Acoustic conditioning for recall/recapture of escaped Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout

Escape of salmon from sea cages is a problem that continues to plague the aquaculture industry. Data collected during the past 15 years from Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and U.S. suggest significant impacts on natural runs of fish and economic losses to producers. The present report investigated the feasibility of using acoustic conditioning as a means of recalling/recapturing escaped fish. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were found to respond to frequencies in the range of 50 - 400 Hz equally well. Subsequently, both species were conditioned to a 250 Hz acoustic tone during feeding. Juvenile and sub-adult fish readily conditioned to the acoustic signal within four days, with the maximum number of fish responding (85% salmon, 96% trout) by day seven. To assess retention of conditioning, fish were exposed to a single tone without feed reinforcement every one, two or four weeks. Salmon and trout continued to respond for a seven month period with no significant decrease (88% salmon, 97% trout) in response. No significant differences were observed in the response of either species to tones differing in frequency by up to 200 Hz (89% salmon, 96% trout) and intensity by 20 dB (91% salmon, 96% trout). Both species were reproducibly recalled to a cage or feeding ring in a 3.7 m tank, but were reluctant to re-enter the cage. The findings indicate that salmon and trout are readily conditioned to acoustic signals and retain that conditioning for an extended period of time without reinforcement. These characteristics suggest that acoustic conditioning has potential as a means to recall escaped salmon and when coupled with recapture, can reduce interactions with wild stocks and losses to the producer.     

Phosphorus utilization in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed practical diets and its consequences on effluent phosphorus levels

Excessive dietary phosphorous (P) concentrations in effluents from aquaculture present a major environmental problem. We therefore studied the effect of dietary P and vitamin D₃ on P utilization by rainbow trout-fed practical diets and on P concentrations in the soluble, particulate and settleable components of the effluent from fish tanks. Rainbow trout (average weight: 78 g, initial biomass: 13 kg in 0.7 m³ tanks) were fed for 11 weeks, practical diets that varied in total P, available P, and vitamin D₃ concentrations. Soluble, particulate (10–200 μm) and settleable (>200 μm) P in the effluent were sampled every 0.5–6 h for 1–3 days in the third and eleventh weeks of the experiment. Trout in all diets more than doubled their weight after 11 weeks. Increasing the concentrations of available dietary P from 0.24% to 0.88% modestly enhanced growth rate. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and biomass gain per gram P consumed decreased as dietary P concentrations increased. Carcass P, daily P gain, and plasma P concentrations were lower in fish fed with low P diets. Soluble P concentrations in the effluent peaked immediately after and again 4–6 h after feeding, and is a linear function of available dietary P. No soluble P would be produced during consumption of diets containing less than 0.22±0.02% available P. Above this dietary concentration, soluble P would be excreted at 6.9±0.4 mg/day/kg for each 0.1% increase in available dietary P. Particulate P concentrations in the effluent were independent of dietary P concentrations. Settleable, presumably fecal, P concentrations tended to increase with dietary P concentrations. In trout fed with low P (0.24% available P, 0.6% total P) diets, 60% of total dietary P were retained by the fish and the remaining 40% were excreted in the effluent as settleable P (20–30%) and particulate or soluble P (10–20%). In trout fed with high P (0.59–0.88% available P; 0.9–1.2% total P) diets, 30–55% of total dietary P was retained by fish, and the remaining 15–25% appeared in the effluent as settleable P, 20–55% as soluble P, and 5–10% as particulate P. Vitamin D₃ did not affect fish growth nor effluent P levels. Physicochemical management of aquaculture effluents should consider the effect of diets on partitioning of effluent P, the peaks of soluble P concentration following feeding, and the contributions of particulate P to total P in the effluent. Increasing our understanding of how dietary P is utilized and is subsequently partitioned in the effluent can contribute significantly towards alleviating this important environmental and industry problem.     

