Evaluation of gill nets, fyke nets, and mark-recapture methods to estimate the number of Hirudinea and Crustacea on fish.

Twenty species of fishes (n = 20,759) were collected from Dauphin Lake, Manitoba, Canada, to determine the types and numbers of ectoparasites they harbored. Counts of ectoparasites on fishes collected with different gear were compared to evaluate different methods of collection and to estimate rates of recruitment of ectoparasites by fishes. Ectoparasites were found on 11 species of fishes and the majority of these were parasitic leeches (Myzobdella moorei, Cystobranchus verilli, and Placobdella montifera) and parasitic Crustacea (Argulus appendiculosus and Lernaea cyprinacea). Some fishes also were infested by neascus-type metacercariae (blackspot) or had tumors (lymphocystis). The prevalence of ectoparasites was correlated with the abundance, feeding habits, and spatial distribution of fish species. Argulus appendiculosus and blackspot were more prevalent on benthic fishes, whereas M. moorei and tumors were more prevalent on limnetic fishes. Mark-recapture records showed that fishes occupying shallow (less than or equal to 1.5 m) water had a higher prevalence of infestation and 28 of 29 infected fishes caught by gill nets were captured in shallow water. Placobdella montifera was the only ectoparasite found on fishes from deep (1.5-3.5 m) water and the only species that was acquired by fishes previously released with no ectoparasite (2 of 239 fishes). The littoral zone (less than or equal to 1.5 m) comprises only 14% of the surface area and 3% of the volume of Dauphin Lake, yet 72% of all gill-netted fishes harboring ectoparasites were collected there. Intensities of ectoparasites estimated from gill net and pound net samples were similar, but prevalence of ectoparasites estimated from samples obtained with gill nets was lower.     

Environmental factors affecting large-bodied coral reef fish assemblages in the Mariana Archipelago

Large-bodied reef fishes represent an economically and ecologically important segment of the coral reef fish assemblage. Many of these individuals supply the bulk of the reproductive output for their population and have a disproportionate effect on their environment (e.g. as apex predators or bioeroding herbivores). Large-bodied reef fishes also tend to be at greatest risk of overfishing, and their loss can result in a myriad of either cascading (direct) or indirect trophic and other effects. While many studies have investigated habitat characteristics affecting populations of small-bodied reef fishes, few have explored the relationship between large-bodied species and their environment. Here, we describe the distribution of the large-bodied reef fishes in the Mariana Archipelago with an emphasis on the environmental factors associated with their distribution. Of the factors considered in this study, a negative association with human population density showed the highest relative influence on the distribution of large-bodied reef fishes; however, depth, water temperature, and distance to deep water also were important. These findings provide new information on the ecology of large-bodied reef fishes can inform discussions concerning essential fish habitat and ecosystem-based management for these species and highlight important knowledge gaps worthy of additional research.     

Chondrocranium morphology of northern Red Sea triakid sharks and relationships to feeding habits

The structure of the neurocranium, mandibular arch and hyoid arch of I. omanensis (Norman) and M. mosis Hemprich & Ehrenberg is described. Comparisons between these species and other triakids and between triakids and carcharhinoids are given. Differences in the size, weight and structure of the mandibular arch, including its associated ligaments and jaw suspension, are shown to be related to feeding habits. Dental characters for both species are examined and differences are considered in relation to diet. Structural elaborations of the nasal capsules in I. omanensis are described in relation to protrusion of the upper jaw during biting. Comparable neurocranial features are poorly developed in M. mosis where the upper jaw shows little discernable anterior movement. The optic region is enlarged in both species in relation to nasal and otic areas of the neurocranium.     

