Protecting the hand that feeds us: Seagrass (Zostera marina) serves as commercial juvenile fish habitat

Although fisheries are of major economic and food security importance we still know little about specific juvenile habitats that support such production. This is a major issue given the degradation to and lack of protection afforded to potential juvenile habitats such as seagrass meadows. In the present study we investigate the role of seagrass in supporting juvenile fish of commercial value. By assessing seagrass relative to adjacent sand we determined the presence of abundant juvenile fish. Nine commercial species were recorded and the most abundant of these were Plaice, Pollock and Herring. We provide the first quantitative evidence of the presence of juvenile fish of commercial value in seagrass surrounding Great Britain. Although the species that we found in seagrass as juveniles are not obligate seagrass users the resources that seagrass meadows offer to these fish provide significant long-term fitness benefits, potentially enhancing the whole population.     

双锯鱼(Amphiprion)胚胎不同发育阶段和成鱼不同组织中内参基因的筛选及应用

双锯鱼(Amphiprion)亦称为海葵鱼,又称为小丑鱼,是一类经济价值较高的海水观赏鱼。目前国内在双锯鱼的胚胎发育、人工饲养以及形态学观察等方面已经取得了有效成果,但在分子生物学水平上对其基因表达的研究较少。为了筛选出适用于双锯鱼胚胎不同发育阶段以及成鱼组织的内参基因,分析酪氨酸酶(TYR)基因的表达情况,以眼斑双锯鱼(A.ocellaris)和白条双锯鱼(A.frenatus)为材料,利用实时定量聚合酶链式反应(qPCR)对18SrRNA、GAPDH(甘油醛-3-磷酸脱氢酶基因)、Ef-1α(转录延伸因子基因)和β-actin(β-肌动蛋白基因)这4个候选内参基因的表达水平进行检测,同时通过geNorm和Norm Finder软件对其稳定性进行评估,最后以合适的内参基因作为参考,研究TYR mRNA的表达水平。结果表明,在双锯鱼胚胎的不同发育阶段,18S和β-actin的表达量相对于其他基因较为稳定;在双锯鱼的不同组织中,稳定性依次为18S>β-actin>Ef-1α>GAPDH。以18S作为内参基因时分析发现TYR基因的表达在双锯鱼胚胎发育过程中呈先上升后下降的趋势,在体节期表达量最高;在双锯鱼各组织中均有表达,且在眼、尾和红皮中表达量最高。     

鱼类学习记忆能力及其在鱼类驯化养殖中应用的研究进展

随着鱼类养殖业的发展,人们对鱼的研究已经不单只涉及形态特征、繁殖习性的层面,还涉及它们的学习记忆能力。虽然鱼类的大脑结构和组织在某些方面与其他脊椎动物差异较大,但是它们也能表现出某些高等脊椎动物的大脑功能。作者基于国内外有关鱼类学习记忆能力的研究,分析了鱼类学习记忆能力的类型,概括了鱼类接收信息的感官知觉和影响鱼类学习记忆能力的因素,针对鱼类学习记忆能力在人工驯化技术上的应用提出建议,并对未来鱼类学习记忆能力在人工驯养技术研究方面的应用提出了展望。     

Can Marine Protected Areas be developed effectively without baseline data? A case study for Burrunan dolphins (Tursiops australis)

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are increasingly used to protect marine mammals from anthropogenic threats despite limited studies that assess their efficacy. The small population of Burrunan dolphins (Tursiops australis) that inhabit Port Phillip Bay (PPB), Australia, are genetically isolated, listed as threatened and are exposed to dolphin-swim tourism. This study aimed to identify areas within PPB where dolphins are most likely to rest, forage and socialise, and whether these behaviours occur frequently within Ticonderoga Bay Sanctuary Zone (TBSZ), the only protected area designated for dolphins within PPB. Here, a comprehensive activity budget for Burrunan dolphins was established and critical habitat identified. Behavioural data were collected from 51 independent dolphin groups during 67 boat-based surveys conducted in southern PPB between December 2009 and May 2013. Travel (63.9%) and rest (1.8%) were the most and least frequently observed behaviours, respectively. Forage (16.4%), mill (10.8%) and social (7.2%) accounted for the remainder of the activity budget. Results indicate that the broader PPB region is important for foraging, socialising and nursing dolphins, while TBSZ has proven importance for foraging dolphins. Thus, the implementation of TBSZ was a correct management decision and MPAs developed without baseline data can be effective for marine mammal conservation. Three candidate MPAs were objectively identified in areas that are hotspots for foraging and socialising Burrunan dolphins in southern PPB. The findings of this study will be used to inform current conservation management strategies. If implemented, the aim of the proposed MPAs will be to reduce impacts from anthropogenic disturbance, namely dolphin-swim tour vessels.     

Temporal variability in predator presence around a fin fish farm in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea

Recently, aquaculture has generated worldwide interest as a result of the overexploitation of wild stocks combined with a growing international demand for fish and seafood products. Wild fish attracted to the marine fish farms, together with the presence of the farmed fish, are powerful attractants to predators that normally feed on similar or identical fish stocks in nature. This 9‐year study describes for the first time in Mediterranean waters the temporal variability of mammalian and avian predators in a coastal fin fish farm. In all, 99 months (1062 days during 36 consecutive seasons) were spent in the field. By examining the results of this study, it is clear that species as seagulls, shags, bottlenose dolphins and grey herons (considered to cause economic loss in aquaculture owing to direct predation) interact regularly with the fish farm. Although bottlenose dolphins and grey herons were not the most important of all predator species, predatory interactions with the fish farm occurred with what seems to be increasing regularity. Another result observed is the possible bottlenose dolphins’ attraction caused by the harvesting operations in the fish farm. The fish farm offers an alternative food source for predators; hunting at fish farms usually requires less effort on the part of the predator, and becomes a more attractive option than hunting wild fish over wide ranges. During the period of this study, individually identified dolphins feeding were regularly observed feeding on discarded fish from fish farm workers during harvesting operations, supporting the possibility that some individuals are habituated to this food supply. Based on the evidence presented in this paper, it is recommended that strategies for the management of both the aquaculture industry and marine mammal populations should take the results of this study into consideration.     

