Dietary Trace Metal Supplements Promote Blood Vessel Melanosis in Fillets of Juvenile Farmed Atlantic Cod,Gadus morhua L.

Chronic over‐exposure to diet‐borne copper has been implicated in the development of black stripes caused by melanin deposits (melanosis) around the blood vessels in fillets of farmed Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L. To test this hypothesis a 6‐mo pilot study using feeds containing controlled amounts of copper has been performed. Cumulative data from each feed group showed that 56% of cod fed a diet containing 10 mg/kg of added copper had black stripe while 58% of cod on a diet containing 5 mg/kg of added copper were affected. Cod on a diet with no added copper had 33% of individuals positive for black stripe, and in a final group on a diet containing no supplementary trace metals and minerals 16% of individuals were affected. Weight gain, increase in length, hepatosomatic index, and condition factor were unaffected by the changes made to mineral supplements. Melanosis has been observed in 24% wild cod of market size (n = 30) whilst 85% of market‐sized farmed cod examined have had black stripe (n = 403).     

Quality and Shelf Life of Liver of Farmed Cod (Gadus morhua)

ABSTRACT

Livers of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are traditionally used in cod liver oil production or consumed cooked or canned. The farming of cod is a relatively new industry in Norway. The aim of this study was to determine quality and shelf life of fresh liver from farmed cod during chilled storage on ice by hydrolysis and oxidation state and sensory quality and the influence on canned liver. In two experiments, livers from farmed cod were stored chilled and sampled from Days 0 to 13, respectively. Quality, measured as hydrolytic and oxidation degradation, was reduced after 7 days of storage, while sensory quality was reduced after 4 days. Free fatty acids increased from Day 7 in both experiments, while peroxide value and anisidine value showed no change when the livers were single wrapped. Rancid odor was the first sign of oxidation and was registered after three to four days of storage. Canning within 2 days of storage prevented leakage of oil from the canned livers. Sensory analyses of oxidation are recommended as a sensitive and rapid method to detect oxidation of chilled cod liver.     

Effects of Dietary Vitamin C on Maturation and Egg Quality of Cod Gadus morhua L.

The effects of dietary vitamin C on maturation and egg quality of cod Gadus morhua L. have been investigated. The broodstock groups were fed three different levels of vitamin C mixed into a commercial dry pellet. The experimental feeding started three months prior to the spawning season. Naturally spawned eggs were collected and analyzed with regard to viability, biochemical composition and physical characteristics. Differences in free amino acid profile, egg strength and neutral buoyancy were found, whereas no effects on vital parameters, such as fertilization rate and survival rate, were detected.     

Muscle Quality and Proteolytic Enzymes of Farmed Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) During Storage: Effects of Pre-Slaughter Handling and Increased Storage Temperature

ABSTRACT

In the present experiment, the characteristics of minimally handled, directly slaughtered farmed Atlantic cod were compared to cod subjected to 2 h preslaughter handling stress. The results strongly indicate that increasing the storage temperature from 0 to 5°C had a larger negative impact on the quality characteristics than the handling stress applied. Further, there may be interaction effects between handling, storage temperature, and storage time.     

The Effects of Light Salting on Physicochemical Characteristics of Frozen Cod (Gadus morhua) Fillets

Abstract

The effects of light salting by brine injection and brine immersion on physicochemical and textural properties of cod fillets were evaluated. Light salting significantly increased yield and water holding capacity. Adding brine injection to the process can be used to shorten the process time needed to obtain the desired salt content and increase yield. The effects on chemical composition were most significant in salt content, but water and protein content were also affected. Water content decreased from the tail to head direction of the fillets, both in unsalted and light salted fillets. Changes in protein content were in opposite proportion to changes in water content. This could be seen in the fresh fish and also after freezing, both in unsalted and light salted fillets. Texture of the fish was not significantly affected by salting and freezing.     

Effects of Cryopreservation on Morphology and Viability of Sperm and Larvae of Atlantic Cod,Gadus morhua L.

The effects of cryopreservation on the viability, morphology and capability of spermatozoa in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., were studied. The sperm was cryopreserved in straws using Hanks' balanced salt solution, hens' egg yolks and glycerol in the vapor of liquid nitrogen. Straws of cryopreserved sperm were stored in liquid nitrogen and thawed in seawater (35 C) for 8 sec before use. The motility of cryopreserved sperm was low (range 8–19%) compared to motility before freezing (range 69–76%). The fertilization rate (range 94–95%) in control groups using fresh sperm was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in test groups (range 48–72%). In cryopreserved sperm, a relatively high percentage (range 82–93%) of the spermatozoa had changes in morphology. Many spermatozoa had no mitochondria; when mitochondria were present, the observed number varied from one and five in cryopreserved spermatozoa, and from two and seven in noncryopreserved spermatozoa. In groups where cryopreserved sperm was used, the hatching rate was lower (range 18–38%) than in control groups (range 41–63%), indicating higher mortality during embryonic development. Paternal effects on progeny performance were noted in the proportion of abnormalities but no negative effects were identified in newly hatched larvae produced using cryopreserved sperm.     

