Long‐term changes in recruitment of age‐0 Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) and environmental conditions around Japan

Recruitment of age‐0 Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) from 1952 to 2014 was examined by a sequential regime shift detection method. The regime shifts in recruitment were detected in 1957, 1972, 1980, 1994 and 2009. The durations of regime shift ranged from 8–15 years and averaged 13.0 years. In both the total (1952–2014) and data rich (1980–2014) periods, negative relationships were found between recruitment and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation in autumn, and positive relationships were found between recruitment and sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the northern part of the East China Sea, in the southwestern part of the Sea of Japan, and in the waters off Shikoku and Tokai in summer and autumn. The 1994 and 2009 regime shifts in recruitment occurred in the same years as shifts in SST anomalies in the northern part of the East China Sea in summer. These results suggest that the ocean conditions in the northern part of the East China Sea are closely related to recruitment of Pacific bluefin tuna, and that the warmer conditions result in higher recruitment of the species.     

Biotransformation of tuna waste by co-fermentation into an aquafeed ingredient

Dried skipjack tuna ( Katsuwonus pelamis) waste (red meat, gills, viscera, fins, etc.) were mixed with 25% wheat flour and inoculated with a starter culture of Lactobacillus plantarum National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms (NCIM) 2912 (10⁸–10⁹ cells mL⁻¹) and Bacillus licheniformis MTCC 6824 (10⁷–10⁸ cells mL⁻¹). Changes in the nutritional quality (crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, crude fibre and nitrogen-free extract and aminoacids) were monitored during a fermentation period of 14 days. The proximate analysis showed significant changes in the composition of L. plantarum -fermented tuna (LPFT) and B. licheniformis -fermented tuna (BLFT) from the unfermented raw materials. Fermentation of tuna waste has resulted in a significant ( P <0.05) increase in the protein content of tuna waste between days 6 and 12. All the amino acid contents in BLFT increased during fermentation, whereas, in LPFT the levels of serine, histidine, tyrosine, methionine, cystine and phenylalanine contents were decreased. A marginal increase in calcium and phosphorus levels was recorded in the fermented products. The results of the study suggest that LPFT or BLFT can be used as a novel aquafeed ingredient for different fish species.     

Determination of Count and Uniformity Ratio of Shrimp by Machine Vision

Current shrimp quality evaluation is a subjective sum of visual, smell and texture characteristics, and the manual determination of count and uniformity ratio of a sample batch. The automation of this process is desirable for a more rapidly and objectively repeatable evaluation. As a first step towards this goal, the count and uniformity ratio of whole, headless, peeled-tail-on, and peeled-tail-off tiger and white shrimp were evaluated by a machine vision procedure. The experimental weight and view area were correlated by three different equations (linear, power, and forced-power curves) to find the best correlation. The pixel intesities as it relates to lightness-darkness values were also correlated to see if different forms and species could be distinguished by this method. Data, equations and statistics for the correlations are presented.     

中西太平洋鲣栖息地指数预报模型比较研究

鲣(Katsuwonus pelamis)是太平洋热带海域重要的金枪鱼种类之一,也是目前我国金枪鱼围网渔船的主要捕捞对象之一。根据1995—2012年中西太平洋海域(5°N-10°S;125°E-135°W)延绳钓生产统计数据,结合海表面温度(SST)和海表面高度(SSH)的遥感数据,利用频次分布法分析了中西太平洋围网鲣分布的SST和SSH适宜范围;采用了外包络法,按季度分别建立了SST、SSH的适应性指数(SI),采用算术平均法(AMM)和几何平均法(GMM)建立栖息地指数(HSI)模型计算其栖息地指数,并用2013年度的捕捞数据进行验证。结果表明,中西太平洋围网鲣多分布在SST为28~30.5℃、SSH为65~95 cm的海域。以捕捞努力量(作业天数)为基础,采用外包络法建立SST、SSH的适应性指数最为合适,各个季度的SST权重分别为0.7、0.6、0.3、0.6的算数平均法适合中西太平洋围网鲣栖息地指数模型。不同季节的环境因子对中西太平洋围网鲣渔场分布有着不同的影响。     

大西洋金枪鱼延绳钓主要渔获种类及其分布

根据收集的有关文献和海上调查资料，分析了大西洋金枪鱼延绳钓生产的主要渔获品种的生物学特性、捕捞生产情况及管理措施等。此外，还根据FAO建立的金枪鱼生产数据库，采用GIS软件制作了大西洋金枪鱼延绳钓主要渔获种类捕捞产量的地理空间分布图。并分析了其资源的空间分布特征。     

Predicting the occurrence of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larvae in the northern Gulf of Mexico: building a classification model from archival data

Although bluefin tuna are found throughout the Atlantic Ocean, spawning in the western Atlantic has been recorded predominantly in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in spring. Larval bluefin tuna abundances from the northern GOM are formulated into an index used to tune the adult stock assessment, and the variability of this index is currently high. This study investigated whether some of the variability in larval bluefin tuna abundances was related to environmental conditions, by defining associations between larval bluefin tuna catch locations, and a suite of environmental variables. We hypothesized that certain habitat types, as defined by environmental variables, would be more likely to contain bluefin tuna larvae. Favorable habitat for bluefin tuna larvae was defined using a classification tree approach. Habitat within the Loop Current was generally less favorable, as were warm‐core rings, and cooler waters on the continental shelf. The location and size of favorable habitat was highly variable among years, which was reflected in the locations of larval bluefin tuna catches. The model successfully placed bluefin tuna larvae in favorable habitat with nearly 90% accuracy, but many negative stations were also located within theoretically favorable habitat. The probability of collecting larval bluefin tuna in favorable habitat was nearly twice the probability of collecting bluefin tuna larvae across all habitats (35.5 versus 21.0%). This model is a useful addition to knowledge of larval bluefin tuna distributions; however, the incorporation of variables describing finer‐scale features, such as thermal fronts, may significantly improve the model’s predictive power.     

印度洋黄鳍金枪鱼渔业管理策略评价的初步研究

近年来印度洋黄鳍金枪鱼捕捞量一直维持在最大持续产量附近,其整体资源处于风险状态。由于渔业数据存在各种误差,渔业资源评估结果也存在很大的不确定性,传统的渔业资源管理方法会影响渔业资源的可持续利用。渔业管理策略评价是一种系统方法,通过计算机模拟管理对象的渔业系统,设定合理的管理目标,然后测试和评价不同渔业管理策略的表现,可以提高渔业管理成功的概率,在渔业中的使用也越来越广泛。本研究根据印度洋黄鳍金枪鱼的生活史特征参数和渔业数据,建立操作模型,通过计算机模拟对印度洋黄鳍金枪鱼渔业不同管理策略的结果进行评价,从而选择适宜的管理策略,为印度洋黄鳍金枪鱼资源持续发展提供建议。本研究共设置25种管理策略,通过渔业管理策略评价(management strategy evaluation,MSE),并结合各种不确定性,得到最合适的管理策略是管理策略7,即F设置为0.2,SSB设置为600 000 t。