Otolith reading and multi-model inference for improved estimation of age and growth in the gilthead seabream Sparus aurata (L.)

Accurate knowledge of fish age and growth is crucial for species conservation and management of exploited marine stocks. In exploited species, age estimation based on otolith reading is routinely used for building growth curves that are used to implement fishery management models. However, the universal fit of the von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF) on data from commercial landings can lead to uncertainty in growth parameter inference, preventing accurate comparison of growth-based history traits between fish populations. In the present paper, we used a comprehensive annual sample of wild gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) in the Gulf of Lions (France, NW Mediterranean) to test a methodology improving growth modelling for exploited fish populations. After validating the timing for otolith annual increment formation for all life stages, a comprehensive set of growth models (including VBGF) were fitted to the obtained age–length data, used as a whole or sub-divided between group 0 individuals and those coming from commercial landings (ages 1–6). Comparisons in growth model accuracy based on Akaike Information Criterion allowed assessment of the best model for each dataset and, when no model correctly fitted the data, a multi-model inference (MMI) based on model averaging was carried out. The results provided evidence that growth parameters inferred with VBGF must be used with high caution. Hence, VBGF turned to be among the less accurate for growth prediction irrespective of the dataset and its fit to the whole population, the juvenile or the adult datasets provided different growth parameters. The best models for growth prediction were the Tanaka model, for group 0 juveniles, and the MMI, for the older fish, confirming that growth differs substantially between juveniles and adults. All asymptotic models failed to correctly describe the growth of adult S. aurata, probably because of the poor representation of old individuals in the dataset. Multi-model inference associated with separate analysis of juveniles and adult fish is then advised to obtain objective estimations of growth parameters when sampling cannot be corrected towards older fish.     

Tidal variation in a rocky inter‐tidal fish population: the case of white seabream Diplodus sargus juveniles

The rocky inter‐tidal habitat is a harsh and fluctuating environment, subject to frequent disturbances. Field observations of juvenile white seabream Diplodus sargus in inter‐tidal rocky habitats were conducted to analyse the spatial distribution and feeding activity of this species in relation to the tidal cycle. The depth at which fish were observed did not change in most tidal phases while feeding activity changed with tidal level, showing the occurrence of tidal migrations and that feeding may be limited by habitat availability in shallow waters and thus be dependent on tidal changes. The present results show the exploitation of available feeding areas in the rocky inter‐tidal by juvenile white seabream, which corroborates the importance of these habitats for the first developmental stages of this fish species.     

Intraspecific cleaning by juvenile Cape white seabream Diplodus capensis (Sparidae) off eastern South Africa

Juveniles of the Cape white seabream Diplodus capensis were observed cleaning adult conspecifics in a large tidepool off Sodwana Bay, South Africa. Although nine other tropical fish species were present and interacted with a nearby pair of Labroides cleaner wrasses, only adults of D. capensis posed for and were cleaned by the D. capensis juveniles. Such cleaning interactions have not been reported previously for this species or among marine fishes off South Africa, and thus add to the growing list of facultative cleaners globally.     

Modelling the impacts of semi-intensive aquaculture on the foodweb functioning of a Nile Delta coastal lake

Nutrient loadings are an important component of aquaculture impacts as they can lead to cascade effects at the ecosystem level. An evaluation of these effects on foodweb functioning is presented and discussed for the case study of Lake Burullus in the Nile Delta, Egypt, where semi-intensive aquaculture in earthen ponds has grown remarkably in recent decades. Estimations of nutrient loads into the lake's brackish water, from agriculture and fish ponds, were assessed. A biogeochemical model was set up and calibrated to simulate the loads from nitrogen, phosphorus and phytoplankton, with and without fish ponds. The biogeochemical model was coupled offline to a foodweb model to test the effects of additional nutrient loads from aquaculture on the lake's foodweb functioning. The results obtained by comparing the present conditions of aquaculture development with a no-aquaculture scenario allowed us to identify a set of indicators of foodweb functioning which are sensitive to changes in nutrient loads from aquaculture. The limited changes in phytoplankton concentration with respect to changes in nutrient loads suggested that primary production in Lake Burullus is presently controlled largely by factors other than nutrient influxes from aquaculture. This study emphasises the potential benefits of using a combination of biogeochemical and foodweb models to assess the cumulative effects of nutrient loading from aquaculture on a receiving water body.     

