Fatty acid and proximate composition of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) muscle with regard to plasma lipids

The composition of tail muscle fatty acids from wild and cultured bluefin tuna reared on a diet based on herring and sardine, along with the plasma lipid profile of the farmed individuals, was determined. The total lipid content of farmed bluefin in this study was 0.922 g/100 g or 3.49 g of saturated fatty acids (SAFA), 4.48 g of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 2.58 g polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) n‐3 and 0.37 g of PUFA n‐6 fatty acids; for wild specimens, it was 0.920 g/100 g, or 2.85 g of SAFA, 4.82 g of MUFA, 2.78 g PUFA n‐3 and 0.27 g of PUFA n‐6 fatty acids. The major fatty acids in this study were 16:0; 16:1, n‐7; 18:1, n‐9 and DHA 22:6, n‐3 acids. The sum of these major components accounted for more than 57% and 80% of the total fatty acids in all the samples of farmed and wild tuna respectively. No significant differences in the proximate composition were demonstrated between farmed and wild samples, except for the energy value, in favour of the farmed tuna. Statistically, glucose tends to increase together with cholesterol (CHOL) and plasma triglyceride, as for these pairs, it showed positive correlation coefficients and P>0.05. Some measured tuna metabolites demonstrated strong mutual correlations, especially GLU, CHOL and TRIG, which are crucial factors in the lipid profile of animals.     

Pan-steatitis in farmed northern bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus (L.), in the eastern Adriatic

Clinical, gross and histopathological investigations were carried out into large-scale mortalities on eastern Mediterranean bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus (L.), farms. Fish showed only nervous signs and darkened colour. At post-mortem the liver was bronze coloured and the pyloric area waxy in consistency. There was no evidence of any other gross pathology. Histopathology showed severe hepatic necrosis and lipidosis. Peri-pancreatic lipoid tissue was heavily infiltrated with an inflammatory round cell infiltrate. Fish on all three farms had been fed on a North African pilchard diet rather than traditional local or Baltic species. Once the diet was modified, losses ceased. A diagnosis of pan-steatitis as seen in other farmed fish species, as well as in terrestrial animals, on particular fish-based diets was made, although the actual factor within the diet which induced the inflammatory effect is not known.     

The changes in proximate compositions and glycogen contents in the dorsal ordinary muscles of the full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis occurring with growth

ABSTRACT:   Using full-cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna (body length [BL], 42.6–66.4 cm; body weight [BW], 1.66–7.40 kg, n  = 15), the changes in chemical compositions and histological structure of the cephalal parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (DOM) occurring with growth were investigated. A positive correlation ( r  = 0.9644, P  < 0.05) was observed between BL and BW with growth. The protein, lipid and ash contents of DOM and condition factor did not change with growth. However, the glycogen content of DOM increased ( P  < 0.05) from approximately 55 cm (BL) in this study. Using optical microscopic photographs, the various shapes of muscle fibers were observed and it was noted that the muscle fiber diameter increased ( P  < 0.05) with growth. Using transmission electron microscopic observation, many glycogen granules were observed in muscle fibers (especially, side of connective tissue) of DOM throughout the growth stage in this study. These results indicate that the glycogen content of DOM of FC Pacific bluefin tuna increases before the lipid with growth.     

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.     

Effect of fasting on physical/chemical properties of ordinary muscles in full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis during chilled storage

Using the full-cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna [body weight 16.3±1.9 kg (pre-fasting group, pre-FG), 14.2±0.9 kg (post-fasting group, post-FG)], changes in the physical/chemical properties of the cephalal parts of dorsal (D) and ventral (V) ordinary muscles (OM) by fasting (6 days) during chilled storage (4°C) were investigated. Condition factors were 26.7 (pre-FG) and 20.3 (post-FG, P < 0.05). Fasting changed the liver color to green. Fasting also decreased the amount of protein and lipid contents of the DOM and VOM of FC tuna. The breaking strength and pH of the DOM and VOM of post-FG tuna were higher (P <0.05) than for pre-FG tuna during storage. In contrast, the glycogen contents of DOM and VOM of post-FG tuna were lower than for pre-FG tuna. The color values (L*, a* and b*) of DOM of post-FG tuna were lower than for pre-FG tuna throughout the storage period. In addition, the metmyoglobin (metMb) content of DOM of post-FG tuna was lower (P <0.05) than that of pre-FG tuna, and the metMb content of VOM of post-FG tuna remained low after fasting. These results indicate that fasting suppresses deterioration (especially meat color) of FC tuna muscles during chilled storage.     