Ovarian fluid pH enhances motility parameters of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) spermatozoa

All evidence to date suggest that sperm motility is the primary determinant of fertilization success in externally fertilizing fish species. Ovarian fluid, which comprises 10–30% of the total egg volume in salmonids, enhances sperm motility with respect to swimming speed, trajectory and the duration of movement. It was recently demonstrated that there is individual variability in sperm motility enhancing potential of ovarian fluid of particular females. In the present study we examined the effect of particular ovarian fluids collected from 31 females on the sperm motility parameters of one male of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). During our experiment we also monitored the pH of ovarian fluid. We found that particular fluids differed in the ability to activate spermatozoa; sperm remained immotile in four fluids and exhibited 50–100% motility in 27 samples. The percentage of motile sperm, velocity and duration of movement positively correlated with ovarian fluid pH (r² = 0.34–0.62). These data strongly suggest that the pH of the ovarian fluid is the primary determinant of sperm motility in rainbow trout under natural conditions of fertilization.     

Role of dietary ascorbic acid in vitellogenesis in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

Adult rainbow trout which were fed a diet devoid of ascorbic acid for 21 months, including the stages of gonadal development, showed no macroscopic signs of avitaminosis C and no increased mortality compared to a control group of fish with dietary supplementation of this vitamin. Fish without dietary supplementation of ascorbic acid contained more lipid in the liver and less in the ovaries than the reference fish. The lipid metabolism of the maturing fish is thus affected when the dietary intake of ascorbic acid is very low or absent. Fish without dietary ascorbic acid became anaemic (reduced levels of haemoglobin and haematocrit) towards the end of the feeding period. The serum levels of oestradiol-17β and vitellogenin were also lower in these fish. Possible modes of action of ascorbic acid in maturing rainbow trout are discussed on the basis of the presented analytical data on ascorbic acid, gross composition, blood serum levels of oestradiol-17β, vitellogenin, total protein, albumin, cholesterol, calcium, phosphorus and haematological parameters.     

Hydroacoustic in situ target strength of smelt (Osmerus eperlanus (L.))

Dependence of the in situ acoustic target strength (TS) of smelt (Osmerus eperlanus (L.)) on the total fish length (L) was estimated from TS measurements made with a split-beam 120 kHz echo sounder with reference to fish length–frequency distributions in trawl catches. The studies were conducted in the eutrophic and turbid Lake Hiidenvesi in southern Finland. Smelt dominated the catches-in-number with proportions at different sampling stations ranging from 91.8 to 100%. A TS–length equation of the form TS = alog L − b was fitted through the modes in the TS-distributions and in the respective fish length distributions. The estimated model (±parameter standard error) was TS = 23.4 (±2.24)log₁₀ L − 68.7 (±1.82). With a pre-defined slope of 20, the fitted equation was TS = 20 log₁₀ L − 65.9 (±0.23). The estimated day–night difference in TS–length relationship was not significant (t-test, p = 0.37).     

罗非鱼声控投饵方法

鱼类的摄食活力可以用摄食过程发出的声音直接测量。本研究通过构建声学监测平台,应用带宽1 Hz-470 kHz,在40 kHz以下自由场电压灵敏度级-217 dB(基准值为1 V/μPa)的水声检测设备,采集罗非鱼摄食过程中产生的声信号,分析其摄食活力。研究表明,罗非鱼摄食时发出的声音在0-6 kHz可区分于背景噪声,其声功率与摄食活力呈正相关。声功率移动平均值反应鱼摄食活力趋势,可作为食欲反馈,结合生长模型和投喂模型可以组成投饵策略。     

Induced spawning of maturing milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskal) with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues administered in various ways

The response of mature female captive milkfish to mammalian and salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (mGnRH-A and sGnRH-A) was investigated. Prior to spawning, six groups of three females received (1) 10–16 μg mGnRH-A from an osmotic pump implanted intraperitoneally (IP); (2) 100 μg mGnRH-A from a cholesterol/cellulose pellet implanted IP; (3) 10 μg/kg mGnRH-A as an intramuscular (IM) injection; (4) 10–16 μg sGnRH-A from an osmotic pump implanted IP; (5) 100 μg sGnRH-A from a cholesterol/cellulose pellet implanted IP, and (6) a cholesterol/cellulose pellet without analogue implanted IP.

The most effective treatment was 100 μg sGnRH-A/fish given in a cholesterol/cellulose pellet; all (3/3) of the fish spawned. However, mGnRH-A was more effective (2/3) compared with sGnRH-A (1/3) if osmotic pumps were used to administer GnRH-A. If the dose and method of administration were not considered, then the salmon and mammalian GnRH analogues were equally effective (62–67%) for induction of ovulation and natural spawning in milkfish. Gonads of control fish regressed.

