Direct and indirect responses to selection on individual body weight in the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

Three experiments were performed to examine the heritability of body weight among adult Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) evaluated in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, USA, and to determine if selection on individual body weight could result in changes in offspring survival and yield. The first two experiments utilized midparent-offspring regressions to estimate the heritability (h²) of adult oyster body weight and the coheritability (h_x,y) between adult midparent body weight and offspring performance, including juvenile average body weight, survival and yield as well as adult survival and yield. In Experiment 1 both parents and offspring were evaluated in an “upriver” environment in Yaquina Bay. In Experiment 2 parents were evaluated in a “downriver” environment, while offspring were evaluated in an “upriver” environment. Experiment 3 contrasted average body weight, survival, and yield of offspring (evaluated upriver) derived from three large sires and three small sires mated to the same five females that were chosen at random (all parents evaluated downriver). In Spring 2002, 12 full-sib families from Experiment 1, 19 families from Experiment 2, and 26 families from Experiment 3 were stocked into lantern nets and suspended in Yaquina Bay. Measurements of yield (kg tier^− 1), average body weight (g), and survival (%) were recorded after one and two growing seasons in the field. Heritability estimates for adult body weight at harvest ranged from 0.313 (± 0.083) in Experiment 1 to 0.003 (± 0.073) in Experiment 2. In Experiment 3, average body weight did not differ between offspring derived from large sires and offspring derived from small sires (P = 0.47). Significant negative coheritability estimates were observed between adult midparent body weight and offspring survival in both Experiment 1 and Experiment 2. Significant negative coheritability estimates between adult midparent body weight and offspring yield were observed in Experiment 2 but not in Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, offspring derived from large sires had significantly lower survival and yield than offspring derived from small sires. These results show adult oyster body weight to be heritable but also subject to site-specific adaptation such that selection in the downriver Yaquina Bay environment was ineffective at changing average body weight in the upriver environment. Negative coheritability estimates between performance traits indicate that adult oyster body weight may be a poor indirect measure of oyster yield potential, and that selection solely for increased body weight could lead to a decrease in offspring yield.     

Effects of genotype × environment interactions on the selection of broadly adapted Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas)

Broadly adapted genotypes are required if a single line of selection is to improve Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) production throughout the heterogeneous growing environments found in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. An experiment was conducted to determine if the relative rankings of average family performance (i.e. average individual weight, survival and yield) remain stable across a wide range of growing environments. Twenty-four full-sib oyster families were each planted both intertidally and subtidally in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, and Dabob Bay, Washington. Each family was represented by up to 12 replicate growout bags (stocked with 60 spat each) or 12 replicate lantern nets compartments (stocked with 40 spat each). Oysters were planted in Fall 2002 and yield (kg live weight replicate^− 1), average individual weight (g) and survival (%) were measured in Spring and Fall 2003 and at harvest in Summer 2004. Harvest average individual weight, survival, and yield were all significantly affected by family, environment, and family × environment interactions (P < 0.01). Family, environment, and family × environment interaction, accounted for 5%, 80%, and 2% of the total phenotypic variation in harvest average individual weight, respectively, 36%, 16%, and 7% of the total phenotypic variation in harvest survival, respectively, and 14%, 62%, and 5% of the total phenotypic variation in harvest yield, respectively. Although the effects of family × environment interactions were statistically significant, correlations among average family yields between all growout environments were significantly greater than 0 (r_P > 0.397; P < 0.04) indicating high-yielding families in one environment tended to be high-yielding in other environments. Results of this study suggest that the effect of G×E interactions on average individual weight, survival, and yield, while significant, are not large enough to prevent selection in a limited number of well chosen environments from resulting in favorable correlated gains in other environments in the Pacific Northwest.     

Phenotypic and genetic parameters for body measurements, reproductive traits and gut length of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) selected for growth in low-input earthen ponds

In this study we present estimates of phenotypic and genetic parameters for body size measurements, reproductive traits, and gut length for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) selected for growth in fertilized earthen ponds for two generations. Throughout the experiment, ponds were fertilized daily with 50 kg dry matter, (dm)/ha chicken manure. No supplementary feeds were added. For the analysis, 6429 fully pedigreed experimental fish from G0, G1 and G2 were used. Generations were discrete and therefore parameters were estimated separately for each year. Heritability estimates for body measurements ranged from 0.4-0.6 for standard length to 0.69-0.79 for head length. Phenotypic correlations between body weight and body measurements ranged from 0.64 to 0.89. Genetic correlations were close to unity. The heritability estimate for maturity at harvest (corrected for sex) was 0.13. Heritabilities for carcass traits were estimated from G₁ only and were 0.16 for gutted weight and 0.06 for dressing percentage. Phenotypic correlation between body weight and gutted weight was 0.84 and the genetic correlation was 0.20. Heritability estimate for gut length was 0.22. We also estimated a high genetic correlation between gut length index and standard length (0.78) but a low genetic correlation between gut length index and body weight (0.22 ± 0.28). These results suggest that selection for growth on an herbivorous diet could result in a correlated response in gut length.     

