Effect of selenium and vitamin E on oxidative stress in lambs experimentally infected with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haemonchus contortus</Emphasis>

The objective of this study was to evaluate oxidative stress in lambs experimentally infected with Haemonchus contortus and supplemented with selenium and vitamin E. Twenty male Corriedale lambs were divided into four experimental groups with five animals each: G1 consisted of animals infected and supplemented with 0.2 mg/kg of live weight (LW) sodium selenite by intramuscular injection (IM); G2 consisted of animals infected with larvae and supplemented with 0.2 mg/kg LW sodium selenite IM and 2000 IU per animal of Vitamin E IM; G3 consisted of animals infected with larvae and supplemented with 2000 IU per animal of Vitamin E IM; and G4 consisted of animals infected with larvae. The animals were infected orally with 500 H. contortus larvae (L3) every 48 hours for 20 days. For biochemical analyses and eggs per grams of feces (EPG) evaluation, blood and feces were both collected at zero (T0), 20 (T1), 40 (T2) and 60 (T3) days. The weight of the animals was also measured at these times. Lower TBARS values were observed in the supplemented animals compared to the control group. The groups supplemented with Selenium exhibited blood GSH-Px activity higher than that of non-supplemented animals. Supplementation with selenium provided greater antioxidant protection against oxidative stress generated from experimental infection of lambs with H. contortus.     

Swimming depths of the giant jellyfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nemopilema nomurai</Emphasis> investigated using pop-up archival transmitting tags and ultrasonic pingers

The swimming depths of 12 individual Nemopilema nomurai with bell diameters of 0.8–1.6 m were investigated using pop-up archival transmitting tags and ultrasonic pingers, and the validity of the research method was evaluated. The N. nomurai studied frequently showed vertical movement, with the swimming depth ranging from 0 to 176 m, The mean swimming depths of most individuals were less than 40 m. The swimming depths of N. nomurai in the northern Japan Sea in the winter were mostly deeper than those of this species in the southern Japan Sea in the autumn. This result suggests that the range of the depths almost depends on the vertical structure of the ocean. Swimming depths during the nighttime were significantly deeper than those during the daytime. More specifically, during the daytime, the swimming depths in the afternoon tended to be shallower than those in the morning, while during the nighttime, the swimming depths after midnight were deeper than those before midnight.     

Growth enhancement and protective potential of feed-based outer membrane proteins against vibriosis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macrobrachium rosenbergii</Emphasis>

The use of antibiotics to curtail vibriosis, which is a major infectious disease, plaguing shrimp and prawn is rather becoming less effective and the need for a better alternative is expedient. The outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of V. alginolyticus were extracted, mixed with powdered commercial feed and fed to the prawns to evaluate its effect on growth performance and protective potential. Sixty prawns were divided into groups A, B and C of 10 prawns each, with two replicates in six (150 L) glass aquaria. Groups A, B and C were fed with OMPs mixed diet, with OMPs-Freund’s incomplete adjuvant mixed diet and OMPs or adjuvant free diet (control diet) respectively. All the prawns were weighed weekly, and haemolymph was collected to determine the total haemocyte count (THC) and phenoloxidase (PO) activity. At the end of the feeding trial, prawns were intramuscularly challenged with 50 μL of 10⁷ CFU V. alginolyticus. The treated groups were significantly higher in growth performance and THC than the control group, but no significant difference between the groups in terms of PO activity and mortality rate. The study, however, submitted that oral administration of OMPs with or without adjuvant is a good growth promoter and has the potential for protection against vibriosis in giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii).     

Effect of prebiotic xylooligosaccharides on growth performances and digestive enzyme activities of allogynogenetic crucian carp (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Carassius auratus gibelio</Emphasis>)

The effect of prebiotic xylooligosaccharides (XOS) on the growth performance and digestive enzyme activities of the allogynogenetic crucian carp, Carassius auratus gibelio, was investigated. XOS was added to fish basal semi-purified diets at three concentrations by dry feed weight: diet 1, 50 mg kg⁻¹; diet 2, 100 mg kg⁻¹; diet 3, 200 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Twelve aquaria (n = 20) with three replicates for each treatment group (diets 1–3) and control treated without XOS were used. Weights of all collected carp from each aquarium were determined at the initial phase and at the end of the experiment, and the carp survival was also determined by counting the individuals in each aquarium. After 45 days, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) in the relative gain rate (RGR), and daily weight gain (DWG) of diets 1–3 were compared with the control. However, the survival rate was not affected (P > 0.05) by the dietary treatments. For enzymatic analysis, dissection produced a crude mixture of intestine and hepatopancreas of each segment to measure. The protease activity in the intestine and hepatopancreas content of fish in diet 2 (487.37 ± 20.58 U g⁻¹ and 20.52 ± 1.93 U g⁻¹) were significantly different (P < 0.05) from that in the control (428.13 ± 23.26 U g⁻¹ and 12.81 ± 1.52 U g⁻¹) and diet 3 (428.00 ± 23.78 U g⁻¹ and 14.04 ± 1.59 U g⁻¹). Amylase activity in the intestine was significantly higher for diet 2 compared to diet 1 and the control. As for amylase in the hepatopancreas, assays showed higher activity in diet 2 (P < 0.05) compared to the rest.     