At the doses tested, injections or pellet implantations were more effective compared with osmotic pumps. All pellet-implanted and injected females responded to treatment and 75% (6/8) spawned; half (3/6) of the pump-implanted females spawned. Spawning occurred from 18 to 36 h after treatment.     

Cyclical fluctuations in ammonia and nitrite-nitrogen resulting from the feeding of turbot, scophthalmus maximus (L.), in recirculating systems

Daily and weekly cyclical fluctuations in ammonia (NH₄---N μg litre⁻¹) and nitrite---nitrogen (NO₂---N μg litre⁻¹) were shown to occur in marine recirculating systems containing juvenile turbot, Scophthalmus maximus (L.). A stepwise multivariant regression analysis, computed for the prefeeding morning base levels, showed that ammonia---nitrogen concentration in the fish tanks was related to inflow ammonia---nitrogen concentration, water flow rate, water temperature, mean fish weight and fish biomass. Influent ammonia concentration and water flow rate were by far the most important variables accounting for 68·0% and 16·7% of the variation in the regression respectively.

The fluctuations, which occurred at concentrations thought to be tolerated by the fish, were attributed to the amount and timing of feeding. The significance of the existence of such fluctuations was discussed together with the importance of their amplitude and frequency.     

Water quality and sludge characterization at raceway-system trout farms

Studies were conducted to characterize raceway water quality, effluent water quality, and waste solids within three, raceway-type trout farms. No significant differences were found in effluent water quality between the three farms during 7 months of monitoring. Average effluent quality over the course of the day was not found to be impaired. However, effluent quality was found to change significantly during times of feeding and harvesting. In a concrete/earthen-lined farm, normalized total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations were as high as 115 and 63 mg/l during harvesting and feeding events, respectively. Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and ortho-phosphate (OP) also increased with higher TSS loads. The majority of particles (by weight) measured in effluent samples at all three farms were evenly divided between the smallest range (1.5–30 μm) and the largest (>210 μm). For settled sludge samples, the majority of the particles were in the size range of 1.5–30 μm. Particle size in the raceway was positively correlated with fish size during feeding events, but this correlation dissipated during the 4-h period after feeding. The accumulation and characteristics of sludge in a sediment trap were also monitored over a 22-day period.     

Effects of feeding frequency on food intake,growth and body composition of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

The effects of feeding frequency on food intake, weight change and relative proportions of the major body components were investigated at 10°C in a strain of hatchery-reared rainbow trout. Feeding frequencies were from one meal every second day to six meals per day, within the range common to current piscicultural techniques. Fish were fed a dry, pelleted diet either to satiation at each meal, or in restricted total daily amounts based on a percentage of their wet body weight. All fish were forced to swim at a constant speed of approximately one body length per second to minimize variability in growth and body composition.Maximum daily food intake occurred with just two feedings to satiation per day. Growth closely paralleled food intake. Neither specific growth rate nor whole body levels of moisture, lipid or protein were affected significantly by differences in feeding frequency. A trend towards increased body fat with more frequent feeding was observed among fish fed to satiation at each meal; this was believed to be the result of a somewhat higher total food intake than among less frequently fed fish. Fish fed a restricted daily ration divided into a number of meals exhibited smaller differences in lipid content.The general lack of response to feeding frequency was attributed primarily to the low metabolic rate of trout and to the characteristically slow rate of food passage in the digestive tract.     

A study of appetite, digestion and growth in juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas L.) fed on artificial diets

One-year-old immature green turtles (500–900 g) were kept at 25°C in recirculating seawater. When deprived of food for 108 h and then offered floating trout pellets, they consumed a satiation meal (S g) described by the equation S = 0.025 W^0.96 where W is wet body weight in g. When food was offered at different deprivation times after satiation, maximum meals were taken after 60–72 h and corresponded to 2.5% body weight. Longer deprivation (108 h) led to reduced intake of 1.9–2% body weight. Gastric emptying was measured using X-radiography or chromic oxide to label the faeces. Complete stomach emptying required 110 ± 11 h S.D. and maximum appetite occurred when the stomach was estimated to be 80–95% empty. The average time for a meal to be voided from the alimentary tract was 176 ± 16 h S.D. Diets containing 40–50% protein and 4.2–5 kcal/gram were assimilated with apparent efficiencies of 76 ± 6% S.D. and 86 ± 6% for energy and protein nitrogen, respectively. A preliminary estimate for an energy budget for these animals based on a 23 day growth period accounted for 90% of the daily food intake as:

100 I39M + 32E

where known daily intake (I calories) is compared with measures or estimates of metabolic rate (M), growth (G) and excreted wastes (E). Although this balance is similar to that of herbivorous fish, the turtle has slower feeding and digestion rates than its teleost counterparts.     

