Sensory evaluation of farmed sharpsnout seabream (Diplodus puntazzo)

The first attempts at applying aquacultural techniques to sharpsnoutseabream (Diplodus puntazzo) have proved very promising.One of the factors to keep in mind when analysing the viability of a speciesforindustrial farming is that of consumer acceptance of the product, a variablethat can be measured by sensory evaluation tests. To that end, 107 participantsfrom a number of work centres were assessed with hedonic sensory tests usingsharpsnout seabream samples. For reference purposes, the tasting also includedgilthead seabream samples. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnairethat included questions concerning their preferences for any one fish. Weanalysed the sensory attributes of both fish species using a hedonic scale, andalso their acceptability (disposition to purchase) to consumers. The resultsproved fairly encouraging with a view to sharpsnout seabream large-scaleproduction. All attributes tested in the sensory profile analysis werepositively rated. About 60% of the surveyed population would consider buyingsharpsnout seabream at a price similar to that of gilthead seabream (10∈),and 85% found it to be pleasing to the eye. Aside from flavour, its texture,juiciness and fat level are the most important appraisal attributes. Efforts toimprove the organoleptic characteristics of the species should focus mainly onthese attributes.     

黑棘鲷内脏结节病病原的分离、鉴定及致病性研究

2017年4月,浙江台州某海水养殖公司跑道式养殖池黑棘鲷大量发病,病鱼活力下降、食欲减退、体表溃疡,剖检可见肝脏、脾脏、肾脏肿大且有不同程度的白色结节,同时伴随大量腹水。用胰蛋白胨大豆琼脂(TSA)从典型结节病濒死黑棘鲷器官分离到革兰阴性短杆菌。分离病原菌AS15对健康黑棘鲷的致病力结果显示,AS15腹腔注射可使健康黑棘鲷发病死亡,死亡黑棘鲷可出现自然发病症状,在(24±1)°C的条件下,(25±2) g黑棘鲷的半数致死浓度(LD_(50))为6.5×10~4 CFU/尾。经API 20E鉴定,分离菌株AS15生理生化特性与类杀鱼爱德华氏菌LADL05-105和迟缓爱德华氏菌典型菌ATCC15947相似度为86.2%,与杀鱼爱德华氏菌ET~T883的相似度为82.8%;AS15的16S rDNA与杀鱼爱德华氏菌ET~T883同源性达99%,gyrB与类杀鱼爱德华氏菌LADL05-105和杀鱼爱德华氏菌ETT883同源性分别为100%和98%;16S rDNA进化树显示,AS15与ETT883、LADL05-105聚为一簇,gyrB进化树与LADL05-105、NCIM2056聚为一簇;采用4种爱德华氏菌属种特异性引物对AS15进行PCR分析,结果显示,AS15可扩增出类杀鱼爱德华氏菌的种特异性片段,不能扩增出迟缓爱德华氏菌、鲇鱼爱德华氏菌、杀鱼爱德华氏菌的种特异性片段,表明AS15属类杀鱼爱德华氏菌成员。分析了AS15的菌毛基因、sodB等毒力基因,发现AS15具有fimA、fimB、fimC、fimD等4种菌毛基因和sodB、citC、esrB、mukF、katB等毒力基因。本实验首次从黑棘鲷上检出致病性类杀鱼爱德华氏菌,该菌对黑棘鲷的发病机制和毒力机理还需进一步研究。     

Brackishwater carp culture in potentially waterlogged areas using animal wastes as pond fertilizers

In order to assess the possibilities of utilizing drainage effluents (salinity range 5.0–12.5), fish culture experiments were carried out. Experiments on polyculture using cow dung (24 000 kg ha^–1 y^–1) as pond fertilizer were conducted at five different salinity levels (0.3–8.5). Studies have revealed that carp perform well in salinities up to 7.5 and reasonably high fish production has been obtained. Even though the ponds had a high trophic status, higher salinities ( > 7.5) appear to repress fish growth probably due to low dissolved oxygen (DO), high BOD and high NH₄-N. Experiments on monoculture of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) conducted at two different salinity levels (0.3–0.9 and 6.0–7.0) using four different organic fertilizers (cow dung at 24 000 kg and 20 000 kg, poultry at 1500 kg, duck at 6000 kg and sheep/goat at 1500 kg ha^–1 y^–1) have revealed the highest fish growth to be in poultry-treated ponds, followed in decreasing order by duck and sheep/goat wastes. Similar trends in fish production were observed both in fresh- and salt-water ponds. However, fish production was lower in ponds having higher salinities ( > 7.5). Nevertheless, these studies indicated that inland saline waters can be utilized for fish culture. With minor modifications in the existing technology of fish culture in stagnant freshwater fish ponds, animal wastes could be used to fertilize brackishwater fish ponds.     

