Effects of food thermal treatment on growth, absorption, and assimilation efficiency of juvenile cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis

The diet of frozen grass shrimp (P. varians) was compared to similar grass shrimp that had suffered either boiling, drying at 60°C, or freeze-drying by lyophilization at −40°C. In experiment 1, cuttlefish fed the frozen shrimp were significantly larger (P < 0.05) at the end of 10 days and at the end of the experiment, compared with those fed the boiled or dried shrimp. Growth rates were also higher for cuttlefish fed the frozen shrimp, compared with the remaining two. Growth rates were also higher for cuttlefish fed the frozen shrimp, compared with the remaining two. In experiment 2, there were no differences in weight (P > 0.05) between cuttlefish fed the frozen or the freeze-dried shrimp, whereas cuttlefish fed the dried shrimp were smaller at the end of the experiment. Growth rates of cuttlefish fed the dried shrimp were lower, compared with those for cuttlefish fed the frozen and freeze-dried shrimp, with no significant differences (P > 0.05) between them. Cuttlefish fed freeze-dried and frozen shrimp showed a higher trypsin activity compared to animals fed boiled and dry (60°C) shrimp. A higher proportion of absorbed energy was channelled into biomass production in animals fed frozen and freeze-dried shrimp (56% and 43%, respectively) than for animals fed oven-dried (60°C) or boiled shrimp. The heat treatment suffered by the shrimp, either dry or wet, negatively affected diet quality, probably due to denaturation, and loss (by boiling) of proteins and amino acids. Additionally, the heating processes may have oxidized the lipids to a large extent, contributing to the loss of the polar lipids (polyunsaturated fatty acids), which are essential for cephalopods as for other organisms. Freeze-drying by lyophilization (negative temperatures) did not affect the nutritional quality of the shrimp.     

Influence of the type of collector and collector preparation periods on the settling rate of the scallop Nodipecten nodosus L. in the laboratory

We analysed the settling rate of Nodipecten nodosus L. scallop spats during winter and spring, testing different types of collectors and collector preparation periods. Larval rearing was conducted with water exchange every 48 h, density at 2 larvae mL⁻¹ and feeding between 0.5 and 2 × 10⁴ microalgae cellsmL⁻¹. The recovery larvae based on D-larvae produced were 31.6% (Winter Trial) and 47.2% (Spring Trial), without any antibacterial additives. The mean settling rates obtained in Winter Trial were from 0.04% to 0.79% withstand in Spring Trial were 24.99–48.65%. In the Winter Trial, there was no statistical difference between the settling rate of collectors prepared for 6 or 12 days. The settling rates of the netlon collectors with pine leaves were up to 19 times higher than those of the other types of collectors. In the Spring Trial, there was no statistical difference between the settling rates of the netlon and plastic net fruit collectors. Collectors with pine leaves produced a yield of spats up to 48.65%, more than those without pine leaves ( P <0.01). The efficiency of larval rearing and settling obtained in spring, pine leaves and low-cost local material indicate the feasibility to improve and facilitate regular production of N. nodosus spats for promotion of the growth of scallop culture in Brazil.     

Gar biology and culture: status and prospects

Many lepisosteid populations in North America have declined and many are now threatened as a consequence of habitat loss and alteration and commercial and sport overfishing. Over the last two decades, morphological, histological and molecular studies allowed distinguishing between different phases of development and the nutritional condition of larvae. Ontogeny of the digestive enzymes of gar larvae indicated the possibility to feed them artificial feeds since early developmental stages. An in vitro digestibility system to test different feed ingredients has been used. Important characteristics of artificial diets were identified through different feeding experiments. Endocrinological studies showed the feasibility of altering larval development and the digestive capacity of larvae. Cloning of gar growth hormone opened new avenues to enhance growth in the gars. Plasmatic vitellogenin was isolated and purified, to develop a competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, which allowed the straightforward separation of males from females to establish appropriate proportions for reproduction and also was used to evaluate hormonal protocols to induce gonad recrudescence and spawning. This review analyzes the biology, ecology and physiology of different gar species as a basis for their domestication, mass production of larvae for repopulation experiments and for the culture of commercial‐size gar.     

