Water velocity in artificial habitats of the Japanese crayfish Cambaroidesjaponicus

ABSTRACT:   The appropriate water velocity in artificial burrows for theJapanese crayfish species Cambaroides japonicus was studied.An experimental system of two artificial burrows (burrows A and B)of the same size was set in a large tank. The velocity of burrowA was 0 cm/s and that of burrow B was varied andset at 0 cm/s, 5 cm/s, 10 cm/s,20 cm/s and 30 cm/s. The selectionof these two burrows by C. japonicus was observed. No animalsselected burrow B significantly more than burrow A above 10 cm/s.At 20 cm/s, some crayfishes were swept away andcould not return to burrows because of the high water velocity.At 30 cm/s, most animals were swept away. We concludethat the appropriate water velocity for the suitability of artificialburrows and the immediate foraging area adjacent to the burrowsshould be as low as 5 cm/s.     

Evidence of a local spawning site of marine eels along northeastern Japan, based on the distribution of small leptocephali

Evidence of recent spawning by several species of marine eels of the families Congridae, Ophichthidae, and Nettastomatidae was found over the continental shelf along the coast of northeastern Japan in October 2003. Sixty‐three leptocephali of at least three taxa that ranged from 3.8 to 12.3 mm total length were collected in a relatively small area, just to the south of Cape Shioya, primarily over the 100‐and 200‐m‐depth contours. The leptocephali of Gnathophis nystromi nystromi were the most abundant, followed by those of G. nystromi ginanago. This spawning area is located in an area that appeared to include water originating from the Tsugaru Warm Current and is further south than the typical latitude of the cold water of the Oyashio First Intrusion. These findings suggest that some species of marine eels may not migrate past the slope to spawn, and that the oceanographic features of the region may provide favorable conditions for the growth and retention of leptocephali in the area to the south of Cape Shioya.     

Acoustic observations of fish schools and scattering layers in a Kuroshio warm-core ring and its environs

Biological sound scattering characteristics in a frontal region between warm and cold waters were examined at the southern edge of a Kuroshio warm-core ring off Sanriku, the northeast coast of Japan. The scattering strength was low in the surrounding cold water and high in the warm-core ring. The depth and thickness of sound-scattering layers changed in accordance with the vertical structure of the water mass during the day or at night. Intense, thick scattering layers were observed on the warm-water side of the front and farther inside the warm-core ring. Fish schools were distributed in the mixed layer warmer than 17°C at depths of 10-30m above the scattering layers on the warm-water side of the front.     

Lipid peroxidation-derived hepatotoxic aldehydes, 4-hydroxy-2E-hexenal in smoked fish meat products

ABSTRACT:   Contents of 4-hydroxy-2 E -hexenal (HHE), hepatotoxic aldehydes, in smoked fish meat products (smoked salmon and fish meat sausage) were analyzed. Large differences in these contents between the different samples were observed. Very low levels of HHE were detected in fish meat sausage samples. However, a high level of HHE was observed in one batch of smoked salmon. Changes of HHE contents in yellowtail meat containing cherry and sugi wood vinegar stored at 0°C were also analyzed for 7 days. Malonaldehyde (MA) was also analyzed in these samples as an index of the lipid peroxidation level. After 3 or 7 days of storage, HHE contents in both wood vinegar-added samples were significantly higher, but MA contents were significantly lower than those of the control.     

A static analysis of the tension and configuration of submerged plane nets

A non-linear finite element method is employed to determine the equilibrium configuration and tension distribution of a net set in a uniform current. The method models each mesh bar in the net as an infinitely flexible rope element connected at each end to other elements by a frictionless hinge. The Newton-Raphson method is used to solve the basic non-linear simultaneous equations with respect to tension in mesh bar and knot displacements. Global convergence to the correct solution from an initially estimated state is ensured using a loading iteration in addition to the common configuration iterative procedure in order to accurately model the shape-dependent characteristic of hydrodynamic forces. The method is shown to predict the shape and tension distribution of fishing nets with reasonable accuracy in the case examined in the present study.     

Lethal limits of high temperature for two crayfishes, the native species Cambaroides japonicus and the alien species Pacifastacus leniusculus in Japan

ABSTRACT: Lethal limits of high temperature were studied to clarify the effects on the survival of the endangered Japanese crayfish species Cambaroides japonicus and the alien species Pacifastacus leniusculus . After the acclimation period for 2 weeks at 16°C, the temperature was raised at a rate of 1°C per week. As a result, the ultimate upper lethal temperatures of C.   japonicus and P.   leniusculus were 27.0 and 31.1°C, respectively, and the lethal temperature for P.   leniusculus was significantly higher than for C.   japonicus . The natural distributions of these two species are discussed in terms of the temperature tolerance.