Evaluation of limb autotomy as a promising strategy to improve production performances of mud crab (Scylla olivacea) in the soft‐shell farming system

Soft‐shell crab, a newly moulted crab having non‐calcified and hydrated soft exoskeleton, farming has been increasing tremendously in recent years throughout the world due to its high market price and consumer preferences. However, high aggressiveness and cannibalistic behaviour of mud crab limit its culture to an individual chamber system which ultimately makes the soft‐shell mud crab farming space and labour‐intensive. Therefore, the aim of this study was to improve the efficiency of soft‐shell crab production by autotomy of the claw and/or walking legs to reduce the moulting duration and intensify the culture system through double stocking in the existing individual chamber culture system. To achieve our objectives, a series of experiment were conducted at both indoor and on‐farm levels by removing the claw and/or walking legs of Scylla olivacea for two consecutive moulting cycles. Results showed that both claw ablation significantly (p < .01) shortened the moulting duration and increased the carapace width, weight gain, specific growth rate, feeding efficiency and yield parameter compared to the non‐ablated crabs more prominently at 1st moulting than the 2nd moulting in both indoor and on‐farm trials. Ablation of all walking legs while keeping the claw intact did not significantly influence (p > .05) the moulting duration and carapace width, but significantly (p < .01) improved the specific growth rate, weight gain, feeding efficiency and yield parameters at 1st moulting compared to the non‐ablation and unilateral three walking leg ablation groups. However, ablation of all appendages (both claw and walking legs) showed significant (p < .01) improvements of carapace width, weight gain, specific growth rate, feeding efficiency and yield parameters, and shortened the moulting duration up to 23 days from 34 days during 1st moulting and up to 27 days from 40 days at 2nd moulting. The survivals of different autotomized mud crabs were statistically non‐significant (p > .05) to the non‐autotomized crabs in various indoor and on‐farm trials. Besides improving the production performances, ablation of bilateral claw and all appendages allowed to double the stocking density in the existing individual chamber‐based soft‐shell crab farming that enhanced the production about threefold higher than the existing individual chamber‐based culture system. Finally, our results suggest that autotomy could be a promising technology for the commercial farming of soft‐shell mud crab in near future.     

配合饲料中添加玉米DDGS对刺参(Apostichopus japonicus)生长、体组成及免疫指标的影响

在基础饲料中分别添加0、10％、20％、30％、40％的玉米干酒精糟及其可溶物(Dried distiller's grains with solubles,DDGS),配制成5种等氮等能的实验饲料(DDGS0、DDGS10、DDGS20、DDGS30 和DDGS40),饲喂初始体重为(9.69±0.28)g的刺参56 d,研究玉米DDGS作为替代蛋白源对其生长、体成分及免疫指标的影响.结果显示,随着玉米DDGS添加水平的升高,刺参增重率和特定生长率略有下降,但各组间差异不显著(P＞0.05).各实验组刺参体壁指数、肠道指数、肠长比以及体壁水分、粗蛋白、粗脂肪和粗灰分含量均不受玉米DDGS添加的影响(P＞0.05).体腔液中溶菌酶的活性呈先上升后稳定的趋势,其中,DDGS20和DDGS40组显著高于DDGS0和DDGS 10组(P＜0.05),DDGS30组与其他各组无显著差异(P＞0.05).酸性磷酸酶的活性呈先上升后下降的趋势,在DDGS20组达到最大值,其中,DDGS20组显著高于其他各组(P＜0.05),DDGS40组显著高于DDGS0组(P＜0.05),其他各组间无显著差异(P＞0.05).酚氧化酶的活性随着DDGS添加量的增加呈上升趋势,各添加组均显著高于DDGS0组(P＜0.05),DDGS40组显著高于DDGS 10组(P＜0.05),其他各组间无显著差异(P＞0.05).饲料中添加玉米DDGS对体腔液中碱性磷酸酶和超氧化物歧化酶的活性无显著影响(P＞0.05).本研究表明,饲料中添加0-40％的玉米DDGS均不影响刺参的生长和体壁成分,且添加20％-40％的玉米DDGS能提高刺参体腔液中免疫酶的活性.     

