The impacts of aquaculture development on food security: lessons from Bangladesh

Fish contribute a significant amount of animal protein to the diets of people in Bangladesh, about 63% of which comes from aquatic animals. In Bangladesh, fish is mainly derived from two sources: capture and culture. Aquaculture has shown tremendous growth in the last two decades, exhibiting by about 10% average annual growth in production. Capture fisheries, although still the major source of supply of fish, have become static or are in decline due to over‐fishing and environmental degradation, and it is now believed that aquaculture has the greatest potential to meet the growing demand for fish from the increasing population. At present, aquaculture production accounts for about one‐third of the total fish production in Bangladesh. This paper examines the impact of an aquaculture development project in Bangladesh on food security, with particular emphasis on the poor. The analysis shows a positive impact of aquaculture development on employment, income and consumption. A number of implications for policy in areas that might strengthen these outcomes are discussed and recommendations are presented.     

Relationships among condition indices, feeding and growth of walleye in Lake Erie

Abstract  Condition indices are often used as surrogates of fish health, growth, and feeding and to compare ecological well-being among fish populations. In an effort to identify easily measured indices, growth and food consumption were compared with gonadal-somatic index, liver-somatic index (LSI), fat-somatic index and relative weight ( W _r) for ages 1–3 walleye, Sander vitreus (Mitchill), in Lake Erie from 1986 to 1988. The LSI and W _r were significantly correlated with growth rate or food consumption, but correlations were too small to be considered biologically meaningful. Furthermore, no consistent relationships between condition indices and growth or consumption were found among combinations of fish age and season. None of the indices are considered reliable surrogates for more laborious estimates of growth and food consumption for Lake Erie walleye. Significant relationships between W _r and relative abundance of key prey species warrant further investigation.     

逆流运动训练对多鳞四须鲃摄食、生长和体营养成分的影响

在室内条件下［水温(28?1) ℃］,设置0.7 BL/s和2.0 BL/s 2个流速组以及一个静水对照组,研究了不同逆流运动训练对多鳞四须鲃幼鱼［体质量(75.21?2.82) g］摄食、生长和体营养成分的影响。实验分1~23 d和23~45 d两个阶段,共进行45 d。实验结果表明,多鳞四须鲃平均日摄食率随流速增加而增大,但体长特定生长率、体质量特定生长率和食物转换率均以0.7 BL/s组最高,静水组次之,2.0 BL/s组最低,且三者间差异显著(P<0.05)。不同流速下多鳞四须鲃肌肉水分和灰分含量差异不显著(P>0.05),但随流速增大,多鳞四须鲃肌肉中蛋白质含量增加,而脂肪含量却显著下降。在实验末期,2.0 BL/s流速组的氨基酸总含量(82.63%)、必需氨基酸总含量(34.34%)和鲜味氨基酸总含量(33.50%)均显著高于静水对照组(78.27%,32.6%,30.63%)(P<0.05)。研究表明,较低流速(0.7 BL/s)的运动训练明显促进多鳞四须鲃的生长,提高食物转化率和增加肌肉蛋白质含量,高流速(2.0 BL/s)的运动训练不利于生长,但却能显著提高肌肉必需氨基酸和鲜味氨基酸含量。     

Springtime abundance of chaetognaths in the shelf region of the northern Gulf of Alaska, with observations on the vertical distribution and feeding of Sagitta elegans

Chaetognatha were among the most dominant macrozooplankton taxa collected in 6 years of springtime collections, both throughout the water column and near-bottom on the continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Three species ( Sagitta elegans, S. scrippsae, and Eukrohnia hamata ) were collected in 248 collections, although S. elegans was the numerically dominant species overall during most cruises. Collections taken in epibenthic sleds generally contained about two orders of magnitude more chaetognaths than those that sampled throughout the water column. Two size modes were apparent in the S. elegans size-frequency distributions which were believed to belong to different cohorts. Growth rate was on the order of 2–3 mm per month. The two cohorts showed asynchronous diel vertical distribution patterns, with the smaller individuals found near the surface during the day whereas the larger individuals were near the surface at night. About 7.5% of the S. elegans examined contained food. Copepods made up the majority (∼89% by number) of the diet of both large and small individuals. Euphausiid juveniles and cirripede larvae were also observed, as well as several incidences of cannibalism by large chaetognaths on smaller individuals. Based on the results of two diel series, this species was observed to feed mainly during the night-time.     

