Reproductive biology and egg mortality of bay anchovy, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anchoa mitchilli</Emphasis>, in the Hudson River estuary

Synopsis Bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli, is an ecologically important species in coastal systems, acting as predators on zooplankton while serving as prey for many birds and economically important finfish species. Despite the importance of bay anchovy, limited information exists concerning reproductive biology and egg mortality from the northern parts of its range. Spawner demographics suggested Hudson River fish were older and larger than reported elsewhere. Egg mortality rates were higher in the Hudson River than reported in more southerly systems. Differences in the reproductive biology of bay anchovy suggest either anthropogenic factors or latitudinal differences between populations exist and therefore should warrant further investigations on this species in the northern portions of its range     

Diel activity of adult pikeperch <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sander lucioperca</Emphasis> (L.) in a drainage canal in the Mediterranean basin during spring

Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca L.) is a broadly distributed fish species in Europe but little is known about its ecology in the southern part of its distribution area in warm climatic conditions. The aim of this study was to analyse pikeperch rate of movement and to assess whether it displayed a diel pattern related to temperature. Thus acoustic telemetry was used to track adult pikeperch in a drainage canal located in south of France. The survey was carried out in spring, during the spawning period. The results showed that females were more active than males. This is in accordance with previous data on the nest guardian behaviour of the males. For both genders, the activity rates increased during the study period as water temperature rose. Males and females displayed the same diel activity with a maximum at dusk, thereby confirming many indirect observations. Nevertheless, inter-individuals variations were observed. Thus, these results on diel activity are rather a general trend than a strict rule and suggest the involvement of other factors than light intensity in the control of diel activity. This diel rhythm is positively correlated to water temperature for females. Pikeperch activity may be the result of a trade-off between physiological requirements of temperature and light, satisfaction of energy needs and avoidance of predators.     

Variation in scale shape among alternative sympatric phenotypes of Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus from two lakes in Scotland

Landmark‐based geometric morphometric analysis was used to detect differences in scale shape between ecologically distinct phenotypes of Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus coexisting in the same lake. Relative warp analysis and standard multivariate analyses of the partial warps, obtained after a Procrustes superimposition, showed that scale landmarks were efficient in discriminating among two closely related alternative phenotypes within each of the two lakes. In Loch Tay, S. alpinus exhibited a bimodal body size‐frequency distribution among sexually mature fish, whereas in Loch Awe, S. alpinus are unimodal in body size but segregated into two distinct spawning phenotypes. In both lakes, alternative phenotypes showed significant differences in foraging ecology, habitat use and life history. It is probable that differences in scale shape reflect differences in ecology of these forms.     

The application of acoustic Doppler current profilers to measure the timing and patterns of coral larval dispersal

An experiment was conducted along the reefs off west Maui, Hawaii, during the summer of 2003 to monitor the spawning of the reef-building coral Montipora capitata and to determine the role of ocean currents in dispersing the larvae from the natal reef. Instruments documented the environmental forcing during the coral spawning season; drifters were deployed on three successive nights following direct observations of coral spawning. Both the timing and relative magnitude of the coral spawning were identifiable in acoustic backscatter data and correlated to plankton tow data. Each drifter track showed that the surface water containing coral eggs and planula larvae were transported rapidly offshore and not locally retained. Wind and current patterns during the previous year and during subsequent coral spawning events later in the summer were similar to those observed during the drifter releases. This suggests that the trajectories observed during the focused experiment are representative of the general pattern of larval dispersal off west Maui. These findings demonstrate the application of acoustic profilers for remotely imaging coral spawning and predicting their initial dispersal patterns.     

Reproductive biology and spatiotemporal patterns of spawning in striped marlin Kajikia audax

This study presents the first histology‐based assessment of the reproductive dynamics of south‐west Pacific striped marlin Kajikia audax. Maturity and reproductive status were assessed from histological sections of ovaries (n = 234) and testes (n = 243) of fish caught in commercial longline and recreational fisheries between 2006 and 2009. Spawning peaked in the Coral Sea during November and December at sea surface temperatures between 24·8 and 28·3° C. Lower jaw fork length (L_LJF) at 50% maturity (L_LJF50), a key variable for stock assessment, was estimated to be 2100 ± 102 mm (mean + s.e .) for females and 1668 ± 18 mm for males. Unlike large pelagic tunas Thunnus spp., the proportion of females increased with length and spawning fish formed multiple large‐scale aggregations within a broad latitudinal band. This study provides a starting point for biological parameters needed for stock assessment and conservation of K. audax and introduces the multiple aggregation spawning concept as a reproductive mechanism to explain genetic heterogeneity observed in some highly migratory species.     

A combination of hydrodynamical and statistical modelling reveals non-stationary climate effects on fish larvae distributions

Biological processes and physical oceanography are often integrated in numerical modelling of marine fish larvae, but rarely in statistical analyses of spatio-temporal observation data. Here, we examine the relative contribution of inter-annual variability in spawner distribution, advection by ocean currents, hydrography and climate in modifying observed distribution patterns of cod larvae in the Lofoten-Barents Sea. By integrating predictions from a particle-tracking model into a spatially explicit statistical analysis, the effects of advection and the timing and locations of spawning are accounted for. The analysis also includes other environmental factors: temperature, salinity, a convergence index and a climate threshold determined by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). We found that the spatial pattern of larvae changed over the two climate periods, being more upstream in low NAO years. We also demonstrate that spawning distribution and ocean circulation are the main factors shaping this distribution, while temperature effects are different between climate periods, probably due to a different spatial overlap of the fish larvae and their prey, and the consequent effect on the spatial pattern of larval survival. Our new methodological approach combines numerical and statistical modelling to draw robust inferences from observed distributions and will be of general interest for studies of many marine fish species.     

Elevated summer temperatures delay spawning and reduce redd construction for resident brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Redd (nest) surveys for resident brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were conducted annually in a mountain lake in northern New York for 11 years with multiple surveys conducted during the spawning season in eight of those years. Repeated surveys throughout the spawning season allowed us to fit an individually based parametric model and estimate the day of year on which spawning was initiated, reached its midpoint, and ended during each year. Spawning phenology was then assessed relative to (1) mean of maximum daily air temperature and (2) mean of maximum daily water temperature at the lake bottom during summer in each year using a linear model. Elevated temperatures in summer were correlated with a delay in spawning and a reduction in the total number of redds constructed. Increasing the summer mean of maximum daily air temperatures by 1 °C delayed spawning by approximately 1 week and decreased the total number of redds constructed by nearly 65. Lake spawning brook trout select redd sites based on the presence of discharging groundwater that is relatively constant in temperature within and across years, leading to relatively consistent egg incubation times. Therefore, delayed spawning is likely to delay fry emergence, which could influence emergence synchrony with prey items. This work highlights non‐lethal and sub‐lethal effects of elevated summer temperatures on native resident salmonids in aquatic environments with limited thermal refugia.     

舟山渔场金塘岛海域春夏季的鱼类群落

为了揭示金塘岛附近海域渔场鱼类资源特征,利用2009年5月和9月在舟山渔场金塘岛水域获得的渔业资源调查资料,研究金塘岛水域鱼类密度的时空分布,分析种类组成、优势种、种类数和多样性等群落结构等指标的变化特征,分析这些特征所反映这一水域的渔场属性。结果表明:5月和9月鱼类重量和尾数密度分别为47.51kg.km-2、3.44×103ind.km-2和92.50kg.km-2、20.51×103ind.km-2;鱼类重量密度与尾数密度分布趋势基本一致,呈现出近舟山群岛一侧的东部水域鱼类密度高于西部水域的趋势;5月和9月龙头鱼(Harpodon nehereus)是本海域最重要的优势种,几乎为幼体组成,而凤鲚(Coilia mystus)是次要优势种。总体上,两季平均鱼类幼体比例高达86%,显示出这一水域是鱼类的产卵场和育幼场;鱼类种类数夏季高于春季;种类数与多样性的分布格局相似,也是舟山群岛一侧的东部水域鱼类密度高于西部水域。可以认为,近金塘岛一侧海域是经济幼鱼的索饵场。     

Age, growth and reproduction of the barrelfish Hyperoglyphe perciformis (Mitchill) in the western North Atlantic

Otoliths ( n = 847) and gonads ( n = 817) were collected from barrelfish Hyperoglyphe perciformis that were captured by commercial fishermen in the waters off South Carolina and Georgia in 1995, 1997 and 2001–2006. Of the otoliths collected, 97% were aged successfully, and specimens sampled ranged from 5 to 85 years, with a median age of 12 years. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters yielded the equation: L_t = 857·8{1 − e^{−0·0985[ t −(−8·95)]}}, where L_t is fork length ( L _F) at time t . Through histological examination, 94% of the gonads assessed were assigned to a sex and reproductive class. Females spawned from September to May with a peak from November to January. Males spawned year round, but had a peak from September to April. The sex ratio (M:F) for this population was 1:1·34. The smallest mature female was 605 mm L _F and the youngest immature female was 697 mm L _F. Estimates of L _F and age at 50% maturity ( L ₅₀ and A ₅₀) for females were 660 mm L _F (95% CI = 633–667 mm L _F) and 6·08 years (95% CI = 3·50–7·27 years), respectively. The youngest mature male was 575 mm L _F and the oldest immature male was 762 mm L _F, and no estimates of L ₅₀ or A ₅₀ were made for males. It was determined that barrelfish exhibit the typical characteristics of long life span, slow growth and high age at maturity seen in other deepwater fishes, and that care should be taken to manage this species accordingly.     

Migratory behaviour of adult pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca) in a lowland river

The behaviour of radio-tagged adult pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca (L.)) from two areas in the Danish River Gudenaa were recorded prior to, and during the spawning period. Eight of 13 tagged fish in the lower reaches of the river were located throughout the whole study. Five of these fish moved upstream to various sites in the river prior to spawning, which occurred from late April to June. The three remaining fish moved to the fjord. These movements were interpreted as a spawning migration, and it is suggested that the lower reaches of the River Gudenaa constitute an over-wintering area for pikeperch, which use different spawning areas. Ten pikeperch caught just downstream of an impassable hydropower plant were radio-tagged and translocated upstream of the dam to a reservoir. Within a week, half of the fish moved to a lake situated more than 30 km upstream the reservoir. This behaviour is hypothesised to be a homing response. The study reveals that the pikeperch is a highly mobile species with a complicated migration pattern, even in relatively small river systems.