Study on the glass transition for several processed fish muscles and its protein fractions using differential scanning calorimetry

ABSTRACT:   The glass transition behavior of processed fish muscles (bonito, tuna, mackerel, sea bream, cod) and its muscle protein fractions (sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins) were studied using differential scanning calorimetry. Each dried processed fish muscle and the extracted protein fractions showed clear glass transition phenomenon. The T _g values of muscles and myofibrillar proteins from red muscle fishes tended to be lower than those from white muscle fishes though there was no difference on T _g of sarcoplasmic proteins. The T _g value of whole muscle was considerably lower than that of extracted protein fractions because of the plasticizing effects of low molecular weight materials contained in the muscle.     

Feeding habits of albacore Thunnus alalunga in the transition region of the central North Pacific

ABSTRACT:   The feeding habits of albacore Thunnus alalunga (fork length: 48.9–76.2 cm, n  = 132) were examined from late spring to early autumn in relation to its northward migration in the transition region between the subtropical and subarctic fronts in the central North Pacific. Samples were collected at night using surface gill nets or during daytime pole-and-line surveys in 2001 and 2002. During May and June, albacore fed mainly on Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus , which accounted for 27.2%, 67.0%, and 45.5% of the total stomach contents by number ( Cn ), wet weight ( WW ), and frequency of occurrence ( F ), respectively, and secondarily on the subarctic gonatid squid Gonatopsis borealis ( Cn , 15.8%; WW , 10.8%; F , 28.8%). From July to September, albacore continued to depend on Japanese anchovy ( Cn , 48.2–52.8%; WW , 79.9–95.2%; F , 27.8–85.4%). These results corresponded well with the remarkable rebound of the Japanese anchovy stock since the 1990s. Gonatopsis borealis , the main squid prey from May to June, almost disappeared from the stomachs of albacore from July to September, probably due to the northward migration of this squid to subarctic waters in summer. The feeding impact of albacore on the Japanese anchovy stock in the transition region was conservatively estimated to be from 1400 to 2100 tons per day from late spring to early autumn.     

Inheritance mode of microsatellite DNA markers and their use for kinship estimation in kuruma prawn Penaeus japonicus

The allelic inheritance mode of microsatellite DNA markers was examined using seven copulated wild females and their offspring. Five microsatellite loci, CSPJ002 *, CSPJ010 *, CSPJ012 *, CSPJ014 *, and CSPJ015 *, were used in the study. At almost all family/locus combinations, one sire was determined and distributions of genotypes in offspring were consistent with the Mendelian segregation ratio. Distributions of genotypes were consistent with the ratio after assuming a null allele at some loci. Consequently, the alleles of CSPJ002 * and CSPJ012 * were inherited following the Mendelian inheritance mode in every family; however, the null allele was expected in CSPJ010 *, CSPJ014 *, and CSPJ015 * in some families. Thus, these loci should be used carefully in population genetic analysis, but siblings could be detected in the dendrograms based on unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPMGA).     

Age and growth of alfonsino Beryx splendens from the Kanto District, central Japan, based on growth increments on otoliths

ABSTRACT:   Age and growth of alfonsino Beryx splendens (Lowe) were studied using counts of presumed daily incremental growth rings on the transverse section of otoliths of fish collected from the Kanto District, central Japan. Microstructural growth increments were observed from the core to the outermost margin of the broadest of approximately 50 branches formed on the surface of an otolith. Of 98 otoliths examined, 46 were readable. The number of increments and fish lengths ranged from 448 (218 mm fork length [FL]) to 3701 (411 mm FL). The ages of these fish were estimated to be 1 year, 2 months and 10 years, 2 months, respectively, assuming that an increment was formed daily. The von Bertalanffy growth equation combined for males and females was expressed as follows: L _t  = 542 {1 −  exp  [−0.133( t  + 2.00)]}, where L _t is fork length (mm) at yearly age t . The results of the present study were compared with those of other researchers who had studied alfonsino from central Japan.     

Migration of kawakawa Euthynnus affinis in the waters near Taiwan

ABSTRACT:   Kawakawa Euthynnus affinis is the most abundant species among the small tuna in the coastal waters of Taiwan. The migration pattern of kawakawa to Taiwan was determined in the present study based on the species' feeding habits and reproductive biology and on temporal variation of catch for kawakawa and its prey fishes. Schools of this species successively migrate to Taiwan from September to May, and then move away in June. They travel to the waters off Taiwan with the warm Kuroshio current, migrate toward coastal waters for feeding and move away for spawning. It is suggested in the present study that the kawakawa spawning ground is in the waters of the northern Philippines. The migration of kawakawa exhibits size-segregating behavior. Schools of immature young fish first arrive in the coastal waters around Taiwan, followed by the adults.