Prey preference of Carcinus aestuarii: possible implications with the control of an invasive mytilid and Manila clam culture in a northern Adriatic lagoon

The cultivated Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, and the accidentally introduced Asian date mussel, Musculista senhousia, are nowadays the most abundant bivalve species in the Sacca di Goro (northeastern Italy). M. senhousia, with its sub-surficial extended mats, creates quite a heavy economical impact to clam shellfish culture. Individual Mediterranean shore crabs Carcinus aestuarii were allowed to forage on the two bivalve species to examine the crab's preference in light of the optimal foraging theory. Crabs preferred M. senhousia over R. philippinarum: mortality was higher for the former (34.6%) than for the latter bivalve species (9.5%). It is suggested that the marked preference of C. aestuarii for Asian date mussels over Manila clams could be advantageously exploited to control or to reduce the extension of mats, especially where these create management problems to infaunal, burrowing bivalve cultures.     

The seasonal fluctuation of the mussel larvae in the northern Adriatic Sea

The study of mussel larvae in the northern Adriatic Sea was undertaken in order to establish the seasonal fluctuations of the larvae in the plankton. The plankton samples were collected at four stations (Limski kanal, Banjole Island, Vela Draga and Pomer Bay) from 1965 to 1972. The observations showed that there are similar patterns of the presence of mussel larvae in the plankton in the northern Adriatic Sea. In well closed localities (Limski kanal and Vela Draga Bay) with shellfish culture parks the number of mussel larvae was larger than at an open sea station (Banjole Island). In Pomer Bay, in spite of the mussel cultivation, the number of mussel larvae was low and their settlement was slight, probably due to an unfavourable environment for their reproduction or the development of larvae. The seasonal fluctuations of mussel larvae in the northern Adriatic Sea are similar to those observed in some regions of the Mediterranean sea by several authors. We can conclude that in the Mediterranean Sea the mussel larvae are present in the plankton almost throughout the year.     

Inhibition of embryo development of the Mytilus galloprovincialis marine mussel by organic pollutants; assessment of risk for its extensive culture in the Galician Rias

This study evaluates the risk posed by selected organic pollutants on the culture of the marine mussel in the Galician coast (NW Iberian Peninsula), which depends on collection of natural seed in densely populated coastal areas. With this aim toxicity tests were carried out with embryos of the Mytilus galloprovincialis mussel, and the toxicity of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and the biocides TBT, chlorpyrifos and lindane was quantified in terms of median effective concentration (EC₅₀) and toxicity threshold (EC₁₀ and LOEC), using embryogenesis success as end point. The EC₁₀ and EC₅₀ values were 161 and 377 ng/L for TBT, 79 and 154 µg/L for chlorpyrifos, 495 and 2353 µg/L for SDS, 1.41 and 1.99 mg/L for lindane. Toxicity thresholds for mussel embryos from this study and crustacean larvae from the literature were compared to environmental concentrations in coastal waters, either directly measured or estimated from mussel bioaccumulation data, in an attempt to evaluate the risk posed by those pollutants to these commercial species. It was concluded that SDS and, especially, chlorpyrifos and lindane, do not pose a threat to these commercial resources. In contrast, TBT risk quotients derived either from actual seawater measurements or mussel bioaccumulation data were both unacceptably high. TBT pollution represents thus a potential threat to natural availability of spat, the basis of extensive mussel culture. At the light of the data presented, current TBT seawater quality criterion seems underprotective and it should be revised.     

Identification and counting of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas larvae by object detection using deep learning

Natural seedling collection is widely used in the culture of various bivalve species. For successful natural seedling collection, collectors must be installed when larvae appear in the water column at a stage immediately before attachment. Aquaculture farmers generally identify target larvae by morphological features through microscopic examination in a time- and labor-expensive exercise, which also requires a level of expertise to ensure accurate larval identification. We develop a deep-learning-based object-detection technique that ultimately might reduce the time and effort required to accurately identify and count Pacific oyster larvae, render their identification more consistent, and negate the need for expertise. Images of plankton net samples collected in Matsushima and Sendai bays, Japan, were taken using a new photographic device with a CMOS image sensor. Images of oyster larvae identified by an expert were used to create a library of labeled images to train a deep-learning model, which proved to be 82.4% accurate in precision, 90.8% in recall, and 86.4% in F-measure. A further method for estimating larval shell height from the rectangular shape of oyster larval images is also developed. The standardized mean difference in shell height between measurements and estimates is 3.3%. This deep-learning model has the potential to significantly reduce the time and effort required to identify oyster larvae in plankton samples, and thereby costs of this exercise.     