西南大西洋阿根廷滑柔鱼耳石微结构及生长特性

根据我国鱿钓船2007、2008和2010年在西南大西洋作业期间采集的3462尾阿根廷滑柔鱼样本(其中2007年308尾、2008年262尾、2010年2 892尾),测量了491枚耳石外部形态参数和耳石重量(雌性274枚、雄性217枚),结合耳石的日轮,对耳石微结构及其生长特性进行了研究。结果表明,阿根廷滑柔鱼耳石的生长纹由明暗相间的环纹组成,耳石中心为黑色,呈水滴形;从核心到侧区边缘,轮纹宽度由窄至宽,亮度由明至暗;侧区到北区边缘,轮纹则由宽至窄,亮度由暗至明。根据生长纹的宽度和颜色的明暗,可将整个耳石分为3个区域,即后核心区、暗区、外围区。不同群体间耳石总长(TSL)和最大宽度(MW)的生长存在显著性差异,但性别间无差异。冬季产卵群TSL和MW的生长适合用线性函数表示,秋季产卵群则适合用对数函数表示。耳石重量(SW)的生长存在群体和性别间差异,冬季产卵群雌、雄个体SW的生长分别适合用幂函数和指数函数表示,秋季产卵群则分别适合用指数函数和对数函数表示。两个群体的TSL、MW、绝对生长率和相对生长率都随着日龄的增加而先增加后减小,而SW的绝对生长率则随着年龄增加而增加,相对生长率则随着年龄增加而先增加后减小。同一年龄段内冬季产卵群的绝对和相对生长率基本上都大于秋季产卵群,雌性个体的绝对和相对生长率要大于雄性个体。     

Effect of dietary carbohydrate level on growth performance of juvenile spotted Babylon (Babylonia areolata Link 1807)

A growth trial was conducted to determine the effects of dietary carbohydrate level on growth performance, feed utilization and metabolism of juvenile spotted babylon. Six isonitrogenous and isoenergetic experimental diets (48% crude protein and 15 MJ kg^− 1 diet) using wheat starch as the carbohydrate source, were formulated to contain six carbohydrate levels. Triplicate groups of 45 animals (initial average weight, 168.39 ± 0.69 mg) were stocked in 120-l tanks and fed to apparent satiation twice daily for 10 weeks. Growth performance and feed utilization were significantly affected by dietary carbohydrate level. Maximum weight gain and specific growth rate occurred at 20% dietary starch inclusion, survival and soft body to shell ratios were not significantly different among diets. There were significant differences in protein, lipid, moisture and glycogen content in soft body. Glycogen content in soft body was positively correlated with dietary starch level. The activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase were significantly affected by dietary starch level, with both peaking in the 20% treatment; however, there were no significant differences in 6-phosphofructokinase activity in any treatment. Quadratic regression analysis of weight gain against dietary starch level indicated that the optimal dietary carbohydrate level for maximum weight gain of juvenile spotted babylon is 27.1% of dry diet.     

Effects of temperature and body weight on growth rate and feed conversion ratio in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus)

Six size groups of hatchery produced turbot (2–499 g) were reared at six constant temperatures (10–25 °C). The results were used to develop a mathematical model for growth rate and feed conversion in turbot. At each temperature there were linear relationships between logarithms of (a) specific growth rate (G%/day) and body weight (W g), and (b) feed conversion ratio (FCR) and W. The slopes of the regressions were linearly related to temperature and the intercepts of the regression changed with temperature according to a second order polynomial. The optimal temperature for growth (T_opt.G) is predicted to decline with increasing body weight: T_opt.G = 22.45 − 0.713lnW, i.e. 22.5, 20.8, 19.1 and 17.5 °C for 1, 10, 100 and 1000 g fish, respectively, and the growth rates of these fish sizes at their optimal temperature (G_max) were predicted to be 7.63, 2.73, 1.03 and 0.40%/day, respectively. The optimal temperature for feed conversion (T_opt.FCR) is also predicted to decline with increasing fish size: T_opt.FCR = 18.80 − 0.625lnW, i.e. 18.8, 17.4, 15.9 and 14.5 °C for 1, 10, 100 and 1000 g fish, respectively, and the predicted feed conversions of these fish sizes (FCR_min) were 0.44, 0.56, 0.68 and 0.82 for the present feed types. The growth model predicts that 2 g turbot can reach 743 and 619 g in 1 year when reared at T_opt.G and T_opt.FCR, respectively.     