Effects of feed restriction to enhance the profitable farming of blackhead seabream Acanthopagrus schlegelii schlegelii in sea cages

The feed intake, growth and body composition of juvenile blackhead seabream Acanthopagrus schlegelii schlegelii (Sparidae) (5.6 g fish^?1) were investigated for 16 weeks in sea cages under seven repetitive feeding cycles: every day feeding (control), 6-day feeding and 1-day fasting (F_6.1), 5-day feeding and 1-day fasting (F_5.1), 4-day feeding and 1-day fasting (F_4.1), 3-day feeding and 1-day fasting (F_3.1), 2-day feeding and 1-day fasting (F_2.1), and 1-day feeding and 1-day fasting (F_1.1). The survival of the fish during the experimental period was not different among the feeding cycles. The greatest weight gain of fish was observed in the control, but not significantly different from that of the F_6.1 and F_5.1 groups (p > 0.05). Total feed intake and daily feed intake decreased with the increase of fasting frequency, however, actual feed intake, feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio increased with the increase of the fasting frequency. Proximate composition of the whole body of fish was not affected by different feeding cycles. These results suggest that juvenile blackhead seabreams subjected to repetitive feeding cycles of 6- or 5-days feeding and 1 day fasting for 16 weeks could achieve compensatory growth, and that such mild feeding deprivation could save significant amounts of feed without causing any profit reduction that might result from a decrease in fish size or quality.     

Impact of a telemetry-transmitter implant on daily behavioral rhythms and physiological stress indicators in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

The effect of intracoelomic tagging of an acoustic telemetry transmitter (1.65% ratio of tag mass in the air to fish mass in the air) on behavioral (food intake and locomotor activity) and physiological (blood glucose and plasma cortisol) parameters of gilthead seabream was investigated. To this end, fish (289 ± 53 g, mean ± SD) were divided into 3 experimental groups: control (C), transmitter (T, inserted surgically) and sham group (S, subjected to surgery but without transmitter insertion). Blood was extracted during surgery and 9 days later. Throughout the trial, fish were fed by means of self-feeders and locomotor activity was measured by means of an infrared photocell. Two days after the first manipulation, a significant decrease in food intake could be observed in all the experimental groups. The fact that food intake was not affected after the second manipulation seems to indicate that a learning process took place for handling. The rhythmicity of feeding and locomotor activity was not affected by handling in any experimental group. However, group T showed increased plasma cortisol levels 9 days after surgery. In conclusion, while most behavioral parameters were not affected by handling, the plasma cortisol levels of seabream 9 days after insertion of the transmitter indicated a physiological impact that should be taken into account in long-term radiotracking studies, since such an operation could have negative effects on wild individuals after the end of the tracking experiments.     

Short-term residence and movement patterns of the annular seabream Diplodus annularis in a temperate marine reserve

The short-term movements of a small temperate fish, the annular seabream Diplodus annularis (Linnaeus 1758), were examined using standard tag-recapture and passive acoustic telemetry in Palma Bay (NW Mediterranean), a marine protected area (MPA). The study aimed to provide valuable information for assessing the recreational fishery and its results suggest that MPAs can be used to protect the adult stock of D. annularis. All the fish tagged with standard tags were recaptured near the release locations, with a maximum distance of ∼300 m. The maximum time between release and recapture was 185 d. Two different arrays of acoustic receivers were deployed, one in 2008 and another in 2009, within the MPA. Twenty adults were surgically tagged with acoustic transmitters. Fish monitored in 2008 (n = 12) were translocated from the point of capture to analyse the movement behaviour after artificial displacement. Upon release at displaced locations, 67% of the fish moved towards the original capture location using a time of return that ranged from 0.75 to 15.25 h. Fish monitored in 2009 (n = 8) were released at the point of capture. They showed high site fidelity with a maximum period of 27 d between the first time and the last time they were detected.     

