Feeding,growth and environmental requirements of Arctic charr: a review of aquaculture potential

Interest in the cultivation of Arctic charr arose during the 1970s, and research into charr farming was instigated in the Nordic countries and in Canada. Most work has been conducted on fish from anadromous populations, although land-locked freshwater populations of Arctic charr have also received attention. Research has also been carried out in the British Isles and in the alpine regions of central Europe, where land-locked populations of charr. Small-scale commercial farming is now carried out in several countries of northern Europe and North America, and charr are reared for restocking purposes in a number of countries.Growth of charr is rapid during the early freshwater rearing stages, and quite good rates of growth can be achieved at low water temperatures. Growth may be submaximal if charr are reared in systems designed for other salmonids, and problems may arise when charr are held at low stocking densities. Growth and food conversion can be improved by exposing the fish to water currents, forcing them to swim at moderate speeds. Growth in seawater has been reported as being highly variable, probably as a result of the use of inappropriate rearing techniques and owing to the seasonal changes in the hypo-osmoregulatory ability of the charr.Prospects for aquaculture development and areas requiring further research effort are briefly discussed.     

The effect of dietary protein source on growth and carcass composition in juvenile Australian freshwater crayfish

A feed trial was conducted for 12 weeks on juvenile Australian freshwater crayfish (Cherax destructor) (mean weight (SE) 0.82 (0.02)g) maintained on five isoenergetic diets with a protein content of 30%. Diets differed in the primary source of protein used, with meat, snail, soybean, yabby, and zooplankton meals comprising the major protein ingredient, varying from 56–60% of total protein. Mean percentage weight gain per day ranged from 7.57% (yabby meal diet), to 9.42% (snail meal diet). No significant difference occurred in mean weight, percentage weight gain, specific growth rate (%), or survival among diets. A maximum size of 16.44g was attained on the yabby meal diet. Largest mean weight was 8.27g on the snail-based diet. Food conversion ratios were all good, with a minimum value of 0.95 recorded for the snail-based diet. Initial food consumption per day was approximately 5% of mean animal weight, decreasing to around 2.4%, and is collectively described by a power curve. Protein retention ranged from 29.57% in the zooplankton meal diet to 41.15% in the snail-based diet. Carcass composition was influenced by feed type, with the most marked difference occurring in carapace colour. Animals fed the zooplankton-based pellets developed the strongest pigmentation. Recommendations are made for including certain protein-based ingredients in manufactured yabby diets.     

Production of meiotic gynogenetic and triploid sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L.: 1. Performances, maturation and carcass quality

Meiotic gynogenetic and triploid sea bass were produced by pressure shocks according to a previously published protocol. Pressure-treated groups did not survive as well as controls during early development and larval rearing. Performances, sexual maturation and carcass quality were examined over a period of 34–45 months. At the age of 34 months, growth of the gynogenetic fish was comparable to that of the control but inferior in the triploid fish. A predominance of male fish was found within the triploid groups, while diploid and meiotic gynogenetic fish showed equal proportions of the sexes. Gonadal maturation in triploid fish was significantly impaired, particularly in the females that showed rudimentary ovaries. Triploid males exhibited primary maturation but proved to be gametically sterile. Pressure-induced triploids did not grow as well as diploids, but these results might be ascribed to specific on-growing conditions (communal rearing). The performance of gynogenetic sea bass was comparable to that of control. The superiority of diploid fish over their triploid counterparts was confirmed during the final growing period and more clearly so in females. Performances of triploids varied according to their maternal origin. Overall, striking qualitative differences between diploid and triploid fish were found at the age of 34 and 45 months, although the results varied in a gender-specific manner. A strong maternal effect was also observed. The potential advantages of triploid sea bass for aquaculture purposes are discussed.     

Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, utilizes wax ester-rich oil from Calanus finmarchicus effectively

Against a background of decreasing availability of fish oils for use in aquaculture, the present study was undertaken to examine whether a wax ester-rich oil derived from the calanoid copepod Calanus finmarchicus, could be used effectively by Atlantic salmon when supplied in their diet. Individually tagged Atlantic salmon of initial weight around 500 g were divided into replicate tanks of two dietary groups and fed either a fish oil supplemented diet, or an experimental diet coated with Calanus oil. Wax esters accounted for 37.5% of the lipids in the Calanus oil diet but were absent from the fish oil diet in which triacylglycerols (TAG) were the major lipid class. Over the feeding period (140 days) the salmon fed fish oil displayed a greater increase in length, but there was no significant difference between the two groups in weight gained. The specific growth rates (0.75) and the feed conversion ratio of fish fed the two diets were similar throughout the study. No differences were observed in the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of fish fed Calanus oil or fish oil. The ADC of fatty acids decreased with chain length and increased with unsaturation. Long-chain alcohol utilization showed a similar tendency although there was a notable difference in that saturated long-chain alcohols were utilized better than the comparable fatty acid homologue. In fecal lipid of fish fed Calanus oil, the content of 16:0 alcohol decreased in both the free long-chain alcohol and wax ester fractions, while the corresponding fatty acid increased in the feces of both dietary groups of fish. In contrast, the proportion of the 22:1n−11 alcohol increased in both fecal wax esters and free long-chain alcohol fractions whereas 22:1n−11 fatty acid displayed no accumulation. The observed patterns of fatty acid and long-chain alcohol compositions in fecal lipid compared to those of the initial dietary lipid are consistent with the digestive lipases of salmon preferentially hydrolyzing esters containing polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) moieties. The wax esters of Calanus oil contained substantial amounts of the n−3 PUFA, 20:5n−3 and 22:6n−3, that were effectively deposited in muscle and liver tissues. No major differences were seen in either lipid content/lipid classes or in gross fatty acid composition of these tissues between the two dietary groups. It is concluded that that Atlantic salmon in seawater can effectively utilize diets in which a major lipid component is derived from zooplankton rich in wax ester without any detrimental change in growth or body lipid composition. This finding gives support to the use of lipid from zooplankton from high latitudes as an alternative or as a supplement to fish oil and a provider of long-chain n−3 PUFA in diets for use in salmon aquaculture.     