Comparison of the proximate compositions,breaking strength and histological structure by the muscle positions of the full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   Using the skeletal muscle of full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna (body weight: 13.1 ± 2.6 kg, cultured for about 21 months), the proximate compositions, breaking strength and histological structure of the front and rear parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (FD-OM and RD-OM) and the ventral ordinary muscles (FV-OM and RV-OM) were compared. The FV-OM showed low moisture, protein, ash and high fat contents ( P  < 0.05, respectively) for the other three positions. The breaking strength of FD-OM, RD-OM and RV-OM increased up to 15–18 h and decreased later. However, the breaking strength of FV-OM was maintained during chilled storage. The pH of all muscles decreased up to 15 h, and then stayed at pH 5.7–5.8. However, the pH of FV-OM stayed at a higher level (pH 5.9). The histological structure observed by optical microscopy showed a space extension among muscle cells after 24 h in all positions, and these results were also supported by image analysis.     

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.     

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.     

The effect of water temperature on habitat use of young Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis in the East China Sea

ABSTRACT:   Immature Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis , tagged with archival tags, were released near Tsushima Island in the East China Sea (ECS) during the winters of 1995, 1996 and 1997. Geolocations were estimated using the archival tags from recovered fish. These data, together with sea surface temperature (SST) data from satellite remote sensing, are used to describe the habitat used by these bluefin in the ECS from January to June for 3 years (1996, 1997, 1998), and to asses the effect of water temperature on fish distribution and movement. The results indicate that their geolocations ranged from the area north-east of Tsushima Island to the offshore area in the south-west. However, the area of highest density differed among years, being furthest south in 1996 and furthest north in 1998. The differences were probably caused by changes in SST associated with La Niña (1996) and El Niño (1998) events. Another densely populated area was identified in offshore waters of latitude 28–30 °N in 1996 (only), on the cold side of the Kuroshio front. These fish may have been prevented from moving northwards by an intrusion of Kuroshio water of approximately 25°C into the region immediately to the north-east.     

Effect of water temperature on the feeding activity and the resultant mercury levels in the muscle of cultured bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel)

Tuna muscle often contains high levels of mercury, and fish samples with mercury concentrations ten times higher than the specified safety standards have been reported. Here, we report on the relationship between water temperature and the concentration of mercury in the tail muscle tissue of cultured bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis. The fish used in this study were cultured at Fisheries Laboratory of Kinki University (Amami Experimental Station, Kagoshima, Japan). One hundred fish weighing 26.2–89.4 kg were selected for analysis between February 2007 and January 2008. Water temperature during rearing ranged from 21 to 29 °C. The total mercury levels were measured using the reduction vaporizing atomic absorption method after acid digestion. Body weight increased approximately 1.5 times that observed in a previous study, despite feeding activity either being the same or less than that observed previously. The average mercury concentration in white muscle was 0.353 mg kg^?1, remaining almost constant and independent of body growth. Unlike previous studies, seasonality was not observed in this study. Based on these findings, water temperatures within a certain range were considered to stabilize feeding activity and increase feeding efficiency. Consequently, water temperature is considered to have a moderating effect on seasonal fluctuations in muscle mercury concentrations in cultured bluefin tuna.     

Comparative intestinal absorption of amino acids in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) and Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis)

The kinetics of amino acid absorption in the proximal section of three fish species were studied using an everted intestine technique and a pancreatic digest of casein (Tryptone), as the model amino acid mixture. Fresh intestine of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was used to set up the experimental system, and results were compared with those obtained using intestines from totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) and bluefin tuna fish (Thunnus orientalis). The kinetics of amino acid absorption was sigmoidal for all amino acids and for each species of fish tested. In general, specific absorptions of essential amino acids were higher than those of non‐essential ones. No correlation between the concentration of amino acids in the Tryptone solution and the corresponding absorptions was found. The maximum specific absorption rates of all amino acids for trout were 10 times higher than those determined for totoaba and bluefin tuna. The relative amounts of the different amino acids preferentially absorbed in all three species were different. Results obtained from the everted technique may be applicable to the design of formulated diets for large fish species with commercial value.     