Effect of temperature on growth and energy budget of juvenile cobia (Rachycentron canadum)

Growth and energy budget of juvenile cobia (initial body weight ∼ 22 g) at various temperatures (23, 27, 31 and 35 °C) were investigated in this study. Maximal ration level (RL_max, %/day) increased as temperature (T, °C) increased from 23 °C to 31 °C but decreased at 35 °C, described as a quadratic equation: RL_max = −0.023T² + 1.495T − 17.52. Faecal production (f, mg g^− 1 day^− 1) increased with increased temperature (T, °C), described as a power function: lnf = 0.738lnT − 0.806. As temperature increased, feed absorption efficiency in dry weight (FAE_d, %), protein (FAE_p, %) and energy (FAE_e, %) all increased first and then decreased, but the variation of feed absorption efficiency was small, with ranges of 89.59-91.08%, 92.91-94.71%, 93.92-95.32%, respectively. Specific growth rate in wet weight (SGR_w, %/day), dry weight (SGR_d, %/day), protein (SGR_p, %/day) and energy (SGR_e, %/day) showed a domed curve relative to temperature (T, °C), described as quadratic equations: SGR_w = − 0.068T² + 3.878T − 50.53, SGR_d = − 0.079T² + 4.536T −59.64, SGR_p = − 0.084T² + 4.783T − 63.08 and SGR_e = − 0.082T² + 4.654T − 60.99, and SGR_w, SGR_d, SGR_p and SGR_e maximized at 28.5 °C, 28.6 °C, 28.4 °C, 28.5 °C, respectively, as calculated from the regression equations. The relationships between feed conversion efficiency in wet weight (FCE_w, %), dry weight (FCE_d, %), protein (FCE_p, %), energy (FCE_e, %) and temperature (T, °C) also took on a domed curve described as quadratic equations: FCE_w = − 0.726T² + 39.71T − 473.8, FCE_d = − 0.276T² + 15.31T − 190.6, FCE_p = − 0.397T² + 22.05T − 277.9 and FCE_e = − 0.350T² + 19.39T − 239.9, and FCE_w, FCE_d, FCE_p and FCE_e maximized at 27.4 °C, 27.8 °C, 27.7 °C and 27.7 °C, respectively, as calculated from the regression equations. Energy budget of juvenile cobia fed satiation was 100C = 5F + 67(U + R) + 28G at water temperature 27 °C and 100C = 5F + 70(U + R) + 25G at water temperature 31 °C, where C is food energy, F is faeces energy, (U + R) is excretion energy and metabolism energy, and G is growth energy.     

Heritability estimates and response to selection for growth of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in low-input earthen ponds

This study presents results of two generations of selection (G₁ and G₂) for growth of Nile tilapia. The selection environment consisted of earthen ponds which were fertilized daily with 50 kg dry matter (dm)/ha chicken manure. No supplementary feeds were provided. In total, 6429 fully pedigreed experimental fish were included in the analysis. Survival till harvest was highly variable ranging from 35% to 77% and was affected by initial weight, pond, and age effects. Body weight at harvest (BW) increased from a mean of 67.4 g in the grandparental (unselected) population (G₀) to 129.5 g in G₂ was affected by initial weight, pond, sex and age effects. Generations were discrete and therefore genetic parameters were estimated separately for each year. Heritability estimates for BW ranged from 0.38 to 0.60, and the heritability for survival ranged from 0.03 to 0.14. The estimated selection response was 23.4 g (34.7%) between G₀ and G₁ and 13.0 g (14.9%) between G₁ and G₂. These results demonstrate the feasibility of selection for growth of Nile tilapia in low-input environments.     