In-Pack Surface Pasteurization of Capture-Based,Pre-Rigor Filleted Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua)

In this study, we targeted the surface bacteria of high quality vacuum-packed cod loins to investigate how this affected the shelf life. After heat processing, the storage temperature was kept at 4°C in order to mimic supermarket shelf conditions. Samples that had undergone minimal heating regimes were compared with control samples as well with samples that were heated into the core. Shelf life was assessed based on the findings of a sensory analysis and on microbial growth data and supported by measurements of liquid loss and pH. Surface pasteurization of these samples seems to prolong shelf life only to a limited degree, even for samples with a low initial contamination level. Transportation of some bacteria into the filet, possibly during the intense rigor mortis progress triggered by the heat process, may have created a general flux of water in the samples. Underneath the surface, these bacteria are exposed to a limited thermal load and very little microbial competition. Surface pasteurization is an efficient method to reduce microbial contamination of many foodstuffs. In the case of fresh fish, however, surface pasteurization seems to have a limited effect due to the structure of the muscle and the subsequent storage condition.     

Production, Quality, and Low Temperature Incubation of Eggs of Atlantic Cod Gadus morhua and Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus in Captivity

Atlantic cod Gadus morhua and haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus broodstock maintained under altered regimens of temperature and photoperiod spawned up to 8 mo per year. The cod broodstock produced viable embryos from October through June. The haddock broodstock produced viable embryos from December through May. Egg diameters were largest during the middle of the spawning season when water temperature was at a minimum, resulting in an inverse relationship between egg diameter and water temperature in both species. Egg quality was high, as evaluated by buoyancy, fertilization rate, regularity of early cleavage, and percent viable hatch. Low temperature incubation of cod and haddock eggs extended the embryonic period. Cod embryos tolerated a wider range of temperatures than haddock. High mortality (1 90%) was observed before hatching in haddock embryos incubated at 1 C. Atlantic cod embryos hatched at temperatures as low as —1 C, extending the embryonic period to 59 d. At 8 C Atlantic cod and haddock embryos hatched in 11–12 d. To determine if extending the embryo incubation time by using low temperatures had a detrimental effect, embryos were incubated through hatch at either 1 C or 6 C, and the larvae from both groups reared at 6 C. Growth and early survival of larvae were comparable in both treatments.     

Optimization of Heat Processing of Farmed Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Muscle with Respect to Cook Loss,Water Holding Capacity,Color, and Texture

Convenience products of fish that are heat processed in-pack are often subjected to a compromise between quality and durability within the framework of required safety. The purpose of this study was to provide knowledge for optimizing pasteurization of cod muscle by quantifying changes in water holding capacity (WHC), cook loss, color, and texture within a wide range of processing times and temperatures. A heat load equivalent to 2 min at 70°C may be applied to the cod while maintaining the WHC above 66%, the cook loss below 5.6%, and keeping hardness and whiteness low, provided that the processing temperature is kept in the range 68 ± 4°C.     

大西洋鳕微卫星引物对太平洋鳕的适用性

利用Genbank中大西洋鳕的7对微卫星引物,对太平洋鳕基因组DNA进行PCR扩增。这7对引物均可较稳定地扩增出条带,它们分别是Gmo2、Gmo3、Gmo8、Gmo19、Gmo35、Gmo36、Gmo37,并且扩增出的7个位点均表现出多态性,共获得69个等位基因,每个位点的等位基因数目为4～17,大小为111～227bp。在7个位点上2种鱼的等位基因的大小存在着不同程度的差异。其中Gmo37在大西洋鳕和太平洋鳕中扩增出的条带的长度差异最大,基本无重合部分,分别为220～290bp和144～226bp,本研究结果以期对2种鳕科鱼类遗传结构的进一步研究提供帮助。     

Effect of Photoperiod Manipulation on Broodstock Spawning, Fertilization Success, and Egg Developmental Abnormalities in Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua

Spawning activity in two captive Atlantic cod broodstock groups previously captured from the wild stock fishery was monitored over three spawning seasons. Both groups spawned under ambient photoperiod (PP) in the first year, after which photomanipulation was applied to compress the PP cycle of one broodstock group, while the second group was maintained on natural PP. Increased total egg volumes, number of egg batches, total egg production, and duration of the spawning season were observed in both ambient PP and advanced PP groups in the second and third spawning seasons. Compared to ambient controls, the photoadvanced group commenced spawning earlier, had a longer spawning season, produced a lower total volume of eggs over the entire spawning season, and had lower mean daily batch volumes of eggs, and the eggs were of smaller mean diameter. Fertilization success was >90% in all years, increased in both groups in the first year after photomanipulation but declined to prior levels in the following year. No consistent difference in fertilization success was observed between advanced PP and ambient PP groups. Rates of cell development abnormalities were low (<10%) in both groups over the three spawning seasons. Abnormalities of cell symmetry and clarity increased in both ambient PP and advanced PP groups over the three spawning seasons. However, no consistent differences in rate of cell abnormalities were observed between advanced PP and ambient PP groups within years. We conclude that PP advancement is an effective technique to compress the time between successive spawning periods in Atlantic cod and does not negatively affect fertilization success or rates of cell developmental abnormalities. However, it has a negative effect on both volume and size of eggs produced.     

The Effect of Photoperiod on Sexual Maturation,Appetite and Growth in Wild Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua L.)

An experiment was conducted to examine (a) the effects of photoperiod on timing of sexual maturation (b) the relationship between plasma steroid levels, appetite and growth in male and female Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.). Wild caught Norwegian coastal cod were subjected to either a 6L/18D photoperiod typical of January at 60° N-(Short day group) or a simulated natural photoperiod (Normal day group) from June 2000 until spawning started. Appetite of individual fish were measured twice weekly, while weight, length and plasma levels of the sex steroids testosterone (T), 11 keto-testosterone (11-KT) and estradiol-17β (E2) were monitored bimonthly. Cod in the Short day group matured 3 months ahead of the cod in the Normal day group and started spawning in early November. Appetite decreased in both sexes 2–3 months prior to spawning in both groups, but this reduction was stronger among males. In both sexes, length growth was reduced concurrently with the appetite loss. Overall, females had significantly higher somatic growth, put relatively less energy into length growth and had developed larger livers compared to males at the time of spawning in the Short day group. Plasma steroid levels increased in both groups throughout the experiment, reaching peak levels of ca 10 ng ml⁻¹ (T) and 15–20 ng ml⁻¹ (11-KT) in males, and 1.5–2 ng ml⁻¹ (T) and 12–18 ng ml⁻¹ (E2) in females at the onset of spawning. Steroid levels increased more rapidly among Short day cod verifying the earlier onset of maturation. These results confirm that photoperiod is a major cue to maturation in cod and imply that the high cost of spawning for females incur differences in appetite between the sexes.     

Preliminary Observations on Spoilage Potential of Flora from Desalted Cod (Gadus morhua)

Abstract

Desalted cod products are already marketed, although still presenting some problems. Fresh raw materials and good manufacturing practices during salting, drying and desalting are essential to improve their quality and shelf life. The production of off-odor, hydrogen sulfide, trimethylamine, ornithine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, indole, hydrolyzed gelatin and ammonia was investigated in 127 bacterial strains isolated from dried/wet salted cod, later desalted either at 4 or 24°C. Desalting could either introduce or recover off-odor, sulfide hydrogen and/or ornithine producing strains. Cod desalting at 4°C is of great importance in order to improve the shelf life and safety of cod desalted products.     

Bleeding of Farmed Atlantic Cod: Residual Blood,Color, and Quality Attributes of Pre- and Postrigor Fillets as Affected by Perimortem Stress and Different Bleeding Methods

The main objectives of the study were to (a) assess the effect of perimortem stress on blood drainage, (b) compare the efficiency of gill cutting and direct gutting as bleeding methods, and (c) compare pre- and postrigor filleting strategies for presence of residual blood in Atlantic cod fillets. Anesthetized cod had significantly higher drainage of blood compared to stressed fish. Nevertheless, the visual assessments of residual blood were not affected by stress or bleeding method. Some minor, but significant, differences between pre- and postrigor fillets were found. Stressed fish were initially less light in color than those unstressed, but after ice storage there was no noticeable difference. However, initially, the largest difference in fillet color was due to different bleeding methods. Fillets cut from fish subjected to gill cutting were lighter and less red in color than those bled by direct gutting. After 7 and 21 days of storage, the color differences observed in fresh and salted fillets, respectively, were mainly due to the different rigor status when they were filleted, indicating that fillets cut postrigor were superior to fillets cut prerigor. Prerigor filleting resulted in lower water holding capacity after ice storage in anesthetized, direct gutted cod.     