Ecological assessments of the coral reef communities in the Eastern Caribbean and the effects of herbivory in influencing coral juvenile density and algal cover

Caribbean reefs have been unevenly surveyed, with many areas lacking baseline data. In this study, the current status of Orbicella reefs, a structurally complex forereef habitat, was quantified in an understudied region, the Eastern Caribbean. During 2011 the same observers surveyed benthic assemblages, coral juvenile density, herbivorous fishes, and invertebrates at 30 Orbicella reefs in four Eastern Caribbean areas: Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines (hereafter St Vincent). Not all Orbicella forereefs were functionally the same in the Eastern Caribbean. Benthic communities and herbivorous fishes varied greatly among islands. Hard coral had the highest overall percent cover on most reefs in this study, with an average cover of 22%, and was greater than fleshy macroalgal cover at 83% of the sites. Overall, coral juvenile density was low but was positively associated with higher densities of Diadema antillarum, highlighting the importance of herbivory on the reefs. Nearshore coral reefs in Barbados were in a better state than other areas, exhibiting higher coral cover dominated by spawning corals, higher densities of coral juveniles exhibiting higher coral cover dominated by spawning corals, higher densities of coral juveniles and D. antillarum. Low biomass of herbivorous fishes at a majority of the coral reef sites is of major concern for the functioning of these reefs. Conservation of parrotfishes and other herbivores is necessary given the abundance of algae on most of these reefs and the beneficial effect of their presence on coral juveniles. This is the first comprehensive study that compares the state of Orbicella reefs in the Eastern Caribbean, providing valuable information that will be useful in creating realistic targets for future management and conservation.     

Vertical concentration gradients of heavy metals in cultured mussels

Cultured mussels, Perna canaliculus (Gmelin), from two widely separated locations in New Zealand have been analysed for variation in heavy metal content with depth. The mussels, which are grown on vertically suspended ropes to a depth of 9 m, have been analysed for cadmium, lead, iron, and zinc at 1‐m intervals. At the first location (Kenepuru Sound), cadmium, lead, and iron increased with depth, while zinc decreased with depth. At the second location (Waiheke Island), concentrations of the four metals all remained essentially constant with depth. The differences in vertical concentration gradients between these two locations must result from differences in mixing of the water column. The differences in mixing may cause variations in the type of food organisms with depth, or variations in the ratio of particulate v. dissolved metal levels with depth. Either or both of these conditions could result in differences in the bioavailability of these metals with depth.     

North Cape — a ‘nursery area’ for the packhorse rock lobster,Jasus verreauxi (Deeapoda: Palinuridae)

In the North Cape area (34°26'S, 173°07'E) there appears to be a concentration of late juvenile packhorse rock lobsters, Jasus verreauxi (H. Milne Edwards'), which subsequently contributes significantly to the nearby fishery for adult J. verreauxi off Cape Reinga. Evidence for this is based on the overall smaller size and fewer mature rock lobsters at North Cape compared to areas nearby, and on the results of tagging experiments carried out during 1976–77. Rock lobsters tagged at North Cape moved 21–514 km, mainly west and south, before recapture at minimum rates of 0.03–2.00 krn.d^‐1. For females at least, the movement away from North Cape usually occurs at about the time that sexual maturity is attained. Rock lobsters tagged near Cape Reinga moved 3–34 km west at minimum rates of 0.04–0.35 km.d^‐1.

Although the closure of the North Cape grounds to rock lobster fishing restricts the taking of the small number of legal‐sized fish available in the area, the restriction ensures less mortality and damage to the undersized fish due to handling.     

Possible functions of surface structure and size in some planktonic eggs of marine fishes

Chorionic surface sculpturing on the eggs of 7 marine fish species was examined under a scanning electron microscope. The effect of sculpturing on descent rates of 3 of these eggs was experimentally compared with 10 non‐sculptured egg types of different sizes. It is suggested that although in some species sculpturing represents vestigial tendrils, in others sculpturing and increased egg size may relate to ascent rates between the spawning site and the sea surface.     

Habitat suitability curves for benthic macroinvertebrates from a small New Zealand river

We developed habitat suitability curves (HSC) using generalised additive models (GAMs) for nine benthic macroinvertebrate taxa from a small New Zealand river for hydraulic-habitat modelling assessments of instream flow requirements. We included interaction terms between the primary variables (water depth, velocity, substrate) when significant, to address a longstanding criticism of univariate HSC. To date, only large-river univariate HSC have been available and these have been used in hydraulic-habitat applications on small rivers, despite doubt over the transferability of HSC between rivers of different size and type. We tested the outcome on the predicted abundance–flow relationship of applying the small-river habitat suitability GAMs versus large-river GAMs for two taxa on the same small river. We found the effects of flow allocation were overestimated by the large-river GAMs relative to the small-river GAMs. Further research to develop general HSC for categories of river size and type is needed to better inform hydraulic-habitat modelling applications.