Weight-based virtual population analysis of Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus off the Pacific coast of southern Hokkaido, Japan

ABSTRACT:   Age-based population assessment is widely used, but there are cases where information on age or even body length of landed fish is difficult to collect. In the present study, the biomass and fishing mortality of the southern Hokkaido stock of Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus was estimated directly from body weight composition, using weight-based virtual population analysis, from 1994 to 2000. The estimated biomass over 1 kg body weight was 5607 t in 1994 and increased to 7908 t in 2000. The increase was explained by an increase in recruitment.     

黑鲷与灰鳍鲷杂交育种

黑鲷属于鲷科鲷属，广泛分布于我国沿海，灰鳍鲷同属于鲷科鲷属，在我国仅分布于南海。黑鲷与灰鳍鲷杂交属于种间杂交。本研究利用科季繁殖的黑鲷种群与灰鳍鲷种群进行酱。用HCG与LHRH－A2催产，网相内自然受精。正交以黑鲷为♀，灰鳍鲷为♂；反交以黑鲷为♂，灰鳍鲷为♀。两种杂交组合的雌雄比均为1：1.5。正交组合的受精率为83％，反交组合为86％，正交组合的孵化率为91％，反交为89％，该研究证明海水鲁种间杂交可以成功，并为海水鱼杂交育种推广应用奠定了基础。     

几种深水网箱养殖鱼类行为习性的观察

运用鱼类生态学、鱼类行为学以及水产养殖学研究方法,对几种深水网箱养殖鱼类的行为习性进行了观察,结果表明：对干露的耐受力强弱依次为黑鲷、真鲷、鲈鱼、美国红鱼和大黄鱼;大黄鱼分布于中下层网箱边缘、集群、不争斗,美国红鱼均匀分布于中下层、集群、争斗激烈,鲈鱼均匀分布于中下层、较少集群、争斗激烈,真鲷分布于下、底层网箱边缘、较少集群、争斗,黑鲷分布于下、底层网箱边缘、较少集群、争斗;摄食节律明显,与潮水涨落有关,在接近早晨、傍晚的平潮或停潮时间内形成两个摄食高峰;对饵料具有选择性,对饥饿的耐受能力较强,不同投饵方式对鱼类摄食强度有影响,对饥饿的耐受力随着水温的降低而增强;7-8月份日平均摄食率最高,2月份最低,鱼类的摄食率与水温有密切的关系;昼夜活动习性不明显,流急时分布于网箱底部或下游网箱边缘,流缓时活动分布范围明显扩大;抗风、浪、流能力强弱依次为美国红鱼、鲈鱼、大黄鱼、黑鲷、真鲷。     

Tissue tropism of nervous necrosis virus (NNV) in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., after intraperitoneal challenge with a virus isolate from diseased Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus (L.)

Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua , averaging 100 g, were experimentally challenged by intraperitoneal injection of nervous necrosis virus (NNV) originating from Atlantic halibut. Cod tissues, including blood, gill, pectoral fin, barbel, ventricle, atrium, spleen, liver, lateral line (including muscle tissue), eye (retina) and brain, were sampled at day 25 and 130 and investigated by real-time RT-PCR for the presence of NNV. Relative quantifications at day 130 were calculated using the 2^−ΔΔCt method. Immunosuppression by injection of prednisolone-acetate was introduced for a 30-day period, and tissue sampled at day 180 and relative quantification estimated. No mortality or clinical signs of disease were observed in the challenged group. The challenge resulted in detection of NNV in blood, spleen, kidney, liver, heart atrium and heart ventricle at day 25, and by the end of the experiment NNV showed a clear increase in brain and retina, suggesting these to be the primary tissues for viral replication. There was no increase in the relative amount of NNV in blood, atrium, ventricle, spleen, liver and kidney. Corticosteroid implants resulted in a weak increase in virus RNA in spleen, kidney, liver and brain. These findings suggest that Atlantic cod is susceptible to infection with NNV from halibut. The observed tissue tropism patterns suggest an initial viraemic phase, followed by neurotrophy. Head-kidney is the best tissue identified for possible NNV detection by non-lethal biopsy, but detection was not possible in all injected fish.     

Natural zooplankton as larval feed in intensive rearing systems for juvenile production of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.)

The growth potential of cod larvae is not fully achieved when rotifers (Brachionus spp.) are used as live feed. In this experiment, we studied the effect of natural zooplankton (mainly copepods) on the growth of cod (Gadus morhua L.) larvae reared in intensive systems. Using a growth model developed for cod larvae, the growth rates observed could be evaluated and compared with growth rates reported previously. The cod larvae showed optimal growth rates until age 19 days post hatch (DPH) when they reached 9.77 ± 0.25 mm standard length (SL). Early weaning (20–25 DPH) resulted in significantly longer larvae at age 30 DPH compared with late weaning (25–32 DPH); however, in this period, the zooplankton concentrations were low. The experimental larvae showed considerably higher growth rates compared with rotifer (Brachionus spp.)‐reared cod larvae in previous experiments. The nutritional composition of cod larvae was analysed and compared with published results on rotifer‐reared larvae. The levels of iodine, manganese, selenium and n‐3 PUFA were considerably higher in larvae fed copepods compared with larvae fed rotifers. The differences in nutritional status may well explain the differences in growth observed between copepod and rotifer‐reared larvae.     