Anesthesia,fasting tolerance,and nutrient requirement of juvenile northern bluefin tuna

ABSTRACT:   The present study aimed to investigate a suitable anesthesia protocol for nutritional studies, fasting tolerance, and nutrient requirements for maintenance in juvenile northern bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis weighing 0.8–0.9 g. The fish grew in a mass seedling production under completely controlled aquaculture. The solution of 0.2 mL 2-phenoxyethanol/L prepared by filtered seawater has been notably estimated as a anesthesia protocol for the juvenile, due to a shorter mean time necessary for anesthesia and recovery and higher survival rate at 24 h after recovery. All other anesthetics, 0.1 and 0.3 mL 2-phenoxyethanol/L, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 mL 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol/L, and cool water temperature shocks at 16.8, 12.6 and 10.4°C, were inferior. In a 5-day tolerance test, the juvenile was fed sand lance Ammodytes personatus through the rearing period or fasted for 2, 3, 4 and 5 consecutive days. Survival rates were about 80 or 60, 50, 10 and 0%, respectively. From the relationships between days fasting and energetic and nutritional retentions, juvenile tuna require about 142.7 kJ, 5.46 g protein and 0.44 g fat/kg body weight a day for maintenance, indicating remarkably higher requirements than other aquaculture fish.     

The cause of death of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) reared in sea net cages

Although the survival rate of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (PBT) during 30 days after stocking in sea net cages has been as low as approximately 50%, the reason for this high mortality is not clear. The dead fish were collected and counted during 30 days after stocking in a sea net cage, and the growth performance, stomach contents, and bone injury were investigated. Nearly half (47.9%) had died within the first 4 days. The total length and body weight of the dead fish were significantly smaller than those of the live fish, and the weight of the dead fish did not increase during the first 7 days. Approximately one-third of the dead fish (21.9–42.9% per day) had ingested inorganic matter such as wood or Styrofoam waste during the first 7 days, and 25.0–45.0% of the dead fish sampled per day showed poor growth. The daily ingestion rate of inorganic matter decreased dramatically from the eighth day, when the daily mortality rate decreased. The percentage of dead fish with bone injuries due to collision or contact was low (less than 15%). These results suggest that one of the causes of high mortality during several days after stocking in a sea cage was accidental ingestion of inorganic matter by juvenile PBT. Improvement in feeding method can increase the survival rate of juveniles in sea net cages.     

Environmental impact of capture-based bluefin tuna aquaculture on benthic communities in the western Mediterranean

Tuna farming is based on fishing bluefin tuna in their natural habit of the western Mediterranean and fattening them in floating cages. Although this type of aquaculture is expanding rapidly in the Mediterranean Sea, very little information is available for an environmental impact assessment and environmental monitoring of tuna ranching. Spatial and temporal scales of impact need to be established before the norms and regulations affecting this new branch of aquaculture can be properly implemented. The biotic indices measured pointed to detectable impact only under the cages, although multivariate techniques defined an environmental gradient of stressed macrofaunal assemblages. The benthic surveys carried out indicated that high impact was restricted to a radius of roughly 5 m from the cages with a transitional radius at 35 m. This zone was characterized by high densities of opportunistic species. There was a further zone of moderately stressed benthic environment extending to about 180–220 m from the cages. This moderately stressed zone exhibited slight changes in community structure, because the densities of some species were stimulated. At distances greater than 220 m from the tuna farm, the system apparently returned to normal conditions. The fallow period produced partial remediation of the area affected, except in the sediment underneath the cages where even a 6‐month fallow period was not sufficient for the community to totally recover.     

Ocean eddies,predator pits and bluefin tuna: implications of an inferred ‘low risk–limited payoff’ reproductive scheme of a (former) archetypical top predator

The conventional view of the reproductive ecology of bluefin tunas (Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus orientalis, Thunnus maccoyii) leads to a conceptual paradox. Simple arithmetic yields an expectation for wide variation in annual reproductive success. However, the historical record does not support this prediction. A conclusion would seem to be that a much stronger than usual density dependence must be acting. It is here argued that this strong density dependence may likely occur within small strongly convergent segments of energetically forced ocean eddy structures. Success of the implied ecological scenario requires spawning schools of sufficient size to generate sufficiently copious reproductive product to circumvent resident predator pits, while exerting sufficient predatory loss on resident predators to facilitate this circumvention. This in turn implies existence of a dangerous ‘precipice’ in the form of self‐enhancing feedback loop, lurking unperceived beyond the range of historical experience, and a need for a particular degree of precaution in managing the exploitation of this iconic species.