Partial substitution of fish meal with soybean and cottonseed meals in diets for African bonytongue,Heterotis niloticus (Cuvier, 1829) fingerlings: effects on growth,feed efficiency and body composition

A feeding trial was conducted to examine the suitability of soybean meal (SBM) and cottonseed meal (CSM) as a partial substitute for the dietary protein supplied by fish meal for H. niloticus fingerlings. Fish were fed with four isonitrogenous (350 g kg^?1 crude protein) and isoenergetic (18.8 kJ g^?1 GE) diets in which fish meal protein was gradually replaced by plant protein from a mixture of SBM and CSM (0%, 25%, 50% and 75% in diets 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively). Triplicate groups of fingerlings H. niloticus (mean weight of 5 g) were handfed twice daily to apparent satiation for 60 days inside net hapas. Growth performances (SGR varied from 3.09% to 3.16% day^?1) of fingerlings fed diets containing 0%, 25% and 50% plant protein were not significantly different (P>0.05). At 75% fish meal substitution, growth and feed utilization efficiency indicators were significantly reduced (P<0.05). The carcass composition were also significantly (P<0.05) affected by the replacement level of fish meal, except dry matter and ash. Results suggest that the dietary fish meal protein could efficiently be substituted by a mixture of soybean and cottonseed meals up to 50%, without adverse effects on maximal growth in practical diets for H. niloticus fingerlings.     

Effects of supplemental dietary l‐carnitine and ractopamine on the performance of juvenile rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss

This study was carried out to investigate a possible protein‐sparing action of l ‐carnitine and ractopamine in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. An 8‐week feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of supplementation of three levels of l ‐carnitine (0, 1 and 2 g kg^?1) and two levels of ractopamine (0 and 10 mg kg^?1) on growth performance, fillet fatty acid compositions and blood biochemical parameters in a 3 × 2 factorial experimental design. Ractopamine and 1 g kg^?1 carnitine improved the specific growth rate (1.03% and 1.05% day^?1), feed conversion ratio (FCR, 1.3 and 1.29), protein efficiency ratio (PER, 1.88 and 1.85) of fish and crude protein (73.5 and 73.8) content of fish fillet. l ‐carnitine and ractopamine increased the levels of albumin, total protein and globulin in the serum of fish. Apart from eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, other fatty acids of fish fillet were increased by ractopamine, while total saturated fatty acids were almost intact. However, the total n‐3 poly unsaturated fatty acids were reduced by l ‐carnitine supplementation (P<0.05). The present study showed that 1 g kg^?1l ‐carnitine and 10 mg kg^?1 ractopamine each can improve the performance of rainbow trout and their combination in diet could enhance the protein level and change the fatty acids profile in fillet muscle.     

Characterization of single‐nucleotide polymorphism markers in the Mediterranean mussel,Mytilus galloprovincialis

The Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, is one of the most important aquaculture species in Europe. Appropriate molecular markers are required to evaluate genetic resources and to trace genealogies in breeding programmes for improving mussel culture. Microsatellites have been commonly applied to this purpose in other species. However, Mediterranean mussel microsatellites have demonstrated high frequencies of null alleles that hamper accurate estimates of population parameters and confident parentage inferences. As alternative markers, we have characterized in silico 25 potential single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in the Mediterranean mussel from expressed sequence tag (EST) public databases. The genotyping of SNPs was performed using a single‐base extension approach. Their polymorphism was evaluated in 47 individuals from an Atlantic population. Out of the 25 potential SNPs tested, 12 were technically feasible (producing a single amplicon) and polymorphic. All were biallelic and had an unbiased heterozygosity ranging from 0.160 to 0.504. One SNP was from a mitochondrial gene. The combined potential of nuclear SNPs for parentage assignment gave an exclusion probability of a false couple of parents of 0.9471. These markers will be useful for evaluating resources and tracing genealogies in genetic breeding programmes implemented to solve the main problems of mussel culture.     

Protection of Fenneropenaeus chinensis (Osbeck, 1765) against the white spot syndrome virus using specific chicken egg yolk immunoglobulins by oral delivery

Two kinds of specific chicken egg yolk immunoglobulins (IgYs), IgY‐WSSV and IgY‐VP28, were, respectively, raised against the 2 mM binary ethylenimine (BEI)‐inactivated white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and a principal envelope protein VP28. The activity of purified specific IgYs was stable under the conditions of 20–70 °C, pH 3.0–10.0 and 0–700 g L^?1 sucrose solution. In the neutralization assay, these high‐affinity IgY antibodies can specifically bind with the virus particles to protect shrimp (Fenneropenaeus chinensis) against WSSV infection. After oral delivery for 20 days, the IgY‐WSSV exerted a higher protection effect (RPS: 71.5%) than IgY‐VP28 (RPS: 63.7%). Moreover, an increase in RPS (79.2%) was found on addition of IgY‐WSSV:VP28 (0.1% IgY‐VP28 plus 0.2% IgY‐WSSV). This may indicate that neutralization of WSSV refers to the multiple‐hit model. By time‐course study of the levels of the specific IgYs in vivo, the data showed that the titre was enhanced to a relatively high level (P/N=8.35±0.45) at 3 days post administration, declined slightly (P/N=7.13±1.01) at 7 days post administration and then remained stable for further investigation. The stable antibody level potentially contributes towards blocking a large number of WSSV particles from entering and infecting on the major tissues at the early and late stages after challenge in shrimp.     