First feeding of Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 paralarvae using Artemia: Effect of prey size, prey density and feeding frequency

Different assays related to the first feeding of Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 are compiled in this paper. They include: age at initial feeding age, prey size selection and optimal density, attack timing after feeding, and effect of dose number on the number of captures. Prey capture and ingestion processes were also analysed. Food supplied was cultured Artemia sp. Each assay lasted 15 min.Although paralarvae already start to feed on the hatching day (day 0), it is during day 2 when a greater number of attacks is recorded (81.7 ± 14.7% paralarvae attack). They mainly prefer (significance level α = 0.05) large Artemia, 1.4 ± 0.4 mm (77.0 ± 5.6% of the total attacks) than small Artemia, 0.8 ± 0.1 mm (23.0 ± 5.6%). There is also a slight predilection for the lowest Artemia concentration (33.3 ±12.6% paralarvae attack in a 0.1 Artemia ml^− 1 density, opposite 16.7 ± 7.6 and 18.3 ± 7.6% in densities of 0.5 and 1 Artemia ml^− 1 respectively). The greatest predatory activity is recorded during the first 5 min after food is supplied (72.2 ± 25.5%). An increase in the predatory activity was also observed when food was distributed in several doses instead of a single dose (75.0 ± 10.0% and 46.7 ± 17.6% respectively). It was proved for the first time that paralarvae completely ingest their preys (including their exoskeletons), in this case Artemia. Time needed for their total ingestion ranges between 4 and 10 min.     

Genetic parameters and response to selection for harvest body weight of pacific white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei

Genetic parameters and response to selection were estimated for the harvest body weight of Litopenaeus vannamei. The data consisted of 24 072 progeny from 178 sires and 171 dams in two generations (G₀ and G₁) with a nested mating structure. All families were randomly divided into two groups and then cultured in two farms at different locations (Huanghua and Qingdao). The heritability estimates from G₀ and G₁ were 0.278 ± 0.136 and 0.423 ± 0.065 respectively. Over two generations, the heritability estimate was 0.335 ± 0.087, and the common environmental effect was 0.084 ± 0.031. A bivariate animal model was used to estimate variance and covariance components, whereby the body weight in the two farms was treated as a genetically distinct trait. Genetic correlation was close to unity (0.943 ± 0.066), indicating that a genotype by environmental interaction for harvest body weight was small. The response to selection in harvest body weight was estimated using two methods (the realized and predicted responses). The realized response was estimated from the difference in the least squares means of body weight for the selection and control populations. The predicted response was obtained from the difference in the mean estimated breeding values between generations. The realized response was 2.30%, while the predicted responses were 2.00% and 1.37% for within‐ and across‐generation datasets using two sets of genetic parameters respectively. The results would provide crucial information in pacific white shrimp breeding programs in China.     

Impact of high water carbon dioxide levels on Atlantic salmon smolts (Salmo salar L.): Effects on fish performance, vertebrae composition and structure

The role of high carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels on fish performance, bone structure/composition and as a potential cause of spinal deformities was studied. Two groups of fish were exposed to a low (control) and a high level of CO₂ for 135 days during the freshwater period. After smoltification, the fish were transferred to seawater and followed up for 517 days until they reached harvest weight (3.1 kg BW).Differences in body weight between the control and high CO₂ groups were observed. At the end of the freshwater period, average weight in the group exposed to high CO₂ levels was 20.9% lower than in the control group. Specific growth rates (SGR) from the start of the experiment (10 g BW) to smolt stage were 1.63 ± 0.04 and 1.36 ± 0.01 for the control group and the high CO₂ group, respectively. Differences in body weight were maintained during the initial stages of the seawater period, but were not observed at harvest weight.Nephrocalcinosis was not observed in any of the experimental groups at the end of the freshwater period and no external signs of spinal deformities were observed either at smolt stage or at harvest weight. X-rays revealed mild abnormalities in some vertebrae bodies, which could not be related to any experimental group. Despite the lack of signs of pathological bone alterations, the histological examination suggested that the exposure to high CO₂levels resulted in an increase in trabeculae volume and a higher rate of bone remodeling at the end of the freshwater period. Furthermore, fish exposed to a high CO₂ level presented a higher bone ash content at the end of the freshwater period. These differences could not be observed at the end of the grow-out period.     

The effects of light and temperature on the photosynthesis of the Asparagopsis armata tetrasporophyte (Falkenbergia rufolanosa), cultivated in tanks

The integrated aquaculture of the tetrasporophyte of Asparagopsis armata Harvey (Falkenbergia rufolanosa) using fish farm effluents may be viable due to the species high capacity of removing nutrients and its content of halogenated organic compounds with applications on the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. In order to optimize the integrated aquaculture of F. rufolanosa, we followed the daily variation of the potential quantum yield (F_v/F_m) of PSII on plants cultivated at different biomass densities and different total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) fluxes to check if they are photoinhibited at any time of the day. Moreover, the photoinhibition under continuous exposure to highly saturating irradiance and its potential for subsequent recovery in the shade was assessed. The potential for year round cultivation was evaluated by measuring rates of O₂ evolution of plants acclimated at temperatures ranging from 15 to 29 °C, the temperature range of a fish farm effluent in southern Portugal where an integrated aquaculture system of F. rufolanosa was constructed.Photoinhibition does not seem to be a major constrain for the integrated aquaculture of F. rufolanosa. Only when cultivated at a very low density of 1.5 g fresh weight (FW) l^− 1 that there was a midday decrease in maximal quantum yield (F_v/F_m). At densities higher than 4 g FW l^− 1, no photoinhibition was observed. When exposed to full solar irradiance for 1 h, F. rufolanosa showed a 33% decrease in F_v/F_m, recovering to 86% of the initial value after 2 h in the shade. A midday decline of the F. rufolanosa F_v/F_m was also observed under the lowest TAN flux tested (∼6 μM h^− 1), suggesting that this fast and easy measurement of fluorescence may be used as a convenient diagnostic tool to detect nutrient-starved unbalance conditions of the cultures. Maximum net photosynthesis peaked at 15 °C with 9.7 mg O₂ g dry weight (DW)^− 1 h^− 1 and remained high until 24 °C. At 29 °C, the net oxygen production was significantly reduced due to a dramatic increase of respiration, suggesting this to be the species' lethal temperature threshold.Results indicate that F. rufolanosa has a considerable photosynthetic plasticity and confirm it as a good candidate for integrated aquaculture at temperatures up to 24° C and cultivation densities of at least 5 g FW l^− 1. When cultivated at these densities, light does not penetrate below the first few centimetres of the surface zone. Plants circulate within the tanks, spending around 10% of the time in the first few centimetres where they are able to use efficiently the saturating light levels without damaging their photosynthetic apparatus.     

Optimization of experimental infection protocols for the estimation of genetic parameters of resistance to White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) in Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei

Two infection protocols, individual oral (IO) and waterborne infection (WB), were evaluated to challenge Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei with White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV). Five different batches of full and half-sib families were infected experimentally and tested for growth performance under commercial growth conditions. The genetic variance for WSSV resistance was estimated using a linear sire-dam repeatability model that considers test-day survival as the dependent variable. The heritability estimates using the IO protocol ranged from 0.01 ± 0.00 to 0.02 ± 0.01, whereas the heritability estimates using the WB infection protocol were not significantly different from zero. The genetic correlations measured as the product moment correlation between full-sib family breeding values for resistance to WSSV and harvest body weight in ponds were unfavourable in three of the five batches and favourable in one of them. The dosage of WSSV was better controlled with IO oral infection than with other methods, with all animals being exposed to approximately the same risk of infection at the same time. This should improve the accuracy of the genetic parameters and hence improve the accuracy of the breeding values. It should, however, be noted that once the outbreak was established and the mortalities began, the shape and the magnitude of the slope of the mortality curves showed little difference in the infection pattern between batches irrespective of the dosage and infection protocol, and in most of the cases the cumulative mortality was greater than 80%. The main reason for this is probably the high densities of animals in the tanks needed for the genetic evaluations.     

斑点叉尾鮰基础群体生长和存活性状遗传参数估计

研究估计了斑点叉尾基础群体(G0)体质量、体长和存活性状的遗传参数,为制定育种目标、综合选择指数和选择方法提供基础参数。实验利用5个斑点叉尾引进群体,通过双列杂交和巢式交配设计,产生全同胞和半同胞家系。每个家系内的稚、幼鱼经过中间暂养、个体标记等阶段后,混合放入一个池塘进行生长和存活测试。利用两性状动物模型和公母畜阈模型分别估计生长和存活性状的方差组分和遗传参数。通过最佳线性无偏预测法估计所有个体生长和存活性状的育种值。斑点叉尾基础群体收获体质量和体长遗传力分别为0.41±0.074和0.32±0.064,属于高遗传力水平,并且统计检验显著(P<0.05)。尽管在两性状动物模型中设置标记体质量和标记体长作为协变量进行校正,但是由于加性遗传效应和共同环境效应混淆在一起无法剖分,遗传力估计值偏高。收获体质量和收获体长的表型和遗传相关系数分别为0.93和0.97,表现为高度线性正相关。存活性状的遗传力为0.037±0.016,表现为低遗传力,但统计检验仍达到显著水平(P<0.05)。家系生长(收获体质量和收获体长)和存活性状育种值间的相关系数分别为0.065和0.100,表现为低度线性遗传正相关,并且统计检验不显著(P>0.05)。因此在制定育种方案时,生长和存活性状都可纳入育种目标,利用多性状选择指数方法同时选择。     

Influence of dietary soybean meal levels on growth, feed utilization and gut histology of Egyptian sole (Solea aegyptiaca) juveniles

The present study was undertaken in order to determine the effect of a dietary incorporation of soybean meal (SBM) on growth performance, nutrient utilization and gut histology of Egyptian sole Solea aegyptiaca. This species, which is genetically and morphologically close to Solea solea, is currently present in the Mediterranean Sea and reared in some Italian farms, using the same techniques for S. solea production and it could represent a promising new species for Mediterranean aquaculture.Three isoproteic and isolipidic extruded diets (crude protein, 47%, crude fat, 20%) were formulated containing 0 (diet 1), 18 (diet 2) and 30% SBM (diet 3). 540 juveniles (initial body weight of 6.9 ± 0.2 g) were equally distributed into nine 150 l squared tanks (bottom surface: 520 cm²) connected with a recirculation system (temperature 20 ± 1 °C and dissolved oxygen above 6 ppm). Animals have been hand-fed twice a day (at 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.) at a daily ratio of 1.5% body weight^− 1. Diets were tested in triplicate for 87 days. The fish were weighed at days 28, 57 and 87, and they were sampled at days 0, 57 and 87 for nutrient retention determination. One-way ANOVA with Newman-Keuls' post-test were used to analyze data (P ≤ 0.05).No differences in terms of palatability were observed and any diet has been consumed completely all throughout the experiment. At day 87, fish fed diet 1, 2 and 3 reached weights of 25.8 ± 0.8 g, 27.5 ± 0.9 g and 26.1 ± 1.5 g, respectively and no differences in performances or nutrient retention were found.Histopathological gut examinations have revealed no noticeable differences in the appearances of the intestines between any of diet groups. Intestinal mucosal cells presented well vacuolated upper, with well defined microvillar brush borders. On the basis of the results of this trial, SBM seems to be a good protein source for Egyptian sole and can be added in the diet up to 30% without any reduction in growth rate and no adverse effect on gut histology.     

Experimental integrated aquaculture of fish and red seaweeds in Northern Portugal

Three potentially valuable red seaweeds, Chondrus crispus Stackhouse, Gracilaria bursa pastoris (S.G. Gmelin) P.C. Silva and Palmaria palmata (L.) O. Kuntze, collected in northern Portugal, were cultivated using the nutrient-rich effluents from a local turbot (Scophthalmus maximus Linnaeus) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax Linnaeus) farm. The algae were cultivated in a two level cascade system. Several arrangements of the cascade system, stocking densities (3, 5, 7 and 8 kg m^− 2) and water fluxes (140 and 325 l h^− 1) were tested to optimize biomass yield and nitrogen uptake rate and efficiency. The yield and the total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) uptake of the three species were highly seasonal. Palmaria could not survive culture conditions during the summer when water temperature was above 21 °C. In the spring, Palmaria had an average yield of 40.2 (± 12.80) g DW m^− 2 day^− 1 and a nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUE) of 41.0% (± 17.26%). NUE expresses, in percentage, the average reduction in TAN concentration between the inflows and the outflows of the tanks. Chondrus performed better in summer with an average yield of 37.0 (± 11.10) g DW m^− 2 day^− 1 and removing 41.3% (± 17.32%) of nitrogen. Gracilaria grew year round, but also performed better during spring/summer, producing an average of 29.1 (± 2.90) g DW m^− 2 day^− 1, and only 7.3 (± 5.08) g DW m^− 2 day^− 1 during autumn. Yield of C. crispus did not differ significantly when grown at two different stocking densities (5 kg m^− 2 and 8 kg m^− 2). On the other hand, Gracilaria had significantly higher yields at 5 than at 7 kg m^− 2. Better NUE, on average 76.7% (± 22.13%), was also obtained with 5 kg m^− 2 stocking density and only 63.8% (± 24.62%) with 7 kg m^− 2. The yield of Gracilaria increased significantly with the increase of water flux from 140 to 325 l h^− 1 and more nitrogen was removed from the water. However, NUE decreased from 48.4% to 33.4% at 140 and 325 l h^− 1, respectively. Biofiltration was highly improved by a cascade system with a NUE as high as 83.5%.     

