Prey selection of common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and Bryde's (Balaenoptera edeni) whales in the western North Pacific in 2000 and 2001

A study of common minke and Bryde's whales was conducted in the western North Pacific in the 2000 and 2001 summer seasons to estimate prey selection of cetaceans as this is an important parameter in ecosystem models. Whale sighting and sampling surveys and prey surveys using quantitative echosounder and mid‐water trawl were carried out concurrently in the study. Biomasses of Japanese anchovy, walleye pollock and krill, which were major prey species of common minke and Bryde's whales, were estimated using an echosounder. The results suggested that common minke whale showed prey selection for Japanese anchovy while they seemed to avoid krill in both the offshore and coastal regions and walleye pollock in the continental shelf region. Selection for shoaling pelagic fish was similar to that in the eastern North Atlantic. Bryde's whale showed selection for Japanese anchovy in August 2000 and July 2001, while it showed prey selection for krill in May and June in 2001.     

Hatchery production of Florida red tilapia seed in brackishwater tanks: the influence of broodstock age

Abstract. Production of Florida red tilapia seed (eggs, sacfry and fry) in 34-m² above-ground tanks using recirculated brackishwater (12 ppt) was studied over a 5-month period on Lee Stocking Island (Exuma Cays, Bahamas). Four tanks were stocked with year class 1 (YCI) breeders, while 2 tanks were stocked with year class 2 (YCII) breeders at densities of 200 and 240/tank (5·9 and 7·1/m²), respectively, and at a sex ratio of 3 females to 1 male, beginning in November 1988. Seed production was measured by removing free-swimming fry from tanks and eggs and sacfry from the mouths of brooding females, and assessing the number of each at 15 to 16-day intervals from February to June 1989. Average seed production (seed/m²/day) was significantly higher in YCI (52·3) than in YCII (36·0) broodstock, indicating the advantages of replacing broodstock with yearling breeders each year.     

Feeding habits of albacore Thunnus alalunga in the transition region of the central North Pacific

ABSTRACT:   The feeding habits of albacore Thunnus alalunga (fork length: 48.9–76.2 cm, n  = 132) were examined from late spring to early autumn in relation to its northward migration in the transition region between the subtropical and subarctic fronts in the central North Pacific. Samples were collected at night using surface gill nets or during daytime pole-and-line surveys in 2001 and 2002. During May and June, albacore fed mainly on Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus , which accounted for 27.2%, 67.0%, and 45.5% of the total stomach contents by number ( Cn ), wet weight ( WW ), and frequency of occurrence ( F ), respectively, and secondarily on the subarctic gonatid squid Gonatopsis borealis ( Cn , 15.8%; WW , 10.8%; F , 28.8%). From July to September, albacore continued to depend on Japanese anchovy ( Cn , 48.2–52.8%; WW , 79.9–95.2%; F , 27.8–85.4%). These results corresponded well with the remarkable rebound of the Japanese anchovy stock since the 1990s. Gonatopsis borealis , the main squid prey from May to June, almost disappeared from the stomachs of albacore from July to September, probably due to the northward migration of this squid to subarctic waters in summer. The feeding impact of albacore on the Japanese anchovy stock in the transition region was conservatively estimated to be from 1400 to 2100 tons per day from late spring to early autumn.     

Ontogeny of testicular inhibin and activin in ducks: An immunocytochemical analysis

The ontogeny of testicular inhibin/activin in ducks was investigated. Testicular localization of three inhibin/activin subunits (α, β_A and β_B) was determined in embryonic and newly hatched ducks from 12 days of incubation to 1 day of age, in immature ducks and in adult ducks. In the duck embryonic testis, positive α‐subunit immunostaining was first detected in the Leydig cells and Sertoli cells on day 15 of incubation, whereas β_A‐subunit and β_B‐subunit immunostaining were found in Sertoli cells and primary germ cells on day 18 of incubation. In 1 month old ducks, intense staining of α‐subunit was present in the seminiferous epithelium consistent with localization in Sertoli cells and primary germ cells, and the immunostaining of the β_A‐ and β_B‐subunit was also present in Sertoli cells and primary germ cells. Specific immunostaining with inhibin/activin α‐, β_A‐ and β_B‐subunits antisera occurred in Sertoli cells in the adult duck testes. In conclusion, it was shown that, in the duck testis, the majority of α‐, β_A‐ and β_B‐subunits are colocalized in Sertoli cells with a certain degree of staining in germ cells and the α‐subunit is present in Leydig cells of embryonic testes before day 18 of incubation. These results indicate that Sertoli cells and possibly germ cells in the embryonic testes of late stage of incubation and newly hatched ducks, immature ducks and mature ducks may produce bioactive inhibin dimers, inhibin A and inhibin B, as a possible regulator of follicle‐stimulating hormone secretion. Free inhibin/activin subunits and their dimers may also play an autocrine/paracrine role in the development of the testis and spermatogenesis. Furthermore, early onset of the α‐subunit in duck testes indicates that it may have an autocrine/paracrine effect on steroid hormones, which is important for sex differentiation.     