Mud crab pen culture: replacement of fish feed requirement and impacts on mangrove community structure

Brackishwater pond culture has been a major factor in mangrove loss in Southeast Asia, hence, the need to develop environment‐friendly technologies such as mud crab Scylla (Portunidae) culture in mangrove pens exists. This study evaluated the effects of mud crab netpen systems in central Philippines on mangrove macroflora, and the replacement of dietary fish with low‐cost pellets. Wild or hatchery‐sourced Scylla olivacea and Scylla serrata were stocked at 0.5–0.8 m⁻² in 167–200 m² nylon netpens (2.3 cm stretched mesh) in Avicennia‐dominated mangrove habitats. The feeding treatments were: (A) Zarraga: (1) no feeding (natural productivity), (2) no feeding for 1 month+supplementary feeding, (3) fish biomass and (4) low‐cost pellets, and (B) Batan: (1) fish biomass and (2) pellets+fish biomass. Feeds were given ad libitum twice daily. Growth and survival rates of S. olivacea in Zarraga pens were not significantly different among treatments, although crabs fed fish biomass had the highest survival, body weight and production. Similarly, growth and survival of S. serrata were not significantly different between the Batan treatments. Economic analysis of the latter gave a 38.5% return on investment (ROI) and 2.6 years payback period (PP) for pellets+fish biomass treatment compared with 27.5% ROI and 3.6 years PP for fish alone. Sensitivity analysis showed an improved economic performance of the pellets+fish biomass treatment by increasing the survival rate. Evaluation of mangrove community structure showed that crab culture reduced species diversity, numbers and biomass of seedlings and saplings, but not of mangrove trees. Therefore, mud crab pen culture is recommended for mangrove sites with mature trees, but not seedlings and saplings, and low‐cost pellets can reduce dependence on fish biomass.     

Lysine limitation alters the storage pattern of protein,lipid and glycogen in on‐growing Atlantic salmon

This experiment aimed to test the interaction of lysine limitation with nutrient accretion and muscle carnitine depot in Atlantic salmon. Fish were fed adequate or low‐lysine diets for 3 months. Lysine intake was significantly less (48%) in fish fed the low‐lysine diet as compared with that fed the adequate one. There was no difference in dietary amino acids between treatments, with the exception of lysine. The lower lysine intake was reflected in plasma free lysine being 52% less while the free lysine concentration in the liver and muscle were unaffected. Although there was no significant difference between voluntary feed intakes among treatments, fish fed the low‐lysine diet had reduced growth, protein and energy deposition as compared with fish fed the adequate lysine diet. White trunk muscle contained more glycogen and less protein in fish fed the low‐lysine diet while no difference in lipid was observed. The livers from fish fed the low‐lysine diet contained less glycogen and slightly more fat and protein than the livers from fish fed the adequate lysine diet. Lysine limitation reduced carnitine in the liver without affecting muscle carnitine depot. Thus, low‐lysine diets did not likely affect the fatty acid oxidation capacity. This fact was supported by unaffected fatty acid profiles and lipid classes between treatments during the 3‐month study. In conclusion, lysine limitation does not deplete the muscle carnitine depot during the on‐growing seawater phase of Atlantic salmon, but affects the deposition pattern of nutrients.     

Ecological risk assessment of species impacted by fisheries in waters off eastern Taiwan

An ecological risk assessment was undertaken using productivity‐susceptibility analysis (PSA) to determine the relative vulnerability of 52 species caught by fisheries in the waters off eastern Taiwan. Overall, eight and 20 species were classified as having high and moderate vulnerability, respectively, and the remaining 24 species were classified as having low vulnerability. The species with the highest vulnerability scores were caught mainly by longline and gillnet fisheries, highlighting the need for improved data collection to facilitate a more detailed investigation using more quantitative methods. The data quality analysis indicated that the quality of data was classified as “moderate” for economically important species. However, many species were considered data‐limited and thus collecting high‐resolution catch and effort information and conducting biological studies, especially relating to age, growth and reproduction, are recommended to improve the reliability of outputs from data‐limited assessments such as PSA.     

Toward an environmental predictor of tuna recruitment

Bigeye tuna are of global economic importance and are the primary target species of Hawaii's most valuable commercial fishery. Due to their high commercial value, bigeye tuna are relatively well studied and routinely assessed. Larval and adult bigeye surveys have been conducted for many years and are supported by ongoing research on their physiology and life history. Yet, modeling stock dynamics and estimating future catch rates remain challenging. Here, we show that an appropriately lagged measure of phytoplankton size is a robust predictor of catch rates in Hawaii's bigeye tuna fishery with a forecast window of four years. We present a fishery‐independent tool with the potential to improve stock assessments, aid dynamic fisheries management, and allow Hawaii's commercial longline fishing industry to better plan for the future.     

Influence of larval transport and temperature on recruitment dynamics of North Sea cod (Gadus morhua) across spatial scales of observation

The survival of fish eggs and larvae, and therefore recruitment success, can be critically affected by transport in ocean currents. Combining a model of early‐life stage dispersal with statistical stock–recruitment models, we investigated the role of larval transport for recruitment variability across spatial scales for the population complex of North Sea cod (Gadus morhua). By using a coupled physical–biological model, we estimated the egg and larval transport over a 44‐year period. The oceanographic component of the model, capable of capturing the interannual variability of temperature and ocean current patterns, was coupled to the biological component, an individual‐based model (IBM) that simulated the cod eggs and larvae development and mortality. This study proposes a novel method to account for larval transport and success in stock–recruitment models: weighting the spawning stock biomass by retention rate and, in the case of multiple populations, their connectivity. Our method provides an estimate of the stock biomass contributing to recruitment and the effect of larval transport on recruitment variability. Our results indicate an effect, albeit small, in some populations at the local level. Including transport anomaly as an environmental covariate in traditional stock–recruitment models in turn captures recruitment variability at larger scales. Our study aims to quantify the role of larval transport for recruitment across spatial scales, and disentangle the roles of temperature and larval transport on effective connectivity between populations, thus informing about the potential impacts of climate change on the cod population structure in the North Sea.