The use of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue for ovulation induction in black sea bass (Centropristis striata)

Interest in commercial production of black sea bass has increased in recent years, but reliable spawning methods remain problematic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of oocyte size and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa) dosage and delivery systems on ovulatory success for in vitro fertilization. Vitellogenic females with maximum oocyte diameters of 400–625 μm were implanted with a 95% cholesterol–5% cellulose pellet containing 50 μg of LHRHa. Fish with maximum oocyte diameters < 450 μm failed to ovulate. In contrast, 90% of fish with 500 μm oocytes spawned within 36 h and 40% of this group ovulated a second time. All of the females containing oocytes > 550 μm ovulated. In a second experiment, females with uniformly vitellogenic oocytes (> 500 μm) and implanted with 50 μg LHRHa ovulated substantial numbers of eggs (45,000–192,000 eggs/kg body weight (BW), but fertility was consistently low (0–15%). In a third experiment, 19 of 39 females receiving implants containing 6.3–23.6 μg LHRHa/kg BW during the spawning season ovulated, but fecundity (17,000–339,000 eggs/kg) and fertilization (0–98%) were highly variable. When fish were grouped by developmental index, calculated as the number of oocytes with diameters > 400 μm/total number of oocytes measured, there were no statistical differences among groups with respect to the number of spawns, fecundity or fertilization success. In a fourth experiment, 11 of 13 females with a clutch of fully vitellogenic oocytes that were injected with 20 or 100 μg/kg BW LHRHa ovulated between 1 and 2 times on consecutive days. Five of seven given an implant containing 12.5 μg LHRHa ovulated one or more times. Fish implanted with shams or injected with vehicle alone did not ovulate in any of the experiments. No differences were found in the number of spawns, fecundity or fertilization success from fish receiving different doses of injected or implanted LHRHa. Incubation of pooled eggs produced 155,000 larvae (60% hatch) and 95,000 one-gram juveniles. These results demonstrate that injected or implanted LHRHa is effective for inducing ovulation in black sea bass with maximum oocyte diameters > 500 μm.     

The effect of phytates on the growth of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) fed purified diets containing varying quantities of calcium and magnesium

Rainbow trout were fed for 150 days on four purified diets containing 0 and 0.5% phytic acid. These diets contained increasing increments of Ca (0.92–1.30%) and Mg (0.054–0.085%). The fish fed the diets containing phytic acid had 10% reduced growth and feed conversion. Increasing Ca and Mg content of the diet in the presence of phytic acid did not affect growth and feed conversion. Fish fed diets containing over 1% Ca without phytic acid had a 5% reduction in growth and feed conversion. The zinc and iron levels in the blood of the fish fed the diets containing phytic acid were not significantly different from the controls. The copper levels in the blood decreased in the fish diets with increasing increments of Ca ang Mg, but phytic acid did not influence this change. Increasing increments of Ca and Mg reduced the mean copper levels in the liver from 60 to 37 ppm. Similar reductions were found when phytic acid was included in the diet. Mean liver zinc levels did not significantly vary regardless of the diet fed. In vitro tests confirmed that phytic acid/protein (casein) complexes are only partially hydrolyzed by pepsin. In vivo tests with rainbow trout in which a casein/phytate complex was substituted for casein showed a 6.6% reduction in diet digestibility. It was concluded that the reduced growth in fish fed diets containing phytic acid was related to a reduction in protein availability rather than to an alteration in the bioavailability of Zn, Fe, or Cu.     