Warm eyes provide superior vision in swordfishes

Large and powerful ocean predators such as swordfishes, some tunas, and several shark species are unique among fishes in that they are capable of maintaining elevated body temperatures (endothermy) when hunting for prey in deep and cold water . In these animals, warming the central nervous system and the eyes is the one common feature of this energetically costly adaptation . In the swordfish (Xiphias gladius), a highly specialized heating system located in an extraocular muscle specifically warms the eyes and brain up to 10 degrees C-15 degrees C above ambient water temperatures . Although the function of neural warming in fishes has been the subject of considerable speculation , the biological significance of this unusual ability has until now remained unknown. We show here that warming the retina significantly improves temporal resolution, and hence the detection of rapid motion, in fast-swimming predatory fishes such as the swordfish. Depending on diving depth, temporal resolution can be more than ten times greater in these fishes than in fishes with eyes at the same temperature as the surrounding water. The enhanced temporal resolution allowed by heated eyes provides warm-blooded and highly visual oceanic predators, such as swordfishes, tunas, and sharks, with a crucial advantage over their agile, cold-blooded prey.     

Tidal movements of shallow water fishes in Kuwait Bay

The intertidal migrations of shallow water fishes in Kuwait Bay were studied during two 24 h periods using an otter trawl. Most species wereconcentrated at a location corresponding to Low Low Water mark. At the other tidal levels some fishes migrated with the tide to High High Water mark through a horizontal distance of up to 2 km. Any effect of day and night on the catch was masked by the effect of tidal condition.
Leiognarhus decorus (de Vis) was typically concentrated at Low Water but a proportion of the population followed the rising tide toward the shore. There was a die1 effect whichmay have been due to fish moving to shallower water at night compared with the day. Length-frequency distribution changed slightly with tidal state so that larger fish were not captured at High Water during the day. Of the fishes captured at high tide, the largest individuals of L. decorus were captured at a depth of 2.0 m deep. Solea elongata Day did not migrate with tidal fluctuations and was captured in large numbers only at Low Water. Arius tenuispinis Day was captured in shoals at or around Low Water.     

Grazing catfish,fishing birds,and attached algae in a Panamanian stream

Synopsis In streams where algivorous fishes abound, striking variation of attached algae often develops along depth gradients, with bands of high standing crops in shallow water (<20 cm) and sparse standing crops on deeper substrates. Experimental results from a stream in central Panama support the hypothesis that vertical variation in algal standing crops arises when grazing fishes avoid predators in shallow water by forgoing food resources that accumulate there. When 38 rocks bearing algae in a stream in central Panama were transferred from shallow (<20 cm) to deeper (>20 cm) water, algae were rapidly consumed by grazing catfish. Catfish were removed from three stream pools and left in place in three control pools. Ten days after catfish removal, algal standing crops in deep and shallow areas of removal pools were similar, while algal standing crops were higher in shallow than in deep areas of control pools. Catfish were exposed to fishing birds in open-topped enclosures. In one of three series of these pens, most catfish in shallow pens (10 and 20 cm) disappeared after 14 days, while catfish in deeper pens (30 and 50 cm) did not. Other groups of catfish which were caged 8 days showed differences in behavior depending on whether they had been fed or starved. After their release into their home pool, starved catfish spent more time feeding than did fed catfish. Despite their apparently increased hunger levels, starved catfish did not venture into shallow water to obtain algae. These results support the view that predator induced avoidance by grazers of certain areas can produce spatial pattern in the flora of flowing water communities.     

Acipenser sturio L. in the Guadalquivir river, Spain. Water regulation and fishery as factors in stock decline from 1932 to 1967

Sturgeon ( Acipenser sturio L., 1758) was a common species in the Guadalquivir River until the thirties. In 1932 a dam was built in the spawning area, 100 km from the river's mouth, that interrupted the migration. In the same year, a caviar and sturgeon smoked flesh factory started to run. By that time most of the fishes came to the factory from the dam area, but since 1934 the use of a fishing line without bait, specific for sturgeon catch, enabled fishermen to work in deep holes of the lower estuary. Using data from the factory records, we found that gravid females only got to spawning areas downstream of the dam when the water flow was greater than 100 m³/sec. Increasingly frequent dry weather in spring (caused by droughts and water regulation for flow irrigation) occurred, which led to persistent reproductive failures. During dry springs, it was more likely to catch sturgeons in the lower estuary than in the medium and upper estuarine areas, because fishes remained settled in deep holes, