Comparative growth and yield of channel catfish and channel × blue hybrid catfish fed a full or restricted ration

Growth and yield (kg ha^?1) of the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus, Rafinesque, 1818) and the channel × blue hybrid catfish [I. punctatus female ×I. furcatus (Lesueur, 1840) male], which shared the Jubilee strain of channel catfish as the maternal parent, were compared in sixteen 0.1 ha earthen ponds (14 852 fish ha^?1) during the April to November growing season. Each fish genetic group was fed a commercially formulated 32% protein feed daily to apparent satiation or at 80% of the mean daily satiation ration. Net yield and individual weight were higher for channel × blue hybrid catfish compared with channel catfish and for fish fed a full ration compared with a restricted ration. When fed a full ration, the channel × blue hybrid catfish grew faster from May to September than did the purebred channel catfish because the hybrid catfish consumed a greater percentage of its body weight at each feeding. Net yield within each fish genetic group was lower when feed ration was restricted. The per cent reduction in net yield in response to feed restriction was similar for each fish genetic group.     

Simulation modelling of high‐throughput cryopreservation of aquatic germplasm: a case study of blue catfish sperm processing

Emerging commercial‐level technology for aquatic sperm cryopreservation has not been modelled by computer simulation. Commercially available software (ARENA, Rockwell Automation, Inc. Milwaukee, WI) was applied to simulate high‐throughput sperm cryopreservation of blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) based on existing processing capabilities. The goal was to develop a simulation model suitable for production planning and decision making. The objectives were to: (1) predict the maximum output for 8‐h workday; (2) analyse the bottlenecks within the process, and (3) estimate operational costs when run for daily maximum output. High‐throughput cryopreservation was divided into six major steps modelled with time, resources, and logic structures. The modelled production line processed 18 fish and produced 1164 ± 33 (mean ± SD) 0.5‐mL straws containing one billion cryopreserved sperm. Two such production lines could support all hybrid catfish production in the United States and 15 such lines could support the entire channel catfish industry if it were to adopt artificial spawning techniques. Evaluations were made to improve efficiency, such as increasing scale, optimizing resources, and eliminating underutilized equipment. This model can serve as a template for other aquatic species and assist decision making in industrial application of aquatic germplasm in aquaculture, stock enhancement, conservation and biomedical model fish.     

Individual movements,home ranges and habitat use by native rheophilic cyprinids and non‐native catfish in a large regulated river

The mobility patterns of two native species, barbel, Barbus barbus (L.) and chub, Squalius cephalus (L.), and of one non‐native fish species, the catfish Silurus glanis (L.), were assessed on a 35.5‐km reach of the Upper Rhône River, a strong flowing river with notable thermal regime alterations. An active acoustic tracking technique adapted to large rivers allowed (1) the identification of longitudinal home ranges, movements and preferred habitat at large scale, and (2) the analysis of the influence of discharge and water temperature on the movement patterns of the fish. The active fish‐tracking system recorded 1,572 fish localisations over 7 months on a weekly basis for 80% of the tagged fish (37 barbel, 23 chub and 13 catfish). Compared with the catfish, barbel and chub showed wider longitudinal home ranges, more movements >1 km and higher interindividual variability. The catfish preferred artificially heated habitats with less morphological diversity. The three species were more often localised in river sections with high density of woody debris. The results suggest that habitat degradation is more damaging for cyprinids in large modified rivers, while the catfish seemed less, impacted.     

Effects of temperature on the induced spawning of channel catfish and the production of channel × blue catfish hybrid fry

Hybrid catfish (channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, female × blue catfish, I. furcatus, male) can be obtained by induced spawning and artificial fertilization but with variable results. Temperature of the surrounding environment affects the rates of physiological processes in fish including time to ovulation following hormone injection and time post-ovulation when quality eggs can be obtained. Brood females were held at 24, 26, and 28 °C in 100 L aquaria and injected with LH-RHa at 20 μg/kg followed 12 h later with 100 μg/kg. Fish were monitored hourly recording the time of the first egg deposit. Some females were manually stripped soon after the first eggs were observed, and the remaining females were stripped 4-6 h after the first eggs were observed. Eggs were artificially fertilized with blue catfish sperm and incubated. The percent of females that ovulated were 52.9%, 82.4% and 95.5% at 24, 26, and 28 °C (P = 0.001) respectively. The majority of females that ovulated did so between 58 to 64 h at 24 °C, 48 to 52 h at 26 °C and 24 to 40 h at 28 °C for a degree hour response time of 1405 ± 117, 1141 ± 238 and 951 ± 261 respectively (P < 0.001). Differences in eggs/kg female, eggs/g of eggs, percent viable eggs, percent hatch and survival of sac fry to swimup resulted in an average of 384.4 ± 316.97 fry/kg female at 24 °C, 370 ± 219.2/kg at 26 °C and 1284 ± 1394.1/kg at 28 °C (P = 0.136). Egg quality varied with how soon eggs were stripped after the first egg was observed. For fish held at 26 and 28 °C. the combined effects of egg quality and fry survival resulted in an average 1081 ± 1483.9 fry/kg female for fish stripped within 2 h after the first eggs were released and 500 fry/kg female when stripped after 4 or more hours once the first eggs were released.     

Improving water‐use efficiency for Ictalurid catfish pond aquaculture in Northwest Mississippi,USA

We used a 50‐year (1961–2010) daily record of precipitation and evaporation in a hydrological model to simulate ground water withdrawal for the foodfish grow‐out phase of ictalurid catfish culture in northwest Mississippi, USA. The model quantified the effects of seepage, reusing water for multiple years, and managing water levels to capture rainfall (drop‐fill water management). Selecting sites with relatively impervious soils and reusing water for multiple years had large impacts on annual water use, and combining those practices with drop‐fill water management reduced simulated groundwater withdrawal to less than 60 cm year^?1 compared with more than 450 cm year^?1 for the least conservative scenario. Water conservation measures reduced estimated costs of pumping ground water from ~$1150 ha^?1 year^?1 for the least conservative set of water‐use variables to less than $110 ha^?1 year^?1 for the best set of water conservation practices. Efficiency of pumped water use was dramatically improved by intensifying production in the foodfish grow‐out phase. Combining water‐conservation practices with production intensification improved the water use index from 9.18 m³ kg^?1 for foodfish grow‐out ponds with the least conservative set of practices to 0.28 m³ kg^?1 for ponds built on soils with negligible seepage, managed with a 22.9‐cm drop/7.6‐cm fill, drained every 10 years, and producing 15 000 kg of catfish ha^?1 year^?1. When simulated ground water use for the best set of water conservation practices in foodfish grow‐out ponds was combined with estimates of ground water used for fingerling production and water used in producing grain‐based feedstuffs, total consumptive water use index for catfish culture was estimated at ~2.7 m³ kg^?1. This index is competitive with most other types of animal agriculture. Efficient water use in catfish farming is easily achieved under commercial conditions using existing simple technologies.     

Blue sucker stock characteristics in the Wabash River, Indiana–Illinois, USA

Abstract  Blue sucker, Cycleptus elongatus (Lesueur), populations have declined because of habitat degradation and overharvest, and little information exists on the population characteristics and stock dynamics of this species. We examined size and age structure, mortality, growth and condition of blue sucker in the Wabash River, Indiana–Illinois, USA. A total of 356 fish collected by electric fishing from June 2003 to April 2006 ranged from 238 to 775 mm total length and 85 to 5288 g wet weight. Age ranged from 3 to 16 years and annual mortality ranged from 22 to 25%. Annual growth was greatest among younger age classes (range 48–141 mm yr⁻¹) and declined after age 6, likely at the onset of reproductive maturity. Variation in the relative condition factor (range 66–141) was heteroscedastic over the size range of fish sampled, perhaps attributable to seasonal differences in reproductive condition among mature fish.     