Real options for precautionary fisheries management

The 1996 Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) ‘Guidelines on the Precautionary Approach to Fisheries and Species Introduction’ raise important issues for fisheries managers, but fail to prescribe an approach for risk management. The distinguishing characteristics of the ‘precautionary approach’ are the inclusion of uncertainty and ‘an elaboration on the burden of proof’. The FAO precautionary approach emphasizes that managers should be risk‐averse, but does not provide tools for determining the appropriate degree of risk aversion. Consequently, application of the precautionary approach often leads to decision‐making based on ad hoc safety margins. These safety margins are seldom chosen with explicit consideration of trade‐offs. If the emphasis was shifted to choosing between competing uncertainties, then managers could manage risk. By attempting to avoid risk, managers may gain exposure to other risks and perhaps miss valuable opportunities. We place fishery management problems within the rubric of ‘real investment’ problems, and compare and contrast the consideration of risk by alternative investment frameworks. We show that traditional investment frameworks are inappropriate for fishery management, and furthermore, that traditional precautionary approaches are arbitrary and without basis in decision theory. Quantitative decision‐making techniques, such as formal decision analysis (FDA), enable integration of competing hypotheses that help alleviate burden‐of‐proof issues. These techniques help analysts consider sources of uncertainty. FDA, however, can still be subject to arbitrary safety margins because such analyses often focus on determining which strategies best achieve, or avoid, targets that have been established without complete consideration of trade‐offs. A managerial finance approach, real options analysis (ROA), is an alternative and complementary decision‐making technique that enables managers to compute precautionary adjustments that couple the size of the ‘safety margin’ with the amount of uncertainty, thereby optimizing risk exposure and avoiding the need for arbitrary safety margins. We illustrate the advantages of an approach that combines FDA and ROA, using a heuristic example about a decision to re‐introduce Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) into Lake Ontario. Finally, we provide guidance on applying ROA to other fishery problems. The precautionary approach requires that managers consider risk, but considering risk is not the same as managing it. Here ROA is useful.     

Algal-Derived Halogenated Sesquiterpenes from Laurencia dendroidea as Lead Compounds in Schistosomiasis Environmental Control

Schistosomiasis has been controlled for more than 40 years with a single drug, praziquantel, and only one molluscicide, niclosamide, raising concern of the possibility of the emergence of resistant strains. However, the molecular targets for both agents are thus far unknown. Consequently, the search for lead compounds from natural sources has been encouraged due to their diverse structure and function. Our search for natural compounds with potential use in schistosomiasis control led to the identification of an algal species, Laurencia dendroidea, whose extracts demonstrated significant activity toward both Schistosoma mansoni parasites and their intermediate host snails Biomphalaria glabrata. In the present study, three seaweed-derived halogenated sesquiterpenes, (−)-elatol, rogiolol, and obtusol are proposed as potential lead compounds for the development of anthelminthic drugs for the treatment of and pesticides for the environmental control of schistosomiasis. The three compounds were screened for their antischistosomal and molluscicidal activities. The screening revealed that rogiolol exhibits significant activity toward the survival of adult worms, and that all three compounds showed activity against S. mansoni cercariae and B. glabrata embryos. Biomonitored fractioning of L. dendroidea extracts indicated elatol as the most active compound toward cercariae larvae and snail embryos.     

The Tetrahydrofuran Motif in Polyketide Marine Drugs

Oxygen heterocycles are units that are abundant in a great number of marine natural products. Among them, marine polyketides containing tetrahydrofuran rings have attracted great attention within the scientific community due to their challenging structures and promising biological activities. An overview of the most important marine tetrahydrofuran polyketides, with a focused discussion on their isolation, structure determination, approaches to their total synthesis, and biological studies is provided.