Intensive production of juvenile tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon: An evaluation of stocking density and artificial substrates

Tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon were intensively grown from PL₁₅ for 56 d in tank systems at stocking densities of 1000 and 2000 shrimp m^− 3, with and without the addition of artificial substrates (AquaMat® (buoyant and non-buoyant) and polyethylene mesh) at each density. Shrimp growth was significantly greater at the lower density and when substrates were added. Mean shrimp weight at harvest ranged from 0.64 ± 0.06 g (2000 shrimp m^− 3, no added substrate) to 1.17 ± 0.01 g (1000 shrimp m^− 3, added substrate). Survival was high and averaged 79.5 ± 2.7% across all treatments. The addition of substrates significantly increased survival at both stocking densities; however, survival was not significantly affected by stocking density. A maximum harvest density of 1645 shrimp m^− 3 and biomass of 1.27 kg m^− 3 were produced at a stocking density of 2000 m^− 3 with added substrates. Both harvest density and biomass significantly increased with stocking density and addition of substrates. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) of formulated feed was significantly lower when substrates were added. The results show that growth of P. monodon juveniles was inversely related to stocking density during intensive production. However, production output was significantly increased by addition of artificial substrates, which enhanced both growth and survival.     

Ammonia toxicity and its effect on the growth of the South African abalone Haliotis midae Linnaeus

The current study investigated acute toxicity to ammonia of the South African abalone, Haliotis midae, from three size classes relevant to mariculture operations, and the chronic impact of sub-lethal ammonia levels on growth of juvenile abalone.Results showed that tolerance to ammonia (at pH 7.8 and T_a = 15 °C) increases with body size (i.e. age) as indicated by 36 h LC₅₀ values: juvenile abalone (1-2.5 cm shell length) had the lowest LC₅₀ of 9.8 μg l^− 1 FAN, whereas LC₅₀ was 12.9 μg l^− 1 FAN in “cocktail”-size abalone (5-8 cm shell length). The highest LC₅₀ of 16.4 μg l^− 1 FAN was observed in “brood stock”-size animals (10-15 cm). When “cocktail”-size abalone were allowed to acclimatize to sub-lethal ammonia levels for 48 h, their ammonia tolerance increased compared with non-acclimatized abalone of the same size: LC₅₀ was 2.0 μg l^− 1 FAN higher at 14.8 μg l^− 1 FAN.Growth of juvenile abalone (1-2.5 cm shell length) during chronic exposure to sub-lethal FAN levels is inhibited: specific growth rate (SGR) is significantly reduced by 58.7% to 0.10 ± 0.03% d^− 1 (weight) compared with 0.24 ± 0.06% d^− 1 of abalone of a control group (no ammonia).The results demonstrate the negative effects of ammonia not only on survival but also on growth of farmed abalone, both impair profitability of the farming operation. The information from the present study will be helpful in determining water quality requirements in South African abalone farms.     

三角帆蚌紫色选育系1龄阶段内壳色及生长性状的遗传参数估计

采用群体选育辅助种内群体间杂交选育的方法,以内壳色、体质量作为选育性状,经过连续4代的选育获得了紫色选育系F4。本实验以F4为亲本进行繁殖,利用6对微卫星标记,对15个同批繁育的F4母蚌的1龄后代进行亲子鉴定,鉴别出了来自12个父本、15个母本的42个全同胞家系,使用ASREML软件的约束极大似然法对三角帆蚌内壳色及生长性状进行了遗传参数分析。结果显示,内壳色颜色参数L*、a*、b*、dE*的遗传力分别为0.31±0.22、0.11±0.08、0.36±0.18、0.29±0.19,L*、a*、b*之间的遗传相关和表型相关均较低,范围为0.08~0.47和0.04~0.32,L*与dE*相关性最大,遗传相关为-0.94±0.06,表型相关为-0.96±0.01;生长性状壳长、壳高、壳宽、体质量和壳重的遗传力分别为0.24±0.19、0.37±0.27、0.26±0.16、0.26±0.17、0.31±0.19,各性状间遗传相关和表型相关均为正相关,分别为0.71~0.92、0.66~0.94;颜色参数与生长性状的遗传相关和表型相关均很低,为0.02~0.18。三角帆蚌紫色选育系1龄阶段内壳色和生长性状的遗传力多为中高水平,对其继续进行遗传改良预期能够获得良好遗传进展。内壳色与生长性状的相关度很低,无法实现相互选择,体质量与其他生长性状相关均较紧密,表明将内壳色、体质量作为目标性状进行同步选育的方法合理,可实现同时改良壳色及生长性能的目的。     