Effects of loosing Aigamo ducks on the growth of rice plants, weeds, and the number of arthropods in paddy fields

Aigamo duck farming has been noticed as one of the techniques of environmental conservation agriculture. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of loosing Aigamo ducks on the growth and production of rice plants, the quantity of weeds and arthropods, and the balance of nitrogen (N) in paddy fields by changing the density of the Aigamo ducks. A paddy field was divided into three test plots: a 10-Aigamo-duck plot, a five-Aigamo-duck plot, and a weeding plot. The results show that the height, number of culms, and yield crops of the rice plants increased more in the 10-Aigamo-duck plot and the five-Aigamo-duck plot than that of the weeding plot. Millet ( Echinochloa oryzicola ) remained in both the Aigamo duck plots. The weeding plot was covered with monochoria ( Monochoria vaginalis ). In both the Aigamo duck plots, the outbreak of total arthropods was lower than that of the weeding plot, but the number of rice plants damaged by grass leaf rollers ( Cnaphalocrocis medinalis ) was increased. The number of spiders, regarded as useful insects, did not differ that much between the experimental plots. The N content of the soil did not differ as an effect of loosing the Aigamo ducks. The rice plants in the 10-Aigamo-duck plot absorbed more N than the rice plants in the other plots.     

Presence of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) in tissues of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., collected during three separate outbreaks of the disease

Abstract. Infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) is a viral disease of farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in Norway. The enveloped virus particles (100nm) believed to be the causative agent of the disease have been observed budding from endothelial cells in heart blood vessels. However, it is not known if the virus propagates in endothelial cells in all tissues/organs, if other target cells exist or if material collected from different salmon farms with natural outbreaks of ISA contain the same virus particles. Salmon smolts from three hatcheries with no history of disease were taken into the laboratory and experimentally challenged with ISA collected from Atlantic salmon during natural outbreaks of the disease in three different fish farms outside Bergen. Norway. Tissues for TEM studies were Collected from: (1) organs that showed clinical signs of ISA (i.e. used in the diagnosis of the disease); (2) tissues believed to be important in transmission of the virus (integument, kidney, urinary bladder, gut and somatic muscle); and (3) hormone-producing tissues (pituitary gland, saccus vasculosus, thymus, thyroid, ultimobranehial gland, gonad, head kidney, heart and ventral aorta). The same virus as that believed to be the causative agent of ISA was found in all tissues examined from the challenged fish, i.e. a multiorgan infection with the same virus present in salmon from all three fish farms. The virus particles are about 100 nm in diameter, consisting of a slightly pleomorphic unit membrane envelope within which are a number of granules about 10–12nm in diameter. The granules seemed to be arranged in two concentric circles (spheres). The virus was seen budding from the surface of endothelial cells in blood vessels/sinus only. However, the virus was found intracellularly in both endothelial cells and in leucocytes.     

Strategies for further development of aquatic feeds

ABSTRACT: To date, aquatic feeds have depended heavily on fishmeal and fish oil as their source of protein and lipid. However, the feed industry is encountering shortfalls in the availability of these ingredients because of a decline in the number of fish captured in the wild and the increased human demand for some of the species currently being used for fishmeal and oil production. Therefore, efforts are now being directed in different parts of the world to finding alternative quality ingredients, which ideally are less expensive and readily available for use in practical diets. The data accrued have shown that a large proportion of both fishmeal and fish oil can be replaced by other protein and lipid sources. However, it is emphasized that an optimal essential amino acid balance be maintained and that the n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid requirement be satisfied when combining economical protein and lipid ingredients. Newly developed feeds should aim at being nutrient-dense in order to reduce the output of solid, P and N waste. This can be done through improving nutrient availability, optimizing the digestible protein to energy balance of the diet, and replacing dietary fishmeal with alternate ingredients. These diets should also be effective for maintaining good health and improving disease resistance in fish through enhancement of immune responses. A wholesome approach to culturing fish would be to use appropriate feeding standards that are aimed not only at improving economic returns but also at developing a lasting cohabitation of sustainable aquaculture and a cleaner environment. Furthermore, in the 2lst century aquaculture would still retain its place as a prominent source of food protein, signifying that fish feed research remains a forceful area in discovering better feeds for the industry.