Re‐evaluating the effect of wind on recruitment in Gulf of Maine Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) using an environmentally‐explicit stock recruitment model

A previous study documented a correlation between Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) recruitment in the Gulf of Maine and an annual index of the north component of May winds. This correlation was supported by modeling studies that indicated strong recruitment of Gulf of Maine Atlantic Cod results from high retention of spring‐spawned larvae in years when winds were predominately out of the north, which favor downwelling. We re‐evaluated this relationship using updated recruitment estimates and found that the correlation decreased between recruitment and wind. The original relationship was largely driven by two recruitment estimates, one of which (2005 year‐class) was highly uncertain because it was near the terminal year of the assessment. With additional data, the updated assessment estimated lower recruitment for the 2005 year‐class, which consequently lowered the correlation between recruitment and wind. We then investigated whether an environmentally‐explicit stock recruit function that incorporated an annual wind index was supported by either the original or updated assessment output. Although incorporation of the annual wind index produced a better fitting model, the uncertainty in the estimated parameters and the implied unexploited conditions were not appropriate for providing management advice. These results suggest the need for caution in the development of environmentally‐explicit stock recruitment relationships, in particular when basing relationships and hypotheses on recruitment estimates from the terminal years of stock assessment models. More broadly, this study highlights a number of sources of uncertainty that should be considered when analyzes are performed on the output of stock assessment models.     

The Influence of Stocking Density on the Swimming Behavior of Adult Atlantic Cod,Gadus morhua,in a Near Shore Net Pen

Cage design and stocking density are important aspects of aquaculture farm design, therefore understanding how fish behave at different stocking densities is critical information for farm managers. In this study, high resolution acoustic telemetry was used to investigate the swimming behavior of adult Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, that were stocked at four densities (5, 10, 25, and 45 kg/m³). Acoustic tags were placed into the abdominal cavity of five fish per density treatment so their swimming behavior could be continuously monitored throughout the study. An array of hydrophones made it possible to calculate the position of each fish in three dimensions, at ～2–5 sec intervals, for 4–30 d. Three underwater cameras were used to obtain additional data about the distribution of fish in the cage during the daytime. At the lowest density, the cod spent the majority (64.3 ± 0.08%) of their time in the bottom third of the net pen. As density increased, the fish moved higher in the water column, and this behavior was most evident at night, at all densities. At no time throughout the entire study were there any obvious occurrences of schooling behavior, even at the highest density (45 kg/m³).     

Evaluation of Electrical Stunning of Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) and Turbot (Psetta maxima) in Seawater

The aim of this study was to assess electrical stunning of Atlantic cod and turbot in seawater to develop a protocol for the process of stunning and killing. An induced general epileptiform insult (unconscious) had a duration of 40 ± 27 s (n =14) in cod (2.6 ± 0.5 kg) and 34 ± 18 s (n = 19) in turbot (520 ± 65 g). Seven cod and 3 turbot displayed a physical reaction, and 11 turbot registered an electroencephalogram (EEG) response to pain stimuli administered 30 s post-stun. The heart rate was 32 ± 6 beats/min in cod and 25 ± 7 beats/min in turbot prior to stunning. Post-stunning, the electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed fibrillation and reduced activity post-stun. EEG, ECG recordings, and behavioral observations indicate that when a bipolar square wave current was applied with a frequency of 133 Hz and 43% duty cycle side to side (turbot) and at 170 Hz and 33% duty cycle (cod) head to tail, both species were stunned in seawater at current densities of 3.2 A/dm² and 2.5 A/dm², respectively. For turbot, a 5 s exposure to electricity followed by chilling in ice water for 15 min is sufficient to prevent recovery. For cod, a killing method needs to be established.     

Changes in selected stress and immune‐related genes in Atlantic cod,Gadus morhua,following overcrowding

Using Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, as a model for the stress response in gadoid fish, the changes in the expression of some stress and immune genes as well as the profiles of plasma cortisol were examined. Adult fish were kept at a density of ca. 100 kg m^?3 by lowering the water level in the rearing tank for 1 h and this short‐term crowding stress was repeated thrice over a 12‐h interval period. Blood samples were collected before exposure and at 2, 24 and 72 h post crowding. Plasma cortisol level significantly increased at 2 h post crowding but returned to pre‐crowding levels 24 h after exposure. The relative expression of the stress response genes, glucose transporter‐3 and a putative heat shock protein 70 significantly increased at 2 and 24 h post crowding respectively. Significant up‐regulation of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐8, as well as anti‐bacterial genes, g‐type lysozyme and bactericidal permeability‐increasing protein/lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein (BPI/LBP) was also observed at 2 h and the levels were maintained until 72 h post exposure, except for BPI/LBP which had maximum up‐regulation at 24 h. The present observations have implications with respect to fish welfare and assessment of the health status of the farmed fish.