Performance of different types of diets on experimental larval rearing of endangered Chitala chitala (Hamilton) in recirculatory system

This is the first report on the successful larval rearing of captive bred population of Chitala chitala (Hamilton). C. chitala is one of the endangered fresh water fish species in India for which the development of controlled larval rearing procedures are needed for stock enhancement. Fifteen days old post-hatchlings were stocked for 28 d in a 30 L recirculatory tanks using eight different diets i.e. live feed (tubifex worms, chironomous larvae, zooplanktons,), dry feed (dry tubifex, spirulina, daphnia) and other non-conventional feed (fish eggs and boiled egg-yolk). Fishes accepted all types of diets. The study revealed that specific growth rate (SGR) was higher in post-hatchlings fed on live tubifex worms (2.40 ± 0.72) followed by fish eggs (2.15 ± 0.71), dry tubifex (2.12 ± 0.40), chironomous larvae (1.91 ± 0.44), spirulina (1.79 ± 0.38), daphnia (1.42 ± 0.79) and planktons (1.37 ± 0.77) whereas minimum SGR was recorded with boiled egg-yolk (0.63 ± 0.5). A highly significant difference (p < 0.01) in SGR was observed in fish fed on live feed (tubifex worms, chironomous larvae, planktons, spirulina), dry tubifex and fish eggs whereas for daphnia and boiled egg-yolk it was only significant (p < 0.05). The final mean weight and weight gain showed highly significant difference (p < 0.01) in live tubifex, zooplanktons, spirulina, chironomous larvae, dry tubifex and fish eggs, whereas daphnia and boiled egg-yolk fed larvae showed significant difference (p < 0.05). Highest mean survival rate on day 28 was observed in live tubifex worms (94%) and chironomous larvae (92%). The post-hatchlings reared with spirulina and daphnia showed same survival rate of 88% whereas the lowest mean survival of 66% was recorded in boiled egg-yolk. The experiments showed that captive bred post-hatchlings of C.chitala could be reared in experimental recirculatory system for attaining higher growth and survival during early life stages. However, methods to improve the larval rearing have to be improved further for commercial farming of the species.     

Disruption of gonadal maturation in cultured Senegalese sole Solea senegalensis Kaup by continuous light and/or constant temperature regimes

A major problem in the development of Senegalese sole Solea senegalensis intensive culture is the poor control on reproduction, in part due to the lack of knowledge on the precise role of photoperiod and temperature. Thus, gonadal maturation was evaluated by assessing the sequential changes in plasma levels of 17β-estradiol (E₂), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), and testosterone (T) in both female and male cultured Senegalese sole (F1 generation) exposed to various combinations of constant or naturally-fluctuating daylength and water temperature. Under natural photoperiod (NP; 36° N), exposure to constant temperature (t0; 18-20 °C) disrupted gonadal development, as indicated by a lower incidence (in comparison with naturally-fluctuating water temperature; 14-24 °C) of females at advanced maturation (from February to April: 12 vs. 33%) and running males (from February to May: 46% vs. 57%), and the reduced mean (± S.E.M.) sex steroid plasma levels (female peak E₂ levels: 2.9 ± 0.28 vs. 1.8 ± 0.3 ng ml^− 1; male peak T levels: 1.5 ± 0.14 vs. 0.9 ± 0.06 ng ml^− 1). Therefore, the onset and progression of gonadal development in this species seem to be strongly (“proximally”) influenced by fluctuating water temperature. When compared to NP and t0, exposure to continuous light (LL) under t0 significantly reduced steroid production (female peak E₂ levels: 1.8 ± 0.28 vs. 0.5 ± 0.05 ng ml^− 1; male peak 11-KT levels: 9.4 ± 1.06 vs. 5.4 ± 1.33 ng ml^− 1) and subsequently gonadal development (lower proportions of females at intermediate [46 vs. 6%] and advanced maturation [12 vs. 0%] from February to April and of RM [46 vs. 33%] from February to May). Thus, the seasonal changes of daylength would be crucial for normal gonadal development, being its cueing effects of higher magnitude than those of water temperature. The present report constitutes the first systematic study focused on the environmental control of reproductive events in Senegalese sole.     