Self-feeding activity patterns in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) and their reciprocal hybrids

This study was conducted to monitor feeding activity of gilthead sea bream (Sa) and red porgy (Pp) and to investigate the hereditary effects on feeding in their hybrids (female Sa×male Pp, female Pp×male Sa), obtained after artificial crosses. All fish groups were held in 500-l tanks under ambient temperature (15–25°C) and light conditions (daylength from 9 h 30 min to 14 h 48 min). Fish (initial body weight 100–165 g) were fed by means of self-feeders, which were connected to a computer, recording fish feeding activity for a year. Results showed that there was a 24-h periodicity in all fish types over the experiment. In their daily feeding patterns, both parental species were diurnal: red porgies had a stable daily pattern over the experiment, while gilthead sea bream shifted their activity from a general daylight fluctuation in warm periods to an afternoon peak in cold periods. The Sa×Pp hybrids showed intermediate feeding patterns compared to their parents in warm periods and a pattern that was similar to the red porgy in cold periods, while the Pp×Sa hybrids had rather unchangeable daily feeding patterns, which were not related to the parental ones. The proportion of night feed demands increased in cold periods independent of fish group. The relationship between temperature and feed intake was species-dependent. Finally, this study indicated that feeding expression in hybrids was related to the combination of the parental genome, supporting our hypothesis for a hereditary influence on feeding activity in fish.     

Long photoperiod delayed spawning and increased somatic growth in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

The effects of extended photoperiods, mimicking the longest day of the year, were studied in 1- and 2-year seabream. The photoperiod regimes started in late July, 36 and 39 days after the summer solstice and continued for 11 months, well beyond the natural reproductive season of December–March. Regime 1 (long day, 15.5L:8.5D), which used natural and fluorescent light, reduced the incidence of maturity in both year classes and females did not spawn although some gonadal development was observed. Among all 1-year sampled fish of regime 1, a maximum of 5% became spermiating males (March) and 5% reached the yolk granule stage of vitellogenesis (VO3; 250–400 μm diameter) by May. Among 2-year sampled fish of regime 1, 45% became spermiating males and 25% were females, which reached the advanced vitellogenesis stage (VO4; 400–600 μm) by April. Regime 2 (skeleton photoperiod), consisting of natural light and a 1.5-h pulse of fluorescent light during the period 14–15.5 h after sunrise, postponed gonadal development and spawning for up to 3 months. In this regime, a maximum of 80% of 1-year sampled fish were spermiating males in February and a maximum of 10% were VO3 stage females in March. In the sampled 2-year fish, the maximum levels were 50% spermiating males in February and 25% VO3 stage females in March. Control fish, which were exposed to the natural photoperiod (29°34′N), spawned during their natural season. The maximum levels for 1-year sampled control fish were 95% spermiating males and no females in December, while among 2-year sampled fish, maxima of 75% males in February and 45% VO4 stage females in November. Final average weights of photoperiod treated fish (1-year=430 g—regime 1, 400 g—regime 2; 2-year=582 g—regime 1, 518 g—regime 2) were significantly greater (p<0.05) than control fish (1-year=341 g; 2-year=476 g). Daily feed consumption (g/100 g fish) dropped from an average of 1.83 to 0.93 g for 1-year fish during August–December and from 0.88 to 0.54 g for 2-year fish during the same period. This was correlated with reduced autumn and winter water temperatures (26–20°C summer to winter change) and increased fish weight in all treatments. Daily feed consumption was also affected by the onset of spawning in the control and regime 2 (skeleton photoperiod) treatments of both 1- and 2-year fish. The efficiency of feed utilization (FCR) and protein and energy retention were all affected by the photoperiod regimes and followed the same pattern of decrease as weight gain, regime 1 (long day)>regime 2 (skeleton photoperiod)>control.     

野生黄唇鱼救护技术研究

文章通过被动声学方法监听黄唇鱼(Bahaba taipingensis)的声音,初步分析了其声谱特征,旨在为黄唇鱼声学无损调查、水下噪声影响分析和发声的生物学行为等物种保护研究提供基础数据。2017年3—5月,用microMARS型声学记录仪对东莞黄唇鱼市级自然保护区室内水族箱和室外2个驯养池中救护驯养的96尾黄唇鱼进行了2个时段、每个时段连续7个昼夜的声学监听。监听到黄唇鱼共发声246次,发出7类声音,分别是类鼓声、咔嚓声、雀鸣声、嗡嗡声、嗒嗒声、嚓咕声和其他声音等。黄唇鱼昼夜发声次数没有明显差异。黄唇鱼发声以类鼓声为主(175次),类鼓声由1~3个脉冲组成,又以单脉冲类鼓声为主(139次)。类鼓声为类正弦波形,能量集中在0~1 000 Hz,声纹与时间轴平行,谱峰中心频率为50~140 Hz。嗒嗒声与类鼓声相似,其能量也集中在0~1 000 Hz,但谱峰中心频率范围为180~190 Hz。嗡嗡声、咔嚓声、雀鸣声和嚓咕声同时包含低频(0~1 000 Hz)与高频(3 000~12 500 Hz)成分。类鼓声时长、脉冲宽度和脉冲间隔范围分别为67~1 333 ms、35~733 ms和0~1 130 ms,平均值分别为279 ms、70 ms和183 ms;类鼓声时长和脉冲间隔随着声信号脉冲数的增加而增长,脉冲宽度则减短。     

The vitamin E requirement of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) given diets containing polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from fish oil

Groups of rainbow trout (mean initial weight 14 g) were given diets containing 10% of fatty acids derived from a white fish offal oil together with graded levels of vitamin E (2–10 mg/100 g) for 16 weeks. Fish increased in weight by eight-fold over the course of the experiment but there were no differences in weight gain between treatments, food conversion was similar in all treatments, no pathologies were observed and few mortalities occurred. In trout given the lowest dietary vitamin E intake, tissue levels of vitamin E were lowest in skeletal muscle, concentrations in most other soft tissues were about threefold that in muscle but higher levels were found in brain. Increased erythrocyte fragility occurred in those fish given diets low in vitamin E, and ascorbic acid-Fe³⁺-stimulated lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes decreased with increasing dietary vitamin E. Little or no malonaldehyde was formed in microsomes from trout fed diets containing 5 mg vitamin E/100 g or more. This was taken to be an adequate or safe concentration under the dietary conditions employed. Microsomes prepared from the muscle of trout given low levels (2 mg/100 g diet) of vitamin E were more susceptible to peroxidation in vitro than those obtained from gill, heart or liver. Microsomal susceptibility to peroxidation is determined by the ratio of vitamin E: peroxidizable unsaturated fatty acids in the microsomal membrane. Some of these ratios were measured and the results are discussed.     

Effects of salinity and temperature conditions on the reproductive success of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) in the Baltic Sea

In the Baltic Sea, a large brackish water area, turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) occurs at the border of its distribution with respect to salinity. Using turbot caught in ICES subdivision (SD) 28 (mid-Baltic), salinity requirements for successful egg development were evaluated by assessment of spermatozoa mobility, fertilisation and egg survival at different salinities. Further, to evaluate potential effects of temperatures, egg survival at different temperatures was assessed. Spermatozoa activity and fertilisation rate decreased with decreasing salinity with a significant drop at <7 psu. The viable hatch was significantly lower at <7 psu compared to at 7–15 psu. Hence, due to decreasing salinity this implies lower egg survival in SD 29 and 30 compared to in SD 24–28, and that salinity conditions in SD 31 are insufficient for egg development. Further, following a long period without major inflows of saline water into the Baltic Sea, salinity has decreased. From 1995 onwards salinities <7 psu prevail in SD 27–28 suggesting decreased reproductive success and potentially weaker year-classes in this area. Egg survival was high at 12–18 °C and considerably lower at 9 and 21 °C. Comparing the results with environmental data suggested that spawning time of turbot is adapted to optimum temperatures for egg development, but that occasions with temperatures involving increased egg mortality may occur, e.g. during upwelling situations.     

Migration performance of wild and hatchery sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) smolts—Implications for compensatory hatchery programs

Migration success of hatchery-reared and wild sea trout smolts through the lower stretches and the estuary of a Baltic Sea river were studied. During 3 years, wild and hatchery trout smolts were implanted with acoustic transmitters and released 14 km upstream from the river mouth. In order to monitor their out-migration pattern, acoustic receivers were deployed along the migratory route. Data on number of fish detected and date and time of detections were analysed and the migratory performance of wild and hatchery-reared fish was compared. A significantly higher proportion of wild fish (80%) successfully migrated to the coast compared to fish of hatchery origin (27.5%) and migration was faster in wild smolts. Hatchery fish were larger and had a higher condition factor and lipid concentrations, which are proposed as possible reasons for the poorer migratory performance of the hatchery-reared fish.