刺参中间培育及生长特性的研究

研究报道了刺参(Apostichopus japonicus)的中间培育技术及其生长特性。刺参在大棚水泥池内,采用地下海水源,全人工饵料,培育60天,参苗大小由1310头/kg长至322头/kg。重量由78kg增至305kg,成活率96.4%,饵料系数1.76。培育过程中2-3cm的幼参生长最快,长得很慢的“老头参”占4.3%。培育的基本环境条件:盐度24.795±0.015;温度14.6-15.2℃;溶氧(DO)多为6-9mg/L;pH值7.2-7.6;铵氮0.2mg/L以下。     

密度和饲料种类对凡纳滨对虾Litopenaeus vannamei争胜行为和生长的影响

在水温(23.0±1.0)℃和盐度(26±1.0)‰下,将体长(46.1±3.2)mm的凡纳滨对虾Litopenaeus vannamei饲养在0.54m×0.36m×0.28m的塑料水槽中,密度为40尾/m~2(LLD)、80尾/m~2(MLD)、120尾/m~2(MHD),和160尾/m~2(HHD),投喂人工配合饲料;同时在密度50尾/m2下分别投喂人工配合饲料(ACF)、菲律宾蛤仔肉(RPF)和冰鲜杂鱼(FFF),测定投喂前1h、投喂时、投喂后1h对虾间的争斗数量、争斗时间、争斗发起方、胜利次数等指标,以探讨密度和饲料种类对凡纳滨对虾争胜行为和生长性能的影响。61d的饲养结果表明:凡纳滨对虾个体间的争斗次数和胜利次数随密度的升高而增加;不同密度间平均优势指数差异不显著(P0.05);饱食情况下凡纳滨对虾对三种饲料的选择无倾向性。     

植物解剖学研究进展

综述了植物解剖学的发展历程,石蜡切片和冷冻切片2种方法在植物相关组织、主要器官的研究进展,以及2种切片方法的技术改进,并展望了国内植物解剖学与计算机领域、分子生物学等其他学科相结合的研究前景。     

瘤背石磺人工繁育关键技术的研究

研究了瘤背石磺亲体在不同温度、盐度下受精卵的孵化及不同开口饵料、不同附着基对浮游幼虫的培育和附着效果。结果表明,不同饵料对亲体的成活率无显著影响,各组成活率均超过95%;在(27±1)℃、不换水条件下,5、10、15、20、25、30的各盐度组中,以15、20盐度组的孵化率最高,分别为96.4%、95.8%;在盐度15、不换水条件下,(24±1)(、27±1)、(30±1)、(33±1)℃温度组,受精卵产出后至孵化出膜的时间分别需319、297、2862、78 h;采用自制孵化框漂浮式孵化,孵化率高达98%;不同开口饵料试验结果表明,金藻投喂组幼体成活率最高,为87.5%;不同附着基附着培养试验10 d后,悬浮球填料组的成活率最高,达90%,且个体整齐、生长速度快,而铺泥组为43%,不加附着基组仅38%。     

Is PLOS ONE Attracting Highly Cited Papers in the Food Sciences? Comparing Authors' Most Cited Work to Their PLOS ONE Articles Published 2006–2016

Since 2007, the Open Access journal PLOS ONE has published 194,622 expert-reviewed scientific papers, including 85 related to the human food sciences such as food safety, general food science, and nutrition. Seventy-five of their corresponding authors had previously published. Their most cited articles in other journals were identified and citation counts compared against those earned by their PLOS ONE papers. No PLOS ONE food sciences paper has yet been cited more than an author's best effort in the field in other journals. More than half (38) of the 75 PLOS ONE papers studied remain uncited even by their own authors.     

Effects of ambient gaseous pollutants on photosynthesis,growth, yield and grain quality of selected crops grown at different sites varying in pollution levels

In recent decades, ambient gaseous pollution has increased due to anthropogenic activities worldwide. The studies to evaluate the adverse effects of ambient pollutants on commonly grown food crops are still limited, especially in Asian countries like Pakistan. The present study was conducted to measure the ambient pollutants in different sites of Faisalabad and their impact on growth and yield of wheat, mung bean and peas. Plants were grown in pots and placed at three sites named as control (Wire house of Government College University, Faisalabad), low pollution (LP) (Farm Area of Ayub Agricultural Research Institute) and high pollution (HP) (GT Chowk, Faisalabad) sites. Results showed that ambient ozone (O₃) concentration was highest at HP site followed by LP site and was below AOT40 in control site. Ambient pollutants caused foliar injury in crops and decreased plant height, leaf area, biomass and grain yield. Pollutants caused a reduction in photosynthetic pigments, stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate and grain protein contents in all three crops. In conclusion, the ambient O₃ level was highest at HP site, this current O₃ level and other pollutants decreased the growth and yield of important food crops.