes in myoglobin (Mb) content and proximate compositions of the cephalad parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (Ce‐DOM) of full‐cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna [body length: 42.6–115.4 cm, body weight (BW): 1.7–38.4 kg, killed from July 2004 to October 2005]. The Mb content of Ce‐DOM increased (P<0.01) until a BW of 7.0 kg was reached. However, the Mb content of Ce‐DOM had a wide variety above a BW of 7.0 kg. On the other hand, the moisture, protein and ash contents of Ce‐DOM of FC tuna decreased (P<0.05 and 0.01) with an increase in BW. However, the lipid content of Ce‐DOM increased gradually above about a BW of 20.0 kg. Furthermore, the Mb content in protein of the Ce‐DOM of FC tuna increased with an increase in BW. These results indicated that the increase in Mb content of Ce‐DOM of FC tuna was not related to changes in proximate composition between a BW of 1.7 and 38.4 kg.     

Population structure of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the Indian Ocean inferred from mitochondrial DNA

Population structure of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the Indian Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean and Eastern Atlantic Ocean were investigated using mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequence data. A total of 380 specimens were sampled from four regions in the Indian Ocean (Cocos Islands, Southeastern Indian Ocean, Southwestern Indian Ocean and Seychelles), and one region each from the Atlantic (Guinea) and the Western Pacific Oceans, respectively. The reconstructed neighbor-joining phylogeny based on the first hypervariable region (HVR-1) of the mitochondrial control region sequence data showed that haplotypes from the Indian and the Western Pacific Oceans could be grouped into two clades (Clades I and III), whereas in the Atlantic Ocean, two divergent clades (Clades I and II) coexisted. A single stock of bigeye tuna in the Indian Ocean was supported by hierarchical AMOVA tests and pairwise Φ_ST analyses. Clade I was the dominant population in the Indian and the Western Pacific Oceans which consisted of more than 96% of the specimens and Clade II was a specific group exclusively restricted to the Atlantic Ocean which made up 77% of its specimens. A new minor Clade, Clade III was discovered in the Indian and the Western Pacific Ocean. Overall, these analyses indicated that bigeye tuna of the Indian Ocean constituted a single panmictic population.     

Changes of proximate compositions and myoglobin content in the dorsal ordinary muscles of the cultured Pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis> with growth

ABSTRACT:   Using the dorsal ordinary muscle (DOM) of cultured Pacific bluefin tuna (body length [BL]: 47.5–81.8 cm, body weight [BW]: 2.1–13.5 kg, n  = 15), the changes of proximate compositions and myoglobin (Mb) content with growth were investigated. There was a positive correlation ( r  = 0.9832, P  < 0.05) of BL and BW in cultured tuna. The protein contents of the DOM of cultured tuna decreased ( P  < 0.05) and the lipid contents had a tendency to increase (not significantly) with growth. The meat color changed from pink to red with growth. In addition, the Mb contents of the DOM of cultured tuna increased ( P  < 0.05) from 1.0 mg/g (minimum BW fish) to 3.8 mg/g (maximum BW fish) with growth. These results indicate that the increase of the Mb content in the DOM of cultured tuna is not caused by the restriction of exercise and overfeeding between 2.1 kg and 13.5 kg of BW.     

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.     

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.     

山东半岛南部海域渔业资源结构及关键种的年际变化

为掌握大规模增殖放流背景下山东半岛海域渔业资源结构特征及其变动趋势,基于2016-2018年山东半岛南部海域渔业资源调查与渔业种类食性文献数据,以渔业资源群落关键种作为切入点,通过食物网拓扑结构与社会网络分析法,解析了山东半岛南部海域渔业资源结构及关键种的年际变化.结果显示,2016-2018年山东半岛南部海域食物网包...     

低鱼粉饲料中添加牛磺酸对青鱼幼鱼生长、肠道修复及抗急性拥挤胁迫的影响

为研究低鱼粉饲料中添加牛磺酸对青鱼幼鱼[初始质量(5.90±0.03)g]生长、肠道修复及抗急性拥挤胁迫的影响,实验以青鱼正常鱼粉组(20%)为对照组,10%鱼粉组为负对照组(I_0组),在低鱼粉饲料中分别添加0.05%(I_(0.05)组)、0.1%(I_(0.1)组)、0.2%(I_(0.2)组)、0.4%(I_(0.4)组)牛磺酸,配制6种等氮等脂饲料,饲养8周。饲养实验结束后,参考生长结果,选择对照组、I_0组、I_(0.1)组、I_(0.4)组进行急性拥挤胁迫实验。结果显示:①与对照组相比,I_0组增重率显著下降,随着低鱼粉饲料中牛磺酸水平的升高,青鱼幼鱼增重率呈先上升后下降趋势,当牛磺酸添加量为0.1%时与对照组差异不显著;②相对于对照组,I_0组的绒毛高度降低、隐窝深度增加,杯状细胞数降低,添加牛磺酸使绒毛高度升高、隐窝深度降低,杯状细胞数和淋巴细胞数增多;③急性拥挤胁迫使青鱼幼鱼血清史质醇、血糖、血清溶菌酶(LSZ)、补体C3、超氧物歧化酶(SOD)和谷胱甘肽(GSH)含量均呈先升高后下降的趋势,其最大值出现在胁迫2 h或者8 h。在整个胁迫期间,I_0组史质醇和血糖含量高于其他各饲料组,I_0组溶菌酶、补体C3、SOD和GSH均低于其他各饲料组。研究表明,在低鱼粉饲料中添加牛磺酸可提高青鱼生长性能、改善肠道结构、增强青鱼的抗急性拥挤胁迫的能力。