A follow‐up study of selected biomarkers of health in cod Gadus morhua L. collected from the southern Baltic off the Polish coast

Selected biomarkers of health were examined in 50 post‐spawning cod Gadus morhua collected in November 2015 from the southern Baltic. The biomarkers included condition factor (CF), macroscopic lesions, histopathology of spleen, liver and gonads, and morphometry of follicular atresia and hepatic and splenic melanomacrophage cells (MMC). All fish appeared in good body condition. One fish had a dermal ulcer, and in seven, macroscopic nematodes were noted within body cavity. Microscopic lesions in the liver included biliary myxozoanosis, microsporidial and necrocentric granulomas, parasitic hepatitis, multifocal necrosis, foci of cellular alterations, spongiosis, peliosis and cytoplasmic fibrillar inclusions. The spleen and gonads had microsporidial and/or necrocentric granulomas. Some of the biomarkers showed differences as compared to spawning cod collected in May from the same location in 2012, most importantly values an order of magnitude lower for splenic MMC in post‐spawning fish. In post‐spawning fish, there were statistically significant correlations between MMC, CF, follicular atresia, parasitic hepatitis and microsporidiosis. This is the first comparison of biomarkers of health in post‐spawning and spawning Baltic cod. Future studies need to examine the relationships of biomarkers to levels of pollutants in the environment and in tissues of cod.     

急性温度胁迫对太平洋鳕仔稚鱼成活率、生理生化指标的影响

为探究温度胁迫对太平洋鳕的影响,以太平洋鳕仔稚鱼为研究对象,研究了温度胁迫对太平洋鳕仔稚鱼的成活率、总超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化氢酶、丙二醛的活性的影响。试验结果表明,培育温度8℃组(对照组)成活率最高(99%),15℃组的成活率最低(43.3±10.3)%,差异显著(P0.05)。2、5、11、15℃胁迫组的总超氧化物歧化酶活性在24h后急剧升高,与8℃组差异显著(P0.05)。72h后各组总超氧化物歧化酶活性开始下降,与8℃组差异不显著(P0.05)。各胁迫组的过氧化氢酶活性在48h时开始显著升高(P0.05),表明过氧化氢酶活性的变化较总超氧化物歧化酶相比具有滞后性。丙二醛活性在胁迫24h时升高(P0.05),但在48h时略有回落,72h时表现出最大的活性。     

Resistance of aquaculture net cage materials to biting by Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua)

Cod bite on aquaculture net cages has resulted in damages like frayed netting and holes, which in part can explain why cultured cod have escaped more frequently than salmon over the last years. We describe damages found on various netting materials subjected to cod bite through field experiments at commercial cod farms. Further, a method to test local cod bite resistance of traditional netting structures is suggested and initial results from a test jig prototype are given. Results from field experiments indicated that cod may have been attracted by types of netting that made it possible to draw filaments out of the twine, while stiff, coated netting structures and thick filaments showed no sign of bite damage during the test period. We concluded that netting materials for cod aquaculture must be resistant to cod bite or be repellent or uninteresting for cod. Based on the present findings, the better choice among the traditional netting materials seemed to be hard-laid netting materials, preferably with a primer that glues the filaments together.     

Molecular identification of laser‐dissected gut contents from hatchery‐reared larval cod,Gadus morhua: a new approach to diet analysis

The transition between endogenous and exogenous feeding in hatchery production of fish larvae has long been a bottleneck to increased production. Identification of alternative prey species with a wider array of nutritional profiles is essential for further expansion and diversification within the aquaculture industry. Traditional morphological methods to identify dietary composition are limited. In this study, we present a novel DNA‐based methodology for identifying the gut contents of larval fish that is independent of prey retaining identifiable characteristics. Laser capture microdissection is used to collect ingested material for DNA extraction, thus limiting contaminating DNA originating from the larval fish. PCR is then conducted using universal eukaryotic primers that have the potential to detect a wide diversity of prey items. Using this approach, we identified ingested Artemia salina from hatchery‐reared Gadus morhua larvae. Differential length amplification PCR was used to evaluate the effects of DNA degradation on the sensitivity of A. salina detection. Although it was possible to detect A. salina with relatively long (626 bp) fragments, targeting smaller fragments (264 bp) resulted in the highest return of prey sequences. This combined LCM and molecular approach to diet analysis could offer a more complete assessment of the diets of naturally feeding larvae.     

Quality Changes During Salt-Curing of Cod (Gadus morhua) at Different Temperatures

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this study was to assess the quality changes and their causes during cod salt-curing for up to 76 days at different temperatures and a relative humidity below 80%. Salt-curing made the fish more yellow (L*a*b* scale), a color change that is more easily detected in sensory analysis against a cream color scale. Intense proteolytic breakdown took place at 12 and 18°C, leading to a greater proteolysis degree and a higher pH. A red surface discoloration of the flesh was apparent after 76 days at 18°C due to the high number of red-halophilic bacteria. These bacteria were also responsible for the highest intensity of “off”-odors and mucus obtained under these conditions. Cod salt-curing should be done below 12°C to reduce the spoilage activity of halophilic bacteria and is best done at chill temperature (close to 6°C) to obtain a good quality product.