厚壳贻贝早期幼虫低温保存的影响研究

探讨低温(4 ℃)条件下的厚壳贻贝早期幼虫保存可能性,同时调查了不同培育密度对低温保存的影响。在正常条件下,继续培育低温保存后的幼虫,并调查其存活率和生长的变化。 结果表明,在低温保存后,早期幼虫存活率较高,超过95%;厚壳贻贝早期幼虫的壳长和壳高出现显著性的增长。不同培育组间,培育密度对厚壳贻贝早期幼虫的存活和生长影响不同,表明密度是幼虫低温保存的一个重要因素。在正常培育条件下,低温保存后的幼虫,3周后其存活率明显低于对照组,但仍超过50%,且其生长速度明显高于对照组。因此,低温培育是保存厚壳贻贝早期幼虫的有效方法,可用于今后贝类幼虫生物学实验和人工育苗技术的改善研究。     

硅烷化表面海洋细菌对厚壳贻贝稚贝附着的影响

为探讨厚壳贻贝稚贝对自然微生物膜中海洋细菌的附着行为反应,本论文研究了厚壳贻贝（Mytilus coruscus）稚贝附着与硅烷基化附着基表面、微生物膜密度以及细菌种属系统发育之间的相互关系。研究表明所测海洋细菌均能显著促进厚壳贻贝稚贝的附着;其中Staphylococcus sp. 1和Cobetia sp. 1表现出较低诱导活性,且这两株细菌形成的微生物膜密度与稚贝附着率之间无显著相关性;其他7株海洋细菌均表现出中等程度诱导活性,且所形成的微生物膜密度与稚贝附着率之间呈显著相关性。系统发育分析表明所测海洋细菌对厚壳贻贝稚贝附着的诱导活性与细菌种属无关。因而,硅烷基化表面的海洋附着细菌对厚壳贻贝附着有着显著性促进作用,本研究将为后续开展厚壳贻贝稚贝附着机制奠定了基础。     

Effect of temperature on survival,growth and development of Mytilus galloprovincialis larvae

Mussel aquaculture is widely prevalent worldwide, but generally relies on natural seed collection, which does not always meet the needs of the producers. Thus, development of mussel hatcheries is of economic interest in some parts of the world, such as Europe; it provides opportunities not only on annual reliability of seed but also on genetic improvements. To broaden knowledge on mussel larval physiology, we carried out temperature treatments (17, 20 and 24 °C) on Mytilus galloprovincialis larvae under laboratory conditions. The trials ended when 30% of the larval population was in the post‐larval stage. The temperature coefficient Q₁₀ indicated a strong relationship between temperature and increase in growth from 17 to 20 °C, but not between 20 and 24 °C. Exposure of M. galloprovincialis larvae to 17 °C resulted in poor growth, low survival and a delayed development and was considered to be inadequate for M. galloprovincialis larval culture. Rearing the larvae at 20 or 24 °C produced better growth, higher survival rates and faster metamorphosis as compared with 17 °C. The temperature region within 20 and 24 °C was suggested as adequate for the mussel M. galloprovincialis larval culture, and implications of these results on the development of commercial hatcheries were discussed.     

Assessment of spat collector ropes in Galician mussel farming

The large amount of mussel seed required to support the present mussel farming production levels in Galicia (NW Spain) forces the development of new designs in artificial spat collectors for continual improvement of mussel seed gathering. In the present study, we have assessed both settlement and recruitment of Mytilus galloprovincialis on four different collector ropes in the Ría de Ares-Betanzos (Galicia). Besides the traditional collector ropes (lacing without loops and non-filamentous structure; NF-NL), three new rope designs with different lacing and structures were evaluated; ropes with a filamentous loop complement (F-L), ropes with a non-filamentous loop complement (NF-L) and filamentous ropes without loops (F-NL). Ropes with loops showed higher settlement densities (53,925 ± 4625 and 42,433 ± 5525 indiv./m for F-L and NF-L, respectively) than ropes without loops (26,475 ± 3875 and 13,033 ± 1136 indiv./m for F-NL and NF-NL, respectively). This may be explained by the increase in available surface area provided by the loops. Several studies recognized the importance of filamentous substrata for mussel spat settlement, which may help to explain greater settlement densities on filamentous structures between ropes with the same lacing. In recruitment evaluation, ropes with filamentous loops showed the highest densities expressed in indiv./m (5493 ± 587) as was the case of settlement. However, when density was expressed in kg/m, the ropes with non-filamentous loops had a higher yield (8.48 ± 0.22 kg/m), that could be a result of differences in adjusted shell length between ropes. Intra-specific competition and predation were identified as important factors affecting post-settlement mortality. The latter factors could also influence population length distribution. Ropes with rigid loops (NF-L) may supply refuges for spat from predators and therefore, enhance the recruitment of larger individuals, although other factors like size selective settlement could play a significant role in this result.     