Involvement of steroid hormones in the preovulatory gonadotropin surge in female goldfish

Goldfish,Carassius auratus, spawn several times within a spawning season. A gonadotropin (GtH) surge occurs at the time of ovulation in this cyprinid species. This ovulatory GtH surge mediates the processes of final oocyte maturation and ovulation, and occurs at the end of each spawning cycle. Within a cycle, there is a shift in the predominant plasma steroid from estradiol to testosterone, and finally 17α, 20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one at the time of the ovulatory GtH surge. High levels of testosterone were always observed before ovulation. When ovariectomized or sexually regressed female goldfish were implanted with testosterone, they exhibited a GtH surge which was similar to those normally observed at ovulation. These results strongly suggest that elevated plasma testosterone is an important physiological requirement for the occurrence of the GtH surge.     

Demand-feeding behaviour of sea bass kept in ponds: diel and seasonal patterns,and influences of environmental factors

Feeding activity was investigated from June to October in a group of 60 sea bass, Dicentrachus labrax. The fish were kept in an earthen pond in a maritime wetland subject to the fluctuations of the natural environment. The fish fed by operating a demand feeder connected to a data logger which recorded each feeding act with a time reference. Meteorological and hydrological data were also recorded. Diurnal rhythms in feeding activity changed as the months progressed. Fish fed during daylight, preferentially at dawn in June, but in the middle of the day from August to October. Most feeding took place during subdued light. Feeding was closely and positively correlated to both daylength and water temperature; daylength being the most related factor associated with rainfall and East-West wind direction.     

人工选育中国对虾两个群体WSSV感染相关免疫与生化因子的变化

通过分析中国对虾人工选育两个群体WSSV感染相关免疫与生化因子的变化，研究选育的两个中国对虾群体对WSSV的敏感性和抵抗力。结果表明，两个群体感染WSSV后，总细胞数（THC）在24h达到最大，随后呈下降趋势；两个群体血淋巴蛋白在感染初期和中期变化不同，但在后期均呈下降趋势；相比而言2＇对虾群体比6＇对虾群体血蛋白含量和THC下降幅度稍慢；2＇对虾群体和6＇对虾群体感染24h后酸性磷酸酶（ACP）稍有下降，随后保持较高的活性，而碱性磷酸酶（AKP）的变化除2＇对虾群体在感染48h有显著增大外，6＇对虾群体变化不明显；过氧化氢酶（CAT）、活性氧（ROS）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）与WSSV感染有密切的联系，两个群体抗氧化酶活性随WSSV增殖的变化略有不同；细胞内酚氧化酶（proPO）原变化趋势也表现出差异，斑点杂交结果显示6＇对虾群体比2＇对虾群体阳性反应较早，揭示不同群体间对WSSV感染的敏感性存在一些差异。     

Evaluation of VI-alpha and PIT-tagging of the seahorse <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hippocampus abdominalis</Emphasis>

The suitability of visible implant alphanumeric (VI-alpha) and passive integrated transponder (PIT)-tagging to individually identify seahorses (Hippocampus abdominalis) was assessed in two trials. For each trial, 24 seahorses were tagged and mortality, growth, tag retention and tag visibility/readability assessed, together with 24 control seahorses, over a period of 3 months. For VI-alpha tagging, a single tag was inserted under the skin between the first two anterior lateral tail rings of the seahorses. There was no difference in final seahorse length, wet weight, or mean SGR in tagged seahorses, compared with control seahorses, after 3 months. Tag retention was 100%, as was survival, in both treatments. Tag detection with the naked eye was generally poor but improved using LED blue light. However, readability of tag codes was highly variable and insufficiently reliable for VI-alpha to be suitable for identification of individual seahorses. In PIT-tagged seahorses, a single FDX-B transponder was inserted into the abdominal cavity of seahorses. There was also no difference in final seahorse length, wet weight, or mean SGR, compared with control seahorses, after 3 months. Tag retention was also 100%, as was survival in both treatments. Readability of transponders was reliable and quick using a compact reader. PIT-tagging is considered suitable for individual identification of large H. abdominalis.     

淤泥湖团头鲂与梁子湖团头鲂杂交子一代的性状研究

团头鲂(Megalobrama amblycephala Yih)是一种优良的淡水养殖鱼类,但在家养条件下连续传代会引起经济性状指标下降。本试验通过原种选优,以优配优的杂交组合,得出淤泥湖团头鲂与梁子湖团头鲂杂交子一代和回交子代。经饲养观察,证明杂交子一代和回交子代都有良好的生长优势,含肉率和粗蛋白含量相对增高,经济性状较亲本更好。血清蛋白电泳分析结果表明,杂交子代与亲本存在着质的差异。