Manganese accumulation by the antennule of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus (L.) as a biomarker of hypoxic events

In laboratory tests, manganese accumulation by the appendages of the sediment burrowing Norway lobster. Nephrops norvegicus (L.) (including the lateral antennules) was approximately three times greater [600 microg Mn g(-1) (dry weight) after 5 days in 20 mg Mn l(-1)] than that by the carapace. The accumulation was linearly dose-dependent (10-40 mg Mn l(-1)) and duration-dependent (2-30 days). and showed no decrease after 3 weeks in undosed seawater. A high manganese uptakc to the lateral antennules during hypoxia in the field was verified from the SE Kattegat, Sweden. These results indicate that accumulation of Mn on the mobile appendages of the Norway lobster fulfils most of the criteria for a biomarker of exposure to hypoxia. Using these measurements in conjunction with Mn concentrations in the internal tissues, it may be possible to resolve both the timing and the extent of the Mn exposure and the underlying hypoxic event.     

The effects of spatial targeting of fishing effort on the distribution of the Norway lobster,Nephrops norvegicus,on the Farn Deeps grounds,northeast England

Nephrops norvegicus is an essentially sedentary species of lobster that forms the basis of valuable fisheries in the northwest Atlantic and western Mediterranean. Fishers exploiting a sedentary stock are likely to visit the most profitable (highest catch rate) areas first. Such spatial targeting of fishing effort is likely to have important consequences for stock monitoring and assessment. We used underwater television surveys of Nephrops burrow densities on the Farn Deeps grounds, northeast England, to describe changes in abundance and distribution between the beginning and end of a winter fishing season. Above a threshold of c. 0.6 burrows m^–2, overwinter depletion increased with burrow density, consistent with fishing effort being targeted at the highest densities. A simple simulation model showed that this pattern of mortality is an expected consequence of spatially targeted fishing behaviour. The model also predicted that there is decreased spatial variability in density after fishing. An overall decrease in variability was not evident from the survey data, but geostatistical analysis indicated that there was “flattening” of the density profile along a north‐south axis, consistent with the dominant direction of commercial trawling. We concluded that Nephrops fishers are able to find and exploit the highest densities of their target species. A potential consequence is that catch per unit effort (CPUE) data used to monitor trends in this stock potentially could mask declines in stock abundance. CPUE might be more effective if analysed at finer spatial scales, but this is not currently possible. In the absence of these fine scale commercial data, fishery‐independent surveys (e.g., underwater television) are an important source of information on trends in stock abundance.     

Day–night and depth differences in haemolymph melatonin of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.)

Few studies have been conducted to quantify and understand the role of melatonin in invertebrates, and particularly in crustaceans and in deep-sea animals. In this study, we examined day–night differences in haemolymph melatonin of the burrowing decapod crustacean Nephrops norvegicus (L.) during exposure to cycles of monochromatic blue light (480 nm) and darkness cycles of 10 and 0.1 lx. These differential intensity conditions simulate illumination at the depth of the shelf (80–100 m) and of the slope (300–400 m), where these lobster populations are chiefly found in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Our objectives were: (a) to verify the presence of melatonin in the haemolymph of this species using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and fluorescence HPLC (HPLC); and (b) to study the relationship between diel variations in melatonin concentration and locomotor rhythms, in order to examine whether the former influences behaviour. Melatonin was identified in LC–MS/MS by Q1 and Q3 mass peaks at an elution time of 3.7 min, and it was also detected by HPLC. Melatonin concentration was found to be two orders of magnitude higher at 10 lx (4.8±5.3 ng ml⁻¹) than at 0.1 lx (0.06±0.03 ng ml⁻¹). Also, the increase at daytime in 10 lx was absent in 0.1 lx. When the locomotor rhythm of animals exposed to both photoperiod regimes was compared, the diel periodicity was found to be preserved, but the timing of activity shifted from night to day. Extrapolating these data to the field, we interpret our results to mean that locomotor activity preserves its diel character, but not its phase and amplitude, in a bathymetric range where haemolymph melatonin reduces its concentration and rhythmic fluctuation.