Growth of rainbow trout fed a diet supplemented with earthworms,after chemical treatment

Whole frozen earthworms (Eisenia foetida) were evaluated as a partial replacement for commercial pellets for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Earthworms were blanched and treated with concentrated sodium chloride (10%). Fish were submitted to four treatments: control fish were fed with a commercial diet and three groups of fish were fed with diets partially supplemented with earthworms. All fish showed the same appetite for the earthworm-supplemented diets as for the control diet during the course of the experiment (8 weeks). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were detected in the mean final body weights of all groups of fish. A significant decrease was found in the whole-carcass lipid content of fish fed diets containing 25%, 50% and 75% frozen earthworms. The results on growth rate and feed utilization efficiency of fish fed diets containing high levels of whole frozen worms suggested an adverse effect of worm incorporation, probably due to dietary energy/protein imbalance.     

Purification of gonadotropins (PmGTH I and II) from red seabream (Pagrus major) and development of a homologous radioimmunoassay for PmGTH II

Two gonadotropic glycoproteins (PmGTH I and II) were purified by ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration and preparative SDS-PAGE, from pituitaries of red seabream, a marine teleost which has an asynchronous-type ovary and spawns almost daily during the spawning season. The glycoproteins were composed of distinct subunits and the molecular weights were estimated to be 32 and 38 kDa for PmGTH I and PmGTH II, respectively. Both PmGTH I and II were active in two homologous bioassays: in vitro oocyte maturation and/or in vitro estradiol-17 production assays. These two GTHs were distinct in electrostatic properties, molecular weight, stability and yields from pituitaries during the spawning season. These properties suggest that PmGTH I and II correspond to salmon GTH I and II, respectively.A homologous radioimmunoassay with which to measure PmGTH II was developed using a rabbit antiserum against the subunit of PmGTH II and intact PmGTH II as standards and radioactive competitors. Competition curves for red seabream plasma and pituitary extract were parallel to the standard curve, while PmGTH I had low cross-reactivity (3.1 %) with the antibody. This specific RIA system showed an in vivo LHRHa induced GTH surge in the plasma of female red seabream.     

Heritability of skeleton abnormalities (lordosis, lack of operculum) in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) supported by microsatellite family data

Body abnormalities constitute an important problem to fish aquaculture. Pigmentation, scale and skeleton abnormalities have been reported in different cultured fish species. Environmental and genetic factors or their interaction have been suggested to explain their origin. Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) is one of the most important European cultured species. Lordosis and lack of operculum are common abnormalities in this species, and can reach frequency of 80% or more of commercial batches. In spite of an important body of data suggesting environmental factors related with their origin, scarce and not conclusive genetic data have been reported to date. In our study, a large number of families originating from the usual production process of a commercial farm were used to estimate the heritabilities of both characters. Two independent experiments were carried out for each abnormality. Nine hundred and ninety four (5.6% lordotics; 157 full-sib families; 6.3 offspring/family) and 808 (7.9% lacking operculum; 83 families; 9.7 offspring/family) individuals were used for lordosis and lacking operculum heritability estimations, respectively. The results obtained adjusting an animal model indicated non significant heritabilities for both characters (0.021 (s.e. 0.019) and 0.032 (s.e. 0.023) for lordosis and lack of operculum, respectively). The corresponding values when a threshold model was used, though higher (0.152 and 0.203, respectively), evidenced large standard errors (0.119 and 0.146, respectively) suggesting h² = 0 as the most confident hypothesis (P = 0.838 and 0.766, respectively). A non-parametric permutation test was also applied to evaluate if more related individuals had a higher phenotypic resemblance. The results obtained suggested only a slight familiar association (P < 0.05) when comparing individuals lacking operculum, but neither between lordotics nor between normal ones. These results suggest that most phenotypic variation observed for lordosis and lack of operculum in gilthead seabream is due to environmental factors.     

Quantitation of inert feed ingestion in larval silver sea bream (Sparus sarba) using auto-fluorescence of alginate-based microparticulate diets

The ingestion of an inert feed as a sole food source was investigated in larval silver sea bream (Sparus sarba) fed an alginate-based microparticulate diet. Using the auto-fluorescent properties of pigments associated with the alginate base, ingestion and gut content were investigated over a 6 h experimental period in fed and unfed larvae. By extracting and measuring chlorophyll a (Chl a) and phaeopigment content of feeding larval fish and relating this to standardized Chl a and phaeopigment content of the diet, relative to diet weight, it was determined that individual fed 7-day old larvae had a maximum gut content of 1.05±0.09 g diet while 14-day old fed fish had a maximum gut content of 3.17±0.90 g diet. On average, the gut content of 14-day old fish was 2.89 times greater than the gut content of 7-day old fish. The dry weight of larval sea bream increased from 43±4.2 g at day 7 to 134.3±20.4 g at day 14 indicating that growth of fish fed this inert feed was substantial. Gut pigment dynamics suggested that Chl a was degraded to phaeopigments by 7-day but not 14-day old larvae and the individual gut dietary content varied considerably in 14-day old fish. The maximum Chl a and phaeopigment content in larval sea bream was 0.4 ng ind^–1 and 0.55 ng ind^–1 for 7-day old fish and 1.54 ng ind^–1 and 2.81 ng ind^–1 for 14-day old fish respectively. The present method may potentially allow simple and direct assessment of larval fish feed ingestion in both an experimental and commercial setting.     

The effects of gonadal development and sex steroids on growth hormone secretion in the male tilapia hybrid (Oreochromis niloticus × O. aureus)

Profiles of plasma growth hormone (GH) in male tilapia hybrid (Oreochromis niloticus x O. aureus) were measured and compared at different times of the year. The profiles did not appear to be repetitive, however, differences in their nature were observed at the different seasons; the most erratic profiles were seen in the height of the reproductive season (July), while the peaks were more subdued in the spring and disappeared in the autumn. Peaks in male fish were more prominent than in the females when measured in July. Perifused pituitary fragments from fish with a high GSI responded to salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone (sGnRH) analog (10 nM-1 M), while those from fish with a low GSI barely responded to even the highest dose. Exposure of perifused pituitary fragments from sexually-regressed fish to carp growth hormone-releasing hormone (cGHRH; 0.1 M) or sGnRH (I M) stimulated GH release only after injection of the fish with methyl testosterone (MT; 3 injections of 0.4 mg kg ¹). The same MT pretreatment did not alter the response to dopamine (DA; 1 or 10 M). GH pituitary content in MT-treated fish was lower than in control fish, which may be explained by the higher circulating GH levels in these fish, but does not account for the increased response to the releasing hormones. Castration abolished the response of cultured pituitary cells to sGnRH (I fM-100 nM) without altering either their basal rate of secretion or circulating GH levels. Addition of steroids to the culture medium (MT or estradiol at 10 nM for 2 days) enabled a GH response to sGnRH stimulation in cells from sexually regressed fish. Pituitary cells which had not been exposed to steroids failed to respond to sGnRH, although their response to forskolin or TPA was similar to that of steroid-exposed cells. It would appear, therefore, that at least one of the effects of the sex steroids on the response to GnRH is exerted proximally to the formation of cAMP, or PKC, presumably at the level of the receptor. An increase in the number of receptors to the GH-releasing hormones, following steroid exposure, would explain also the changing nature of the GH secretory profile in different stages of the reproductive season.     