Growth, survival and biochemical composition of spider crab Maja brachydactyla (Balss, 1922) (Decapoda: Majidae) larvae reared under different stocking densities, prey:larva ratios and diets

The spider crab Maja brachydactyla is overexploited on the NW coast of Spain. Aquaculture of this species can be the solution to the problem, and consequently, several attempts of intensive larval rearing have been conducted. However, most of the studies already published do not provide enough zoo technical data, especially in terms of larval and prey densities or the nutritional quality of diets used for rearing.Three experiments were carried out to evaluate the conditions for intensive larval rearing of M. brachydactyla. Larval stocking density (10, 50 and 100 larvae L^− 1), prey:larva ratio (15, 30 and 60 enriched Artemia larva^− 1) and diet (enriched Artemia, non-enriched Artemia and polychaete supplement) effects on growth and survival of this species were studied. For larval culture nine, 35 L, 150 μm mesh-bottomed PVC cylinders (triplicates for each treatment and larval stage) connected to a recirculation unit, were used. Temperature and salinity were kept constant at 18 °C and 36‰ respectively. A 12 to 18 day trial was conducted for each experiment and samples of larvae were collected at each larval stage (zoea I, zoea II, megalopa) in the inter-molt phase and at first juvenile. Survival, carapace length and width, dry weight (DW), and proximate biochemical content (protein, carbohydrates and total lipid) as well as lipid class composition were determined.Stocking densities of 100 larvae L^− 1 resulted in higher growth in DW and higher content in lipids and protein for zoea I (ZI) and zoea II (ZII) than 10 larvae L^− 1. However, survival decreased with increasing stocking density.The use of 60 preys larva^− 1 produced larvae with significantly higher DW and protein content, especially at ZII stage, than lower prey densities. Survival rate obtained feeding 60 preys larva^− 1 up to the megalopa stage was almost two-fold (42.2%) the rate obtained using 15 preys larva^− 1 (24.8%).Larvae fed on enriched Artemia (EA) showed an increase in weight up to megalopa (518.9 ± 26.5 μg) in contrast to larvae fed on non-enriched prey (A) (467.9 ± 6.9 μg). Variation in DW correlated with the total lipid content (L) of the larvae (L_EA = 70.1 ± 37.5 μg ind^− 1; L_A = 28.9 ± 3.2 μg ind^− 1) especially in terms of neutral lipids. The use of an initial density of at least 50 larvae L^− 1 and 60 enriched Artemia larva^− 1 can be considered the most adequate rearing parameters in order to obtain good results in growth and survival of M. brachydactyla.     

Selective particle feeding by the Chilean oyster, Ostrea chilensis; implications for nursery culture and broodstock conditioning

Hatchery broodstock conditioning and nursery culture of the Chilean flat oyster Ostrea chilensis have been hampered by the poor performance of oysters fed typical microalgal hatchery diets. To determine the feeding capabilities of this species the selective removal and consumption of natural planktonic assemblages and artificial inert particles (polystyrene beads) by juvenile and adult oysters were examined experimentally. The arrangement of the eulaterofrontal cirri of the ctenidia was also examined to infer their potential efficiency of particle selection for feeding. Polystyrene beads of 45 and 15 μm in diameter had high rates of removal from suspensions by both juvenile (45 μm = 70%, 15 μm = 73%) and adult (45 μm = 88%, 15 μm = 87%) oysters. In contrast, beads of 6 μm diameter had lower rates of removal (adults = 68%, juveniles = 53%), while 1 μm beads were not removed at all. Both adult and juvenile oysters feeding upon natural plankton assemblages removed only microphytoplankton (20-75 μm in size) despite the presence of nanophytoplankton (2-20 μm), picophytoplankton (< 2 μm), cyanobacterium Synechoccocus spp. (< 2 μm), and bacterial cells (< 75 μm) in the experimental suspensions. Eulaterofrontal cirri of both juvenile (15.2 μm ± 0.9 SE) and adult oysters (18.9 μm ± 0.3 SE) are the shortest that have been reported for any ostreid species which helps to explain the inability of this species to retain small food particles. The clearance rates for oysters feeding on microphytoplankton only were 1.49 (± 0.05 SE) and 7.1 (± 1.2 SE) l h^− 1g^− 1 for juveniles and adults respectively. These values are much higher than previously reported for this species being fed smaller sized cultured microalgae. Our results strongly suggest that the difficulties in the nursery and broodstock hatchery culture of this oyster may be due to inappropriate phytoplankton diets. We recommend the provision of cultured microalgae of 20-75 μm in diameter for improving the performance of hatchery maintained juvenile and adult O. chilensis.