The impact of the adult blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) population on settling of conspecific larvae

The choice of a mussel bed as a settling locality by conspecific mussel larvae is a trade-off between reduced fitness due to an increased risk of larval predation and post-settling food competition with the filtering adults and the benefit from a reduced post-settling mortality. This reduced post-settling mortality may be due to a reduced benthic predation in habitats with high complexity. In a field experiment, the larval settling of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, was recorded on an artificial substrate 0.25, 1 and 2 m above the bottom during six periods in spring 1999. The experiment was conducted at four stations with dense mussel beds located at two of these stations. Two of the four stations, one with mussel beds and one without, were located in a wind-exposed area and the two other stations in a sheltered area. It was demonstrated that the larval settling was reduced up to 1 m above the mussel beds. A size analysis of the settled mussels indicated that the reduction in settling intensity close to mussel beds was due to a pre-settling process: the larvae were predated by the filtering adult mussels. Settling was significantly affected by wind stress. During periods with a high mean wind velocity and a turbulent water column, the larvae showed a reduced settlement 1 m above a mussel bed relative to 2 m above, whereas the same patterns not could be observed outside a mussel bed. The importance of the filtration activity of the adult mussels and the behaviour of the larvae is discussed. The recruitment of blue mussels into a mussel bed was investigated. Here, significant positive correlations were observed between the density of recruits and density of adult mussels and weights of empty shells. This indicates that the filtering mussels not only increase the mortality of larvae, but also serve as an important substrate reducing post-settling predation from benthic predators.     

Observations on open-water densities of sea lice larvae in Loch Shieldaig, Western Scotland

Sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) stocks on the West Coast of Scotland and Ireland have decreased due to reduced survival during the marine phase of their life cycle. Lice‐infested sea trout returning to rivers could indicate that parasite burdens are contributing to the decline. Salmon farms represent a potential source of substantial quantities of sea lice, leading to a conjectured link between parasites on salmon fish farms and infestations on wild sea trout. To investigate the potential infective pressure on sea trout in Loch Shieldaig, offshore and sub‐littoral plankton samples were collected and analysed for sea lice nauplius and copepodid stages. During the plankton survey, numbers of sea lice on a fish farm in the loch reached a maximum in November 2001. Soon after, numbers of sea lice larvae peaked in open‐water samples and then in sub‐littoral samples. Nauplii were found adjacent to the farm and occurred less elsewhere. This study reports a concentration of sea lice larvae at the head of Loch Shieldaig and indicates a possible relationship between sea lice numbers on the fish farm and lice larvae densities in the open‐water of the loch and in the sub‐littoral zone.     

A herpes-like virus infecting Crassostrea gigas and Ruditapes philippinarum larvae in France

Concomitant sporadic high mortalities were reported in June 1997 among batches of larval Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, and Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum , in a French commercial hatchery. Histological observation showed the presence of cellular abnormalities in affected animals. Electron transmission microscopy revealed the presence of herpes-like virus particles in infected larvae of both bivalve species. Viruses observed in C. gigas and R. philippinarum are closely related with respect to ultrastructure and morphogenesis. They were detected simultaneously in both bivalve species larvae indicating possible interspecific transmission. Moreover, PCR analysis using oyster herpes-like virus specific primers allowed amplification of fragments of expected sizes for both bivalve species and demonstrated the presence of viral DNA. The PCR products obtained for both bivalve species and digested by restriction enzymes displayed the same patterns. These data suggest that the same herpes-like virus may infect larval oysters and clams.     