鱼类生长激素的异源表达、应用及安全性评价

鱼类生长激素对鱼的生长发育起着重要的调节作用，能促进鱼体快速生长，提高饵料转化率，在水产养殖业中具有重大应用价值。转生长激素基因鱼具有快速生长效应，可以缩短养殖周期，降低养殖成本和风险。鱼类生长激素基因异源表达体系的建立和发展，使获得大量廉价的鱼类生长激素产品成为可能，为鱼类养殖业新型饵料添加剂的研制开辟了新的途径。本文综述了转生长激素基因鱼和鱼类生长激素基因的异源表达两方面的研究及其安全性评价。     

Applying Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory to simulate growth and bio-energetics of blue mussels under low seston conditions

A Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model for simulation of growth and bioenergetics of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) has been tested in three low seston sites in southern Norway. The observations comprise four datasets from laboratory experiments (physiological and biometrical mussel data) and three datasets from in situ growth experiments (biometrical mussel data). Additional in situ data from commercial farms in southern Norway were used for estimation of biometrical relationships in the mussels. Three DEB parameters (shape coefficient, half saturation coefficient, and somatic maintenance rate coefficient) were estimated from experimental data, and the estimated parameters were complemented with parameter values from literature to establish a basic parameter set. Model simulations based on the basic parameter set and site specific environmental forcing matched fairly well with observations, but the model was not successful in simulating growth at the extreme low seston regimes in the laboratory experiments in which the long period of negative growth caused negative reproductive mass. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the model was moderately sensitive to changes in the parameter and initial conditions. The results show the robust properties of the DEB model as it manages to simulate mussel growth in several independent datasets from a common basic parameter set. However, the results also demonstrate limitations of Chl a as a food proxy for blue mussels and limitations of the DEB model to simulate long term starvation. Future work should aim at establishing better food proxies and improving the model formulations of the processes involved in food ingestion and assimilation. The current DEB model should also be elaborated to allow shrinking in the structural tissue in order to produce more realistic growth simulations during long periods of starvation.     

福建海水鱼类人工繁殖和育苗技术的现状与展望

自90年代以来，福建海水鱼类人工繁殖和育苗技术已向着多品种和批量化方向发展，各特优种类不断增加，人工种苗为海水网箱和池塘养殖提供大量苗源，科研教学单位的多项育苗成果已转化为生产力，开始进入种苗规模化生产的可持续发展阶段。迄今为止，福建海水鱼类人工繁殖和育苗成功的种类至少有14科30种，1999年大黄鱼的育苗量已超过3亿尾，其他年产种苗千万尾以上的海水鱼类有美国红鱼、花鲈、免状黄姑针、真鲷（春季生殖群体）和花尾胡椒鲷；年产种苗数百万尾的有黑鲷、勒氏笛鲷、断斑石鲈、免鱼和斜带髭稠等种类。石首鱼科鱼类已成为人工繁殖和育苗的主要对象。本文还针对福建海水鱼类增养殖的问题，提出今后可持续发展的几点设想。     

Breeding,growth, and aestivation of the Canterbury mudfish,Neochanna burrowsius (Salmoniformes: Galaxiidae)

Neochanna burrowsius (Phillipps) breeds in late winter and spring. Eggs are widely scattered, and adhere to leaves, stems, and suspended roots of aquatic and bankside vegetation in the sluggish or still waters of the adult habitat. Fish were successfully bred in ponds and tanks; hatching time for eggs varied greatly under different conditions of light and temperature. Fry are free swimming until they adopt the nocturnal, cryptic habits of adults when 30–50 mm long. Growth in the first year is rapid, sexual maturity being reached at 1 year old; subsequent growth is slow. Aestivation occurred successfully in shaded vegetable detritus or gravel. Holes were sometimes used, but fish did not make their own burrows for aestivation. When dissolved oxygen was low, captive fish left the water if able to do so without leaving     