An evaluation of the nutritional value of alternative lipid sources to juvenile southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii

Experimental lobster feeds are currently based on fish meal and fish oil formulations, and although survival and growth similar to that of lobsters fed fresh blue mussels has been achieved, varying the protein level in previous experimental feeds has not increased growth beyond that of lobsters fed natural food. This experiment assessed the growth performance of lobsters fed pelleted feeds containing constant amounts of protein, lipid and energy where the lipid was provided by a range of oil-rich ingredients (fish oil, FO; fish oil with added soybean lecithin, FOL; canola oil, CO; tuna oil, TO; mussel meal, MM; and squid meal, SQM). Feed performance was assessed by lobster growth rate, survival, final biochemical composition, nutrient retention and nutrient efficiency. Twenty tanks containing 15 post-larval lobsters each (1.5 ± 0.04 g) were randomly allocated one of six test feeds in triplicate, and the two remaining tanks were fed freshly opened blue mussels (FRM) as a reference feed. Lobsters were fed daily to excess for 10 weeks. Final individual weights of whole body and digestive gland were measured, and tissue chemical composition analysed. There were no significant differences in survival (88.4 ± 3.3%), or specific growth rate (1.3 ± 0.1%.day^− 1) among the formulated feed fed lobsters, which were significantly lower than the survival (100 ± 0.0%) and SGR (2.2 ± 0.1%.day^− 1) of FRM fed lobsters. The SQM fed lobsters had a significantly lower lipid efficiency ratio and lipid productivity value than lobsters fed TO, FOL and MM feeds. The digestive gland lipid content (g.100 g wet tissue^− 1) of lobsters fed the feeds TO (3.7 ± 0.4), FO (3.5 ± 0.3) and SQM (2.2 ± 0.2) were significantly lower than lobsters fed feeds MM (9.9 ± 1.1), FOL (9.0 ± 2.3) and FRM fed lobsters contained most digestive gland lipid (12.3 ± 1.5).     

Difficulties associated with modeling growth in the Atlantic angel shark (Squatina dumeril)

Several methods were used in an attempt to develop an age and growth model for the Atlantic angel shark (Squatina dumeril). Band counts from vertebral sections, which were fit to the traditional von Bertalanffy growth equation, the Gompertz growth equation, and the two-parameter von Bertalanffy growth equation, did not produce realistic parameter estimates. Additionally, a length-based Bayesian model was applied to fishery-independent length–frequency data, and a full Bayesian model was fitted to length-at-age data to estimate parameters for von Bertalanffy growth equation. Both the length-based and full Bayesian models failed to converge; the length–frequency data showed high bimodality unrelated to season, year, or other factors, and band counts were not predictable by length. Vertebral band counts were not valid for ageing Atlantic angel sharks, and length-based methods, which require normally distributed length–frequencies, were not appropriate for this data set. This study represents the first attempt at modeling age and growth for this species and provides research guidelines for future research initiatives.     

Growth stimulation of juvenile abalone <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haliotis discus hannai</Emphasis> by feeding with salmon growth hormone in sodium alginate gel

We examined the ability of salmon growth hormone (sGH) in sodium alginate (SA) gel to accelerate the somatic growth of juvenile abalone, Haliotis discus hannai, by feeding. After the feeding of sGH at 50 μg or 100 μg in 350 mg SA gel, immunoreactivity to sGH in body fluid was maximal after 12 h, and was still detectable at 24 h. No immunoreactivity was observed in the control group. Following the feeding of sGH at 0.5 mg or 5 mg/8 g of SA gel at 7- and 14-day intervals, there was a greater increase in shell length and body weight than in the control. In abalone, sGH can be transported from food into the circulatory system and subsequently improve somatic growth.     

Temperature characteristics in seed germination and growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera japonica</Emphasis> Ascherson &; Graebner from Ago Bay,Mie Prefecture,central Japan

The optimal water temperature in seed germination and the upper critical water temperature in seedling growth were determined for Zostera japonica collected from Ago Bay, Japan. The relationship between the seed germination rates and seed storage period (0, 30, and 60 days) at 0°C was also examined. The optimal water temperature in seed germination was in the range 15–20°C regardless of the storage period, in which germination rates were up to 14%. Seedlings, grown from seeds up to 10 cm in total length, were cultured for 1 week at various water temperatures to measure their relative growth rates. The optimal water temperature in early growth was in the range 20–25°C; relative growth rates ranged from 3.8 to 4.2%. Seedlings could survive up to a water temperature of 29°C, but most seedlings withered at 30 or 35°C. The optimal water temperatures for seed germination and seedling growth were related to the seasonal changes of water temperature in the sampling site. Although seedlings were hardly observed in Ago Bay in summer, Z. japonica might extend its distribution as far as where the summer water temperature is lower than 29°C.