Artificially induced tetraploid masu salmon have the ability to form primordial germ cells

Diploid gametes generated with tetraploid animals are a stepping stone to improving chromosome manipulation techniques. However, artificially induced tetraploid individuals generally die soon after hatching. Diploid gametes could be induced by in vivo cultures of tetraploid primordial germ cells (PGCs) through germ-line chimera. In the present study, characteristics of PGCs were studied in inviable tetraploid masu salmon, Oncorhynchus masou. Histological observation of tetraploid embryos revealed that the same or smaller numbers of PGCs were observed and they migrate into the genital ridges as did diploid PGCs during gonadogenesis. By whole-mount in situ hybridization using vasa messenger RNA (mRNA), 4–35 vasa-positive signals were detected in a pair of genital ridges of tetraploids. By cytological observation of genital ridge cell suspensions, several large round cells were observed, some of which extended pseudopodia. They also contained large nuclei and round granules in their cytoplasm, characteristics of PGCs. As the results suggest that inviable artificial tetraploids have PGCs, we expect to achieve diploid gamete production through surrogate propagation and tetraploid fish production.     

The effects of distance from coral reefs on seagrass nursery use by 5 emperor fishes at the southern Ryukyu Islands,Japan

Whilst the importance of seagrass beds as nurseries for coral reef fishes has been clearly recognized, the vast majority of early studies on fish nursery habitats emphasized the close proximity of the latter to coral reefs. To determine the potential nursery role of isolated seagrass beds, we investigated the degree to which juvenile emperor fishes (Lethrinidae) utilized seagrass beds in the presence/absence of adjacent coral habitats at Ishigaki Island (southern Japan), such fishes being known to use seagrass beds as nurseries. Seagrass beds in close proximity to coral habitats (distance between the two habitats of 50–200 m) had greater densities of lethrinid juveniles than those without adjacent coral habitats (2.5–4 km) for 3 different sites investigated, although a significant difference was obtained only for 1 site. Juveniles of Lethrinus atkinsoni, L. obsoletus, L. harak, and L. nebulosus were observed in seagrass beds with and without adjacent coral habitats, whereas L. ornatus occurred only in the former. Overall, most lethrinid juveniles utilize seagrass beds irrespective of the presence of adjacent adult coral habitat, suggesting that both types of seagrass beds would contribute to lethrinid adult populations. Therefore, management efforts for lethrinid populations should be applied not only to contiguous coral-seagrass habitat systems but also to isolated habitats.     

Relationship between zooplankton abundance and the early marine life history of juvenile chum salmon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus keta</Emphasis> in eastern Hokkaido,Japan

Interannual variations in abundance, timing of outmigration from rivers, growth rate and condition of juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) were studied in the Nemuro Strait (eastern Hokkaido, Japan) during 1999–2002 to establish a possible relationship to zooplankton abundance. The otolith microstructure of juveniles was examined each year in late June to determine their time and size at sea entry (i.e., outmigration), and to estimate the early marine growth rates. Salmon outmigration peaked in mid- or late May, which coincided, in three of the four study years, with the peak release of juveniles into rivers within the study area. Abundance, growth rate and condition of fish were higher in 2001, when—compared to other years—smaller fish experienced higher growth rates, coinciding with greater zooplankton abundance for that year. Our results suggest that high zooplankton abundance positively influenced juvenile chum salmon growth and the condition of the fish during their early marine life despite their small size at sea entry.     

Integrated production of fish (pacu <Emphasis Type="Italic">Piaractus mesopotamicus</Emphasis> and red tilapia <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oreochromis</Emphasis> sp.) with two varieties of garnish (scallion and parsley) in aquaponics system

Aquaponics is emerging as an alternative for high-health food production. Being able to identify the technical viability of non-conventional plants and fish species would help to increase the interest and possibilities in aquaponic systems. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the aquaponics production of two garnish species: scallion (S) and parsley (P), using effluents of pacu and red tilapia culture. Two aquaponics devices were used, differing according to the fish species, generating two different effluents. Thus, for plant performance, four treatments were evaluated in a factorial design (plant species and fish effluent as main factors), as followed: Pacu-S, Tilapia-S, Pacu-P, and Tilapia-P, with three replicates each, for 35 days. Fish performance was evaluated using Student’s t test. Each experimental device included a fish tank, filters, and six experimental units for the plants (floating rafts). Results indicated that feed conversion ratio (FCR) was higher in tilapia as compared to pacu (p < 0.05); however, fish productivity and survival were similar between species. Plant performance parameters were similar with no significant differences regardless of the fish effluent (p > 0.05), except for higher number of leaves per plant in scallion cultured using pacu effluent. Plant performance comparing both plant species indicated that scallion performed better as compared to parsley in all parameters. In addition, scallion also performed better related to the plant quality index. The results indicate that pacu presented a viable alternative for the aquaponics production, and regarding to the garnish, scallion performed better results as compared to parsley.     

Depth matters for bivalve culture in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) and other polyculture strategies under non-eutrophic conditions

Bivalve cultivation, in single cultivation or in polyculture (including integrated multitrophic aquaculture; IMTA), is generally limited to eutrophic waters. We carried out a modeling study to test if, under meso- and oligotrophic conditions, depth could be a key factor for bivalve productivity associated to IMTA and other polyculture strategies. We applied the model Farm Aquaculture Resource Management (FARM) at three strata of the water column in two coastal fish farm areas in the Mediterranean Sea, using water column variables sampled seasonally to estimate the potential mussel production. According to FARM, mussel production was high in both areas and, in some cases, almost doubled when mussels were cultured below 25-m depth compared to shallower levels. Phytoplankton abundance is expected to notably influence mussel production compared to particulate organic matter. Thus, in meso- and oligotrophic stratified waters, where chlorophyll maximum is relatively deep, depth can be a key factor for the productivity of mussel cultivation. The obtained results could help to maximize the production of suspension-feeding bivalve cultivation and, therefore, the expansion and development of sustainable aquaculture in non-eutrophic marine waters.