The influence of environmental variability of a coastal lagoon ecosystem on genetic diversity and structure of white seabream [Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus 1758)] populations

As coastal lagoons serve as nursery areas for some marine and estuarine fish, selective pressures of these brackish or hypersaline lagoons may influence the genetic structure of species and populations. We examined spatial and temporal genetic patterns at eight microsatellite loci in white seabream [Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus 1758)] recruits from the Mar Menor (Southeast Spain) and compared these loci with those in coastal populations from the open sea, observing a high degree of genetic diversity and spatio‐temporal genetic stability. However, the results suggest the presence of subpopulations or genetic substructures in the Mar Menor D. sargus population that could be interpreted as a homogeneous mixture of individuals from three differentiated subpopulations in the Mediterranean and evidence of the Wahlund effect. It also suggests that D. sargus adults return to their original spawning habitat, thus conserving the genetic differences among the respective populations over time. Overall, this study demonstrates the importance of the Mar Menor coastal lagoon as a nursery area for the conservation of genetic diversity of D. sargus populations.     

Comparison of the population structure and life-history parameters of Diplodus capensis (Sparidae) in exploited and unexploited areas of southern Angola

Blacktail seabream Diplodus capensis were sampled from proximate (10 km apart) exploited and unexploited areas in southern Angola to compare their population structures and life-history parameters. Females dominated the larger size and older age classes in the unexploited area. In the exploited area the length and age frequency distributions were more equitable, but there was a lack of large and old individuals in this area due to the selective nature of fishing gear. Growth zone deposition rate was validated as being annual using mark-recapture of chemically injected (oxytetracycline) fish. In the unexploited area, females attained larger sizes and greater ages than males; however, growth and longevity were more equitable between the sexes in the exploited area. Length- and age-at-50% maturity were similar between the sexes in both areas. The sex ratio was heavily female-skewed (1:4.7) in the unexploited area but less so in the exploited area (1:2.2). Although the growth curves were significantly different for fish between areas, this was likely due to a reduction in longevity rather than a physiological change in growth. The length- and age-at-50% maturity was also similar between areas, indicating that this species either does not have the ability to respond to exploitation through physiological change in these life-history characteristics, or that the current level of exploitation is not high enough to elicit such a response. However, the female dominance in the smallest size class in the exploited area (compared to the unexploited area) indicated that a threshold may have been reached, and that this species responds to exploitation by increasing the relative number of fish that mature as females.     

Technical, economics and environmental analysis of semi-intensive shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) farming in Sonora, Sinaloa and Nayarit states, at the east coast of the Gulf of California, México

In Mexico shrimp pond aquaculture is the main activity and contributes with 45.9% of the total fisheries volume and 74.3% of gross profit generated by the national products, being Sonora, Sinaloa and Nayarit in the east coast of the Gulf of California the states generating around 70% of region gross profit. The main species cultivated is the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, and for this reason academic and government sector devoted much attention in this species, however, still researching on economic feasibility is scarce and needed. In this paper, the technical, economics, production and environment parameters of 80 semi-intensive commercial in these states are analyzed and discussed. The results showed the main external constraints affecting short and long run farm performance. The overall observations pointed out that there is an increase on yield and income when shrimp farms invest in higher quality inputs such as equipment and technology for more efficiency in using water, use of certified post-larvae and better design of farm facility. Nevertheless, further research is needed to adjust shrimp production strategies to specific farm requirement by investing in premium quality inputs. Furthermore, the most serious threat from shrimp aquaculture is the potential effect on water quality and the infrastructure associated, that having more serious effects on the environment, particularly in the coastal wetlands. The economic and the environment care must be driven to lead a more sustainable scenario.     

