Tilapia wild spawning control through predator fishes: Israelitrial with red-drum and hybrid bass

Tilapia wild spawning is a nuisance in warm freshwater aquaculture growout ponds. To cope with this problem two experiments were carried out with predatory fish that do not reproduce in fresh water. One experiment tested the capacity of hybrid bass (Morone saxatilis × M. chrysops) and red-drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) as predators of wild spawning of hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × O.aureus), and the other compared predation effectiveness of red-drum of different sizes and stocking densities.Both hybrid bass and red-drum effectively reduced tilapia wild spawning and improved by 15–20% tilapia performance and food conversion ratio. These effects were obtained stocking small red-drum (20 g) or large red-drum (60–80 g) or bass (135 g) at stocking densities of 500–1000 predators/ha, together with 15000 tilapia/ha of 65–75 g. Hybrid bass stocked at 750/ha and large red-drum stocked at 500/ha presented over 90% survival. Red-drum at higher stocking density and/or lower stocking weight presented reduced survival (40–60%). Red-drum of all examined stocking weights presented better growth rates when stocked at 500/ha than at higher densities.     

Understanding imperfect detection in a San Francisco Estuary long‐term larval and juvenile fish monitoring programme

Imperfect detection can present a significant challenge when monitoring for a rare and imperilled species. Here, a long‐term larval and early‐juvenile fish monitoring programme in the upper San Francisco Estuary was examined to evaluate its overall reliability in detecting various fish species, including the imperilled delta smelt, Hypomesus transpacificus McAllister, for which the programme was designed. Using occupancy modelling, detection probability of species with pelagic larval or juvenile life stages was found to be generally high (≥.95) based on the current sampling effort of three larval net tows per site. However, detection probability can vary considerably from year to year depending on the species’ level of larval production. Water temperature and turbidity were identified as important predictors of occurrence for young‐of‐year delta smelt, longfin smelt Spirinchus thaleichthys (Ayres) and striped bass Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), and there was evidence for fish size selectivity by the sampling gear in all three species. These results highlight the need to consider adaptively managing detection probability by increasing sampling effort in years when young‐of‐year delta smelt abundance is expected to be low, especially when information on the species’ occurrence at a particular region is critical.     

Thermal habitat of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in coastal waters of northern Massachusetts,USA, during summer

Striped bass, Morone saxatilis, were captured and released with temperature‐measuring data storage tags in Salem Sound, Massachusetts, to collect data on their thermal preferences in coastal and marine waters and to identify environmental factors that may influence temperatures experienced during their summer residence. Striped bass recaptured during summer of 2006 (21 of 151 releases) experienced a wide range of temperatures (6.5–28.0°C) while at‐large for 1–53 days. Overall mean temperature and standard deviation selected by striped bass recaptured in Salem Sound during the longest commonly‐shared duration of time (3–12 July) were 17.8 and 3.57°C, respectively. Comparison of temperature data between fish and 13 vertical arrays in Salem Sound revealed that striped bass experienced higher and more variable temperatures, and that daily changes in temperature actually experienced were unrelated to daily changes in surrounding ambient temperature. Regular cyclical changes in temperature of all striped bass and vertical arrays were identified as influences of the local tide, which contributed about a 2°C change in temperature, on average, over the complete cycle. Most striped bass appeared to limit their activities to depths shallower than the lower limit of the thermocline, above which temperatures generally exceed 9.0°C in Salem Sound. Therefore, it is likely that the vertical distribution of striped bass is restricted by the low temperatures below this depth. An implication of this finding is that the spatial distribution of striped bass may be defined coarsely by knowledge of the distribution of temperature in coastal areas.