A comparison of the digestibility of lupin (Lupinus sp.) kernel meals as dietary protein resources when fed to either, rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss or red seabream, Pagrus auratus

The nutritional value of the kernel meals of three species of lupin (Lupinus albus, L. angustifolius and L. luteus) was compared against each other and solvent extracted soya bean meal and wheat gluten, when fed to either rainbow trout or red seabream. The digestible nutrient and energy values were determined for each ingredient, based on the diet substitution digestibility method. Each test ingredient was included in test diets at 300 g kg^?1. As different faecal collection methods were used on each species, only ingredient comparisons within each fish species study are valid. Protein digestibility for all lupin kernel meals was significantly better than for soya bean meal when fed to red seabream, although only numerically so when fed to rainbow trout. The highest protein digestibility in both fish species was that from the wheat gluten (100.0% for both rainbow trout and red seabream). Energy digestibility for each of the lupin kernel meals (range 62.4%–64.9% in rainbow trout and 60.9%–69.5% in red seabream) was less than that obtained from soya bean meal (75.1% and 81.0% for rainbow trout and red seabream, respectively). However, the higher gross energy content of the lupin kernel meals still resulted in both L. albus and L. luteus providing equivalent levels of digestible energy as that of soya bean meal. Organic matter digestibility was generally poorer for each of the lupin kernel meals relative to that for the soya bean meal and particularly compared with the wheat gluten. Phosphorus digestibility was significantly better in all lupin kernel meals than that from both the soya bean meal and wheat gluten. Highest phosphorus digestibility was that obtained from L. albus kernel meal (100.0% for both rainbow trout and red seabream) although notably the phosphorus digestibility of all lupin kernel meals when fed to rainbow trout was determined at 100%. Similarly the digestibility of phosphorus from lupin kernel meals fed to red seabream was also very high. This study supported the good nutritional value to both rainbow trout and red seabream of kernel meals of all three species of lupin, although the digestible nutrient attributes of kernel meal from L. luteus were particularly favourable.     

Circadian melatonin release <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> by European sea bass pineal

Melatonin production by the fish pineal is under the control of photoperiod. In addition, in some fish species pineal melatonin production is self-sustained by an intrapineal circadian pacemaker, not in salmonids, though. The aim of this research was to test melatonin release in vitro by the pineal of sea bass held under LD 12:12 and DD conditions to determine the endogenous nature of melatonin rhythm. Circadian rhythmicity ( = 28.3 h) was found since rhythmic melatonin release persisted on DD.     

The effects of experimental anaemia on CO2 excretionin vitro in rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss

The effects of severe experimental anaemia on red blood cell HCO₃ ^– dehydrationin vitro were examined in rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss. After 5 days of anaemia (haematocrit=4.9±1.1%) induced by intraperitoneal injection of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride, fish displayed elevated arterial CO₂ tensions (anaemic PaCO₂=3.19±0.42 torrvs. control PaCO₂=1.35±0.17 torr) and a significant acidosis (anaemic pHa=7.73±0.04vs. control pHa=7.99±0.04). However, after 15–20 days of anaemia (hct=6.6±0.8%) induced by blood withdrawal, the arterial CO₂ tension was significantly lower than the control value, suggesting that physiological adjustments occurred within this time period to compensate for the lowered haematocrit. Compensation probably did not involve alterations in ventilation, which was unaffected by 5 days of anaemia (anaemic ;w=786±187 ml min^–1 kg^–1 vs. control ;w=945±175 min^–1 kg^–1), based on indirect Fick principle measurements.Potential adaptations to longer term anaemia at the level of the red blood cells were investigated using a radioisotopic HCO₃ ^– dehydration assay. Owing to the difference in haematocrits, the HCO₃ ^– dehydration rate for blood from anaemic fish was significantly lower than that for control fish following equilibration at the same CO₂ tension. This difference was eliminated when HCO₃ ^– dehydration rates were measured on blood samples adjusted to the same haematocrit, a result which implies that the intrinsic rate of CO₂ excretion at the level of the red blood cell was not up-regulated during anaemia. The difference was also eliminated by equilibrating the blood samples with CO₂ tensions appropriate for the group from which the sample was obtained,i.e., PCO₂=1.4 torr for control samples and PCO₂=3.2 torr for anaemic samples; each at the appropriate haematocrit. It is concluded that the elevated PaCO₂ helps to reset CO₂ excretion to the control level, but that some additional physiological adjustment occurs to lower the PaCO₂ after 15–20 days of anaemia.     

Morphometrics and ultrastructure of myocardial tissue in Notothenioid fishes

Antarctic fish of the family Channichthyidae (Icefishes) lack the respiratory pigments haemoglobin and myoglobin. The morphometrics and ultrastructure of the ventricular myocardium of a benthic icefish,Chaenocephalus aceratus has been compared with that of a red-blooded Notothenioid fish,Notothenia neglecta, of similar habit.The mass of ventricular muscle as a percentage of bodyweight is 3 times greater in adultC. aceratus (0.32%) thanN. neglecta (0.11%). Myoglobin concentration in the ventricle ofN. neglecta, 20 nmoles/g, is comparable to that of temperate teleosts with similar activity patterns. The volume and surface densities of mitochondria are 41.5% and 0.32 m^–1 for Icefish and 25% and 0.15 m^–1 forN. neglecta, Cytochrome oxidase activities are similar in the two tissues whilst the volume density of myofibrils is higher forN. neglecta (47%) thanC. aceratus (29.9%).The proliferation of mitochondria in the myocardium of Icefish will reduce the diffusion path-length for oxygen between ventricular lumen and the outer mitochondrial membrane and may compensate for the absence of myoglobin.     

Effect of expanded feed with high fish oil content on growth and fatty acid composition of rainbow trout

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were fed three different diets for 110 days — a basal dry diet with 8.4% oil content (BD8), a basal dry diet with 11.1%; oil content (BD11) a nd an expanded diet with 20.7% oil content (ED) — to investigate the influence of high fish oil exp anded diet on fatty acid composition of muscle, and to evaluate nutritional properties of edible tissue. I n fact, the experimental diets were also different in their component fatty acids, with an in creasing content of 3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (3 HUFA) from BD8 to ED. As regards biomet rics data, the condition factor and the coefficient of fatness were higher in fish fed ED in com parison with groups BD8 and BD11 (p < 0.05 ED vs. BD8). On the other hand, hepatosomatic index in group ED was markedly lower than those in groups BD8 and BD11 (p < 0.05 ED vs. BD8 and E D vs. BD11). This could be explained by the lower amount of crude protein in ED or it may indicate an excess amount of essential fatty acids (EFA) in ED. As regards fatty acid composition of fish m uscle, there were only slight differences in fatty acid composition of the edible tissue of fish wh en compared with the differences in fatty acid composition of the diets. The increased amount of fish oil in ED had a positive influence on the final weight of fish (p < 0.05 ED vs. BD8 and ED vs. BD11), but did not affect proportionately the percentage of 3 HUFA (20:53, 22:53, 22:63) and therefore the derived indices of lipid quality: so it appears possible to partially substitute fish oil in the diet with other lipid as a source of dietary fat.     

Interrelationships between gill chloride cell morphology and calcium uptake in freshwater teleosts

The involvement of the freshwater fish gill chloride cells (CCs) in trans-branchial calcium uptake (JinCa²⁺) was investigated. This was accomplished by assessing the interspecific relationships between the apical surface area of CCs exposed to the external environment and JinCa²⁺. Three species of freshwater teleosts, the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and the brown bullhead catfish (Ictalurus nebulosus), were used. Chronic (ten-day) treatment with cortisol in each species was used as a tool to evoke variations in both JinCa²⁺ and gill CC morphology in order to assess intraspecific relationships between CC surface area and JinCa²⁺. The results of quantitative morphometry, based on analysis of scanning electron micrographs, demonstrated that catfish possessed the lowest fractional area of exposed CC (CCFA) on the gill filament epithelium (12,744 ± 2248 m²/mm²) and was followed, in increasing order, by American eel (21,355 ± 981 m²/mm²) and rainbow trout (149,928 ± 26,545 m²/mm²). With the exception of catfish, chronic treatment with cortisol caused significant increases in CCFA owing to proliferation of CCs and/or enlargement of individual CCs (eel only). The rates of JinCa²⁺ closely reflected the CC fractional area in each species. The results of correlation analysis revealed significant correlations between CC fractional area and JinCa²⁺ in trout and eel. Owing to the absence of an effect of cortisol treatment, there was no significant correlation in catfish because of insufficient variation in CC fractional area in this species. CC fractional area was significantly correlated with JinCa²⁺ among the three species examined. These results suggest that CC is involved in calcium uptake in freshwater teleosts and that both intra- and interspecific differences in the rates of calcium uptake can be accounted for by variability in the surface area of exposed CCs on the gill epithelia.     

Growing Giant Clam (Tridacna Derasa) in Aquaculture Effluent

Juvenile giant clams (Hippopus spp. and Tridacna spp.) are highly valuable and popular in the aquarium trade due to their brightly colored mantles with various patterns. Giant clams are unique bivalves in that they possess symbiotic zooxanthellae (Symbiodinium). A previous study by the authors demonstrated the feasibility of culturing giant clams in aquaculture effluent. Among the four species tested (Tridacna derasa, T. gigas, T. maxima, and T. squamosa), T. derasa was the most suitable for culturing in effluent. The present study compared the growth, survivorship, and condition indexes of T. derasa (mean initial shell length about 83mm) cultured in fish culture effluent or seawater for six months. The clams grew significantly faster (1.29 vs. 0.93mm shell length/month) and had marginally significant (p = 0.076) higher survivorship (94.1% vs. 77.7%) than those in control seawater. Total (shell and tissue) and tissue weight indexes (g/mm shell length), and mitotic index (% dividing zooxanthellae) were similar between the treatment and control clams; whereas zooxanthellae density (number of zooxanthellae/g clam tissue) of the clams in the effluent tanks was 2.5 times higher than that in control tanks.     

Ionoregulatory and respiratory responses of brown trout,Salmo trutta,exposed to lethal and sublethal aluminium in acidic soft waters

Soft water acclimated (Ca²⁺ 0.02 mM; Na⁺ 0.03 mM; K⁺ 0.01 mM; pH 7.0), cannulated brown trout (Salmo trutta) were exposed to various pH and aluminium (Al) regimes (pH 7.0, pH 5.0, pH 5.0 plus Al: 50, 25, and 12.5 g l^–1) for up to 5 days in order to determine (i) the sublethal concentration of Al at pH 5.0 for this species (ii) their ionoregulatory and respiratory status. No mortality or physiological disturbances were evident at pH 7.0 or pH 5.0. All trout died within 48 h at pH 5.0 in the presence of Al at 50 g l^–1 and 67% died over the 5 day period at pH 5.0 in the presence of Al at 25 g l^–1. Fish at these lethal Al concentrations showed significant decreases in arterial blood oxygen content (C_aO₂) but no changes in plasma osmolarity or the concentrations of plasma Na⁺, K⁺ and Cl^–. Physiological disturbance was more marked at the 50 g l^–1 Al concentration. The surviving fish at 25 g l^–1 showed few signs of physiological recovery while continually exposed to this regime. No fish died during the exposure to water of pH 5.0 containing 12.5 g l^–1 Al, but physiological disturbance was still apparent. These sublethally-stressed trout showed a transient decline in the plasma concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl^–1. Although C_aO₂ decreased, recovery was evident. The data suggest that in the brown trout, environmental Al concentration is as important as pH and calcium concentration in determining the physiological status of the fish.     

Effects of dietary carnitine and lipid on growth and body composition of hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops ♀× M. saxatilis ♂)

A study was undertaken to investigate the effects of graded dietary levels and different types of carnitine on hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis %) fed different levels of lipid. An incomplete factorial design was utilized in which diets containing lipid at either 5 or 10% were supplemented with l-carnitine at 0, 500, or 1000 mg kg^–1 diet, dl-carnitine at 1000 mg kg^–1 diet, or carnitine chloride to provide 1000 mg carnitine kg^–1 diet. Juvenile hybrid striped bass (3.3 g fish^–1) were stocked into individual 38-l aquaria connected as a brackish water (6), recirculating system and fed each diet in triplicate for 9 weeks.Supplementation of the diet with 1000 mg carnitine kg^–1 increased muscle carnitine from 35.5 to 47.7 g g^–1 tissue. Carnitine supplementation did not result in increased weight gain regardless of carnitine level or type; however, weight gain showed a significant (p<0.05) response to dietary lipid with fish fed diets containing 10% lipid growing 34% more than fish fed diets with 5% lipid. The hepatosomatic index also was unaffected by diet, but the intraperitoneal fat (IPF) ratio was significantly elevated (5.1 vs 3.2%) in fish fed diets with 10% lipid compared to those fed diets with 5% lipid. Fish fed diets containing 1000 mg carnitine kg^–1 had increased IPF ratio values at 4.7% compared to 3.9% for fish fed the basal diet. Liver lipid also was responsive to dietary treatment, increasing from 6.7 to 8.8% of wet weight as dietary lipid increased from 5 to 10%. The relative quantities of triglycerides, free fatty acids and phospholipids in muscle and liver were not influenced by carnitine level, carnitine type or dietary lipid level. Supplementation of carnitine does not appear to be beneficial to hybrid striped bass based on either growth performance or body composition.     

Deep water longline selectivity for black spot seabream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagellus bogaraveo</Emphasis>) in the Strait of Gibraltar

Species and size selectivity of the deep water longline traditionally used in commercial fishing of the black spot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) were studied in the Strait of Gibraltar with four sizes of hooks. Black spot seabream contributed up to 88% of the catch by number. Catch and by-catch rates differed for the different hooks and fishing trials. Significant differences in average fish length between all hooks, except in one case, were found. The comparison of two experimental fishing trials within 4 years indicates a displacement towards smaller sizes in the size frequency distributions. The results of this study show that the fishing gear can be size selective depending on hook size. The fitted selectivity models for each experiments were very different despite having two hooks in common. This is probably due to the very different catch size distributions in the two periods, which suggests that the population size structure changed significantly between 2000/2001 and 2004/2005.     

The effect of dietary exogenous digestive enzymes on ingestion,assimilation, growth and survival of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata,Sparidae, Linnaeus) larvae

The success of microdiets commonly used in the cultivation of marine fish larvae is limited to serving as partial replacements for live food. This limited success is thought to be associated with a reduced digestive ability due to an incompletely developed digestive system. The enhanced growth obtained from live food has been partially attributed to the digestive enzyme activity of the food organism. The present study was designed to test the effect of an exogenous digestive enzyme incorporated. into a microdiet on the growth of Sparus aurata. Larval gilthead seabream, 20–32 days old, were fed ¹⁴C labelled microdiets containing a commercial pancreatic enzyme at different concentrations (0, 0.1 and 0.05g / 100 g dry diet). Rates of ingestion and assimilation were measured and their relationship to dry weight was determined. Our results show that the success of the microdiet as a food for larval gilthead seabream was limited by the larva's low ingestion rate which only approached its maintenance requirement. In addition, the presence of digestive enzyme in the microdiet enhanced its assimilability by 30%. Larval growth over ten days was 0, 100 and 200% on microdiet free of added enzymes, one with added enzymes and a live food regime, respectively. It is our opinion that successful development of microdiets for Sparus aurata must be based on diets improved both in digestibility and attraction to the larvae. Further studies are now underway to determine the nutritional requirements of gilthead seabream larvae using the experimental method developed in the present study. This research was carried out in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the M.Sc. degree.     

Effects of metomidate anaesthesia or transfer to pur sea water on plasma parameters in ammonia-exposed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L) in sea water

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L) postsmolts weighing 150 ± 53 g were exposed to 14–15 mg l^–1 TA-N (total ammonia-N) in sea water in 1 m³ tanks for 24h. Blood samples were then taken A) immediately after the fish were netted from the exposure tanks and stunned by a blow to the head; B) 2–20 min after the fish were transferred to 15 l of an anaesthetic solution of metomidate in ammonia-free sea water; or C) 2–20 min after the fish were transferred to 15 l of ammonia-free sea water. Plasma TA-N level was 18% lower in the anaesthetised fish compared to in the fish sampled directly from the exposure tanks (p 0.05), and accordingly 16% lower in the fish transferred to pure sea water although this difference was not significant (p = 0.07). Plasma glucose level was higher in the fish transferred to pure sea water than in the fish receiving the two other treatments (p 0.05), but plasma urea, osmolality, Na^{+, Cl–, Ca2+ or Mg2+} levels did not vary significantly between the different treatments. Plasma TA-N level increased with time in the fish in the metomidate solution (p 0.02).