美国红鱼试养的初步研究

笔者自行培育的美国红鱼苗体长25～30mm．1996年6月上、中旬到当年12月中旬．其个体的平均重量分别达到了750g和800g，生长速度优于我国其他养殖鱼种。     

Feeding habits of Solea senegalensis in earthen ponds in Sado estuary

The senegale sole, Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858, is a commercially valuable fish and it is beginning to be cultured in a semi-intensive way in fish farms in southern European countries. The present study was initiated to investigate the diet of S. senegalensis under semi-extensive conditions. The feeding habits of sole were studied in two earthen ponds of a fish farm in the Sado estuary. In one earthen pond, artificial fish ration was given. S. senegalensis feeds on few prey items, its diet is mainly composed of insect larvae (Chironomus salinarus) and polychaeta (Hediste diversicolor). The diet composition of this species suggests feeding specialization, by consuming mainly annelids and insect larvae and by avoiding other items, extremely abundant in the environment, such as gastropods. In the water reservoir where ration was given, some fish consumed simultaneously benthic organism together with ration. However, benthic organisms seem to be the most important component of S. senegalensis diet.     

Quantitative analysis of fish schooling behavior with different numbers of medaka (Oryzias latipes) and goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Fish form schools of various sizes, according to species or environmental conditions, to attain several advantages, such as protection from predators or to improve efficiency in searching for prey. Thus, quantifying the mechanisms of how group size affects schooling behavior may contribute to better understanding fish biology and the evolution of the collective behavior of fishes. In the present study, we explored how school size affected the behavior of medaka (Oryzias latipes) and goldfish (Carassius auratus). Size groups of 10 to 40 individuals were placed in a circular aquarium (100 cm diameter, 30 cm height, 5 cm water depth) and videoed for 4 hours. Eight to 10 video clips of 3 seconds in length for each group size were evaluated for 6 physical parameters of fish schooling behavior. Regardless of species, the mean distance among individuals increased with increasing school size. However, due to variations in certain physical parameters, the schooling pattern of goldfish was more elongated than medaka, possibly related to body size, or indicating species-specific differences in schooling characteristics. Our experimental datasets could be incorporated into theoretical mathematical models of fish schooling behavior, by contributing new information about school size and species differences.     

基于矢耳石重量与年龄关系对北部湾二长棘犁齿鲷年龄鉴定的研究

利用2006年7月至2008年10月北部湾商业捕捞底拖网和流刺网渔获物中采集的1 276尾北部湾二长棘犁齿鲷（Evynnis cardinalis）中1 045尾耳石完整样本,对二长棘犁齿鲷矢耳石重量与年龄关系进行了初步研究.结果显示,北部湾二长棘犁齿鲷左右矢耳石间的重量无显著差异,选用左矢耳石为研究对象;用直线、幂函数和多项式等拟合二长棘犁齿鲷各类参数间的关系,样本体长（L）与矢耳石重量（OW）呈幂函数相关：OW=2.000 0×10-6L2.143 0（R2=0.952 9,n=1 045）;北部湾二长棘犁齿鲷耳石重量与年龄（T）呈二项式关系：OW=0.002 7T2＋0.008 1T＋0.023 5（R2=0.992 5,n=1 045）,矢耳石重量与年龄呈显著的线性相关性.以此估算年龄,与从矢耳石上直接读取的年龄并无显著差异,并且,通过矢耳石重量估算年龄比体长频率法较为准确.因此,在经过适当校正后,矢耳石重量可以作为二长棘犁齿鲷年龄鉴定的有效辅助手段.     

牙鲆饲喂湿颗粒饲料的应用研究

采用0,10% ,20% ,40%和60 %比例的全价粉末饲料与冰鲜杂鱼混合 ,配制成湿颗粒饲料 ,投喂牙鲆(Paralichthysolivaceus,T.&S.) ,进行工厂化养殖试验。结果证明随着添加全价粉末饲料量的增加 ,饲料系数逐渐降低 ,鱼体增重率逐渐增加 ,在鱼体防病、成活率、体色方面 ,投喂添加粉末饲料的湿颗粒饲料都明显优于单一的冰鲜杂鱼 ,其中 ,4号饲料在养殖成本方面 ,每公斤鱼的饲料投入比鲜杂鱼节省1.26元