Comparative performance of Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) and 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the diet of larvae and post larvae of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii: Effect of dose and route of administration on growth and survival

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of different dose and route of administration of 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) on growth, survival and pigmentation of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, larvae (experiment 1) and post larvae (experiment 2 and 3). In experiment 1 larva were stocked at 100 /L in seven different treatments with each of three replicates. The treatments were T1 (control), T2 (100 μg/ml of 5-HT bath exposure for 2 days), T3 (1 μM of GABA bath exposure for 2 days), T4 (0.5% 5-HT in feed), T5 (0.25% 5-HT in feed), T6 (0.5% GABA in feed) and T7 (0.25% GABA in feed). Highest growth, transformation rate, pigmentation and survival of larvae were recorded in T2 group in experiment 1. In experiment 2, post larvae were stocked at 70 per tank with 200 L of water for 45 days. This experiment consisted of 5 treatment groups with each of 3 replication viz. T1 (control), T2 (0.5% 5-HT in feed), T3 (0.25% 5-HT in feed), T4 (0.5% GABA in feed) and T5 (0.25% GABA in feed). At the end of this experiment growth was found to be higher in the control than the other treatment group showing inhibitory effect of 5-HT and GABA on growth of post larvae. To confirm the result, a third experiment was conducted for 30 days. Thirty numbers of post larvae having similar size were segregated from the previous experimental tanks (experiment 2) and stocked in the tanks of 100 L of water for experiment 3. All treatments were fed with control diet. There was similar growth pattern in all the treatments, which were higher (P < 0.05) than control, confirms the inhibitory effect of neurotransmitter in the diet of PL. Therefore, the overall results of the present study suggest that the bath treatment of neurotransmitter is superior to the dietary addition with regard to the growth, survival and pigmentation of M. rosenbergii larvae. 5-HT is more effective than the GABA for larvae of M. rosenbergii.     

中湿度表面的海洋细菌对厚壳贻贝稚贝附着的影响

为研究自然微生物膜中海洋细菌对厚壳贻贝稚贝附着的影响,通过海洋贝类生物学、分子微生物生态学等手段调查附着基表面湿度、微生物膜的密度以及细菌种属系统发育与厚壳贻贝(Mytilus coruscus)稚贝附着关系。结果表明,所有测试海洋细菌形成微生物膜的最终密度随初始密度的增加而增加。所测海洋细菌均能不同程度地诱导厚壳贻贝稚贝的附着,其中Cobetia sp.3形成的微生物膜显示出最高诱导活性,其诱导的稚贝附着率为(70%±3%);Nautella sp.2、Pseudoalteromonas sp.9、Pseudoalteromonas sp.10、Bacillus sp.5和Pseudoalteromonas sp.11等5株细菌表现中等程度的诱导活性,其诱导的附着率范围为51%~60%。所有测试菌株所形成的微生物膜密度与稚贝附着均呈显著相关,尤其是Pseudoalteromonas sp.9和Cobetia sp.3诱导活性与附着率相关性极强,其相关性系数分别为0.774 1和0.723 3。系统发育分析结果表明,微生物膜密度和厚壳贻贝稚贝的附着率显著相关,然而海洋细菌诱导活性与细菌种属无关。因而,中湿度表面的海洋附着细菌对厚壳贻贝的附着有着明显的促进作用,本研究为后续开展厚壳贻贝稚贝的附着机制提供了理论依据。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Xenostrobus securis </Emphasis>(Lamarck, 1819) (Mollusca: Bivalvia): first report of an introduced species in Galician waters

The presence of the non-indigenous species, the black-pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis, is reported here for the first time in an intense shellfish farming area off Galicia (NW Spain). Very high concentrations of this mytilid bivalve have colonized estuarine waters located at the inner part of the Ria de Vigo. The invasive role of X. securis is discussed in the context of the wide ecological tolerance of the species and the recent finding of settlements of this species on numerous colonies of the economically-important blue mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. The mode of introduction of the black-pygmy mussel is also discussed in relation to human management activities.     

Flat fish eggs,larvae and their development

Studies on development of eight species of flat fishes (Psettodes erumei, Brachypleura novae-zeelandiae, Pseudorhombus arsius, Bothus myriaster, Synaptura albomaculata, S. commersoniana, Cynoglossus arel and C. monopus) were carried out with plankton collections and with laboratory reared larvae. The development stages of Cynoglossus arel and C. monopus from egg to metamorphosis are described.     

Chemical cues promote settlement in larvae of the green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus

The large (70,000 tonnes) mussel aquaculture industry for the endemic New Zealand green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus Gmelin, currently relies almost entirely (80%) on wild caught seed that is often harvested attached to great quantities of floating algae. Natural vagaries in catches of wild mussel seed frequently result in shortages of mussel seed that, at times, have severely affected commercial aquaculture production. Both field and laboratory experiments were used to establish that chemical cues derived from algae significantly increase settlement of mussel larvae on artificial substrates. This is the first time an algal chemical cue has been implicated in the settlement behavior of P. canaliculus larvae. These results have potential commercial implications for improving mussel seed supply through inducing higher or more reliable levels of mussel settlement for aquaculture seed collection.     

长江口两种仔稚鱼网具的采集效率比较

为获得更为准确的数据,提高对长江口鱼类早期资源评估的准确度,本研究同时采用方形网(网口为1.0 m×2.0 m,网目1.0 mm,网衣长5.5 m)和标准网(网口为直径0.8 m圆形,网目0.5 mm,网衣长3.5 m)于2014年4—7月在长江口邻近海域采集仔稚鱼样本,分析比较这2种网具所采集仔稚鱼种类和数量差异,从而选择更适宜采集长江口水域仔稚鱼的采样网具。结果表明:1方形网采集到51种仔稚鱼,多于标准网的37种,两种网具的共有种类有34种,主要优势种组成没有明显差异;24月,前弯曲期仔鱼较多,它们个体小,容易从网眼滤出,导致网目较小的标准网的样品平均密度高于方形网;35—7月,方形网的样本平均密度高于标准网,但样本中仔稚鱼个体发育阶段组成有明显不同。标准网样本中前弯曲期仔鱼占多数,体形为细长形的日本鳀和鳅虎鱼的前弯曲期仔鱼平均密度高于方形网;方形网样品中后弯曲期仔鱼占优势,小黄鱼、日本鳀和鳅虎鱼等优势种的后弯曲期仔鱼平均密度均高于标准网。总体而言,方形网所采集仔稚鱼种类和数量的效果优于标准网;对于细长体形种类(如日本鳀),需结合不同网具以便采集到全部发育阶段个体,而体形较宽种类(如小黄鱼)可仅以方形网采集。     

Spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of European hake, Merluccius merluccius, eggs and larvae in the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean)

Plankton hauls were conducted on five surveys from November 1998 to November 1999 to study the spatial distribution of eggs and larvae of European hake off Catalonia (NW Mediterranean Sea). Also CTD casts to record hydrographic parameters were carried out on a closely spaced station grid. Merluccius merluccius eggs and larvae appeared mainly in late spring, summer and autumn surveys and were very scarce in winter. Strong differences in terms of egg and larval densities were observed between the two November surveys, which could be attributed to the anomalous hydrographic situation during November 1998. M. merluccius egg and larvae were mainly distributed over the continental shelf, with peak abundances between the 100 m isobath and the edge of the shelf. On the evidence of larval size frequency distributions in the different sampling sectors and the closely overlapping distribution patterns for the eggs and the adult spawning stock, drifting of hake eggs and larvae was not a major factor. The larval distribution extended only slightly further offshore than the egg distribution. Using the hydrographic information and the larval distribution data, an attempt was made to relate the different seasonal productivity levels over the spawning period and the distribution of the larvae.     

Culture of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis (Linnaeus, 1758) fed both phytoplankton and zooplankton: a microcosm experiment

With a 10‐week microcosm experiment, we demonstrated that the mussel Mytilus edulis could feed and grow upon zooplankton, phytoplankton and mixture of them. The group supplied with the mixture showed the highest shell growth rate, egestion rate and largest size of faecal pellets. Individuals feeding on seawater (the control group) had the lowest growth rate, egestion rate and smallest size of faecal pellets. Egestion rates and faecal sizes of all the groups decreased with experimental time. Therefore, the mussel M. edulis could derive energy from many kinds of diet particles. Most of these particles within the water column may play an important role in bivalve nutrition, feeding and aquaculture. A mixed diet of phytoplankton and zooplankton yielded better growth performance and metabolism than diets of each fed separately.     

Herpes-like virus infections in hatchery-reared bivalve larvae in Europe: specific viral DNA detection by PCR

Periodic losses in oyster hatcheries are regularly reported in Europe. Herpes-like virus infections seem to play a key role. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to investigate the presence of herpes-like virus DNA in larval samples belonging to different bivalve species from different geographical origins. Seventeen samples of the 81 analysed appeared positive for the herpes-like virus DNA by PCR. These results confirm previous data indicating that herpes-like virus infections occur in commercial French hatcheries. Polymerase chain reaction positive results were also obtained for bivalve larval samples originating from Spain and the UK. The number of virus DNA positive samples depended on the primer pair used. The primer pair C2/C6 appears well adapted for herpes-like virus DNA detection because of processing ease and great sensitivity. Positive samples were observed in four bivalve species: Crassostrea gigas , Ostrea edulis , Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum . Herpes-like virus DNA detection is reported in larval R. decussatus for the first time. Many samples in which viral DNA was detected by PCR correspond to larval batches presenting mortalities. Herpes-like viruses may be one of the causative agents of mortalities observed in bivalve hatcheries.