Growth potential and habitat requirements of endangered age‐0 pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) in the Missouri River,USA, determined using a individual‐based model framework

An individual‐based model framework was used to evaluate growth potential of the federally endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) in the Missouri River. The model, developed for age‐0 sturgeon, combines information on functional feeding response, bioenergetics and swimming ability to regulate consumption and growth within a virtual foraging arena. Empirical data on water temperature, water velocity and prey density were obtained from three sites in the Missouri River and used as inputs in the model to evaluate hypotheses concerning factors affecting pallid sturgeon growth. The model was also used to evaluate the impacts of environmental heterogeneity and water velocity on individual growth variability, foraging success and dispersal ability. Growth was simulated for a period of 100 days using 100 individuals (first feeding; 19 mm and 0.035 g) per scenario. Higher growth was shown to occur at sites where high densities of Ephemeroptera and Chironomidae larvae occurred throughout the growing season. Highly heterogeneous habitats (i.e., wide range of environmental conditions) and moderate water velocities (0.3 m/s) were also found to positively affect growth rates. The model developed here provides an important management and conservation tool for evaluating growth hypotheses and(or) identifying habitats in the Missouri River that are favourable to age‐0 pallid sturgeon growth.     

Movement and habitat use of the freshwater catfish (Tandanus tandanus) in a remnant floodplain wetland

Knowledge of the movement and habitat use of fishes is important in identifying and understanding the causes of population declines and predicting how populations are likely to respond to management interventions. In this study, radiotelemetry was used to examine the spring and summer movement and habitat use patterns of the freshwater catfish (Tandanus tandanus) in a remnant wetland to inform the development of recovery actions for this threatened species. Twenty‐one adult fish were tagged and released within Tahbilk Lagoon, Victoria, Australia, in September 2009. Fish were located every 1–2 weeks between September 2009 and February 2010, a period which coincides with the spawning period for the species. Eleven of the fish were also tracked every 2 h for 68 consecutive hours in December 2009 to examine diel movements. The study revealed that freshwater catfish make extensive use of cover (e.g. wood and macrophytes) and typically have limited ranges (median total linear range and 90% linear range 599 and 173 m respectively), although they occasionally moved more extensively (up to 1.5 km) between floodplain and riverine habitats. Fish moved over much greater areas at night compared with during the day. There was also evidence of sex‐specific variation in movement, with a trend for greater movement of female fish at night compared with males. The results of the study suggest that strategies that protect macrophyte and wood habitats and improve connectivity between riverine and floodplain habitats are likely to be important in maintaining and restoring remnant populations of this species.     

Critical Thermal Minima of age‐0 Australian bass,Macquaria novemaculeata,fingerlings: implications for stocking programmes

Abstract Fishes are often stocked outside natural distribution ranges with inadequate information on target streams, particularly thermal regimes. Australian bass, Macquaria novemaculeata (Steindachner), is a catadromous species that is regularly stocked into upland reaches of rivers and impoundments in south‐eastern Australia. Critical Thermal Minima (CTMin) were determined for age‐0 Australian bass fingerlings with a mean fork length of 64.4 ± 0.4 mm and weighing 3.8 ± 0.8 g. Four treatments were used, including three replicate aquaria for each treatment. Fingerlings were acclimated at either 8 or 15 °C at densities of 15 fish in 56‐L glass aquaria. Water temperatures were then decreased at either 1 °C day^?1 or 1 °C h^?1 until loss of equilibrium (LOE), which occurred between 3 and 7 °C. Mean CTMin among treatments was 3.22–4.64 °C and was influenced by acclimation temperature and rate of temperature decline. Fingerlings acclimated at 8 °C subjected to a temperature decline of 1 °C h^?1 experienced highest LOE temperature. Post‐LOE mortality among treatments was highest at 100% in the 8 °C acclimation with a 1 °C day^?1 temperature decline. Mortalities following LOE occurred within 5 days. The results suggest that stocking age‐0 Australian bass is unlikely to be successful in areas where winter temperatures fall below 6 °C.     

Seasonal use distributions and migrations of blue sucker in the Middle Missouri River

Abstract –  Blue suckers, Cycleptus elongatus , are a highly mobile species speculated to have spring spawning migrations. However, previous studies have not quantified seasonal migrations of blue suckers. Use distributions were calculated at 90% and 50% for three seasons to identify geographic space-use requirements of blue suckers. Mean 90% use distributions (±SE) varied from 8.1 km (±5.3 km) in summer to 78.6 km (±9.9 km) in fall to 174.9 km (±13.1 km) in spring. The great space-use requirements of blue suckers in fall and spring indicate that the species makes substantial upstream migrations in fall and also preceding spawning in spring, then return to a core area postspawning. The broad geographical range occupied by blue suckers throughout their life-history cycle emphasises the need for interjurisdictional management of the species and highlights potential detrimental effects of blocking fish passage.     

Stock assessment of the blue jack mackerel,Trachurus picturatus,in the North‐eastern Atlantic

A total of 49,151 blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus, (Bowdich) was collected in Madeira Island (North‐eastern Atlantic) between 2002 and 2016 to evaluate possible influence of fishing on landings and reproductive parameters. A decreasing trend in the length composition was observed over the study period and length at first maturity decreased by 2.78 cm TL. Maximum yield per recruit decreased from 2002 to 2016 but the corresponding fishing mortality was constant (F_max = 0.4/year). Considering the fishing mortality level in 2016, it is evident that the stock may be exploited beyond its sustainability limit. Amendments of the purse‐seine fishing regulations and implementation of measures to reduce fishing effort are suggested.     

The effect of lake morphometry on thermal habitat use and growth in Arctic charr populations: implications for understanding climate‐change impacts

Oxygen stable isotope temperature reconstruction methods were used to estimate mean experienced summer temperatures from growth zones within individual Arctic charr otoliths sampled from lakes with contrasting morphologies but proximate locations. For either lake, otolith‐estimated temperatures were not significantly related to back‐calculated growth. Fish in the smaller lake evidenced an increase in growth with age related to increasing use of cooler thermal habitats, with the use of thermal habitat possibly governed by predation risks. No relationships between age, growth or temperature were observed in the larger lake. Significant negative effects on back‐calculated growth were observed due to increasing air temperatures in the smaller and shallower lake, possibly owing to warmer surface and littoral waters and a limited amount of preferred cool‐water habitat. A similar relationship was not observed in the larger and deeper lake and indicated that resident Arctic charr were not as vulnerable to the impacts of temperature warming, possibly because of better behavioural thermoregulation opportunities in the cooler, deeper lake. Results provide evidence for differing climate‐influenced growth outcomes among proximately located populations, with outcomes likely to depend on the differences among habitats, including lake size and morphometry which may act to influence fish densities in available preferred thermal habitats.     

The inverse life‐history problem,size‐dependent mortality and two extensions of results of Holt and Beverton

In 1958, Sidney Holt developed a model to determine the optimal mass at which to harvest a cohort of fish having von Bertalanffy growth and experiencing constant natural mortality. Holt and Ray Beverton then gave a life‐history interpretation to the analysis, from which Beverton developed a theory of Growth, Maturity, and Longevity (GML) that allows one to predict quantities such as age at maturity or relative size at maturity using life‐history parameters. I extend their results in two ways. First, keeping the original formulation, in which the rate of natural mortality is constant, I show how one can invert Beverton's result to determine the rate of natural mortality from life‐history data. I illustrate this inverse method with data on three species of tuna and compare the estimates with those based on tagging. Second, I extend Beverton's GML theory to include size‐dependent mortality. I explore previously published mortality models and introduce a new mortality function that has size‐independent and size‐dependent components. I show that the new size‐dependent mortality function leads to the prediction that age at maturity depends upon asymptotic size (as well as the other life‐history parameters), something that Beverton's original theory lacked. I illustrate this extension with a simple example, discuss directions for future work and conclude that nearly 60 years on these contributions of Holt and Beverton continue to lead us in new and exciting directions.     

Effects of various corn distillers by‐products on growth,feed efficiency,and body composition of channel catfish,Ictalurus punctatus

A study was conducted to examine the use of corn distillers’ by‐products in diets and the effects of additional dietary fat on channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, performance. Juvenile channel catfish (initial weight: 12.6 g per fish) were stocked in flow‐through aquaria and fed one of six practical diets for 9 weeks. Fish fed the control + fat diet consumed more diet and had higher feed efficiency ratio (FER) than fish fed the control diet, but weight gain was not significantly different between fish fed these two diets. Fish fed the diet containing 300 g kg^?1 distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) consumed more diet and gained more weight, but had similar FER compared with fish fed the control + fat diet. The diet containing 200 g kg^?1 high‐protein distillers grains (HPDDG) resulted in similar diet consumption, weight gain and FER as the control + fat diet. Fish fed the diet containing 100 g kg^?1 distillers solubles (DS) consumed more diet, but had similar weight gain and FER compared with fish fed the 300 g kg^?1 DDGS diet. The presence of distillers solubles in the diet (300 g kg^?1 DDGS, 100 g kg^?1 DS, 100 g kg^?1 EDS diets) appears to increase diet consumption, weight gain, and FER over the control diets with or without additional fat.     

Long‐term habitat loss in a lightly‐disturbed population of the Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin,Sousa chinensis

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Post‐release movements and habitat use of robust redhorse transplanted to the Ocmulgee River,Georgia

• 1. Robust redhorse Moxostoma robustum is an imperiled, potadromous fish in the south‐eastern USA. Initial recovery efforts have focused on supplementing existing populations and establishing refugial populations through extensive stocking programmes. However, assessment of the success of these programmes has not yet been conducted, and there are few reports evaluating the effectiveness of such programmes with other potadromous species.
• 2. Radio telemetry was employed to assess the effectiveness of a stocking programme aimed at addressing whether stocked individuals would remain in an area free of introduced predators and ascertaining the ability of stocked fish to integrate into a resident population.
• 3. Hatchery‐reared robust redhorse were captured from refugial populations established in other river systems and were transferred to the Ocmulgee River, Georgia where a population of hatchery‐reared individuals and an unknown number of wild fish reside.
• 4. These transferred robust redhorse exhibited an exploratory phase for the first 3 months before adopting behaviour patterns, including spawning migrations, that were consistent with those reported for wild fish in other systems. However, some individuals seemed unable to locate suitable spawning habitat.
• 5. Approximately half of the radio‐tagged fish remained within the area free of introduced predators.
• 6. At least some radio‐tagged robust redhorse fully integrated into the resident population as evidenced by their presence in spawning aggregations with resident individuals.
• 7. The effectiveness of a stocking programme is dependent upon the ability of stocked individuals to integrate into an existing population or replicate the behaviour and functionality of a resident population. Evaluations of stocking programmes should incorporate assessments of behaviour in addition to surveys to estimate abundance and survivorship and genetic assessments of augmentation of effective population sizes.

Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐term changes in the distribution and core habitat use of a coastal delphinid in response to anthropogenic coastal alterations

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Vertical habitat use of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific,derived from pop‐up satellite archival tag data

Vertical habitat use of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) was evaluated using pop‐up satellite archival tag data from the eastern tropical Atlantic, western North Atlantic, and eastern tropical Pacific. Data included Argos transmitted depth, temperature, and light level frequency histograms binned at 1–8‐h intervals, and four recovered pop‐up satellite archival tags that provided high resolution archival data recorded at 30‐s intervals. We tabulated the proportions of time spent within each degree of water temperature relative to the surface temperature (Delta T) and proportions of time at temperature, as these are major input variables for habitat standardization models used in stock assessment procedures. Frequency distributions were calculated for daylight, darkness, and twilight for each of the three regions and for all regions combined. Vertical habitat envelopes indicated greater use of deeper strata in the western North Atlantic, compared to the hypoxia‐based habitat compressed regions of the eastern Atlantic and Pacific. However, there were no significant differences in Delta T distributions when comparing the three regions, affirming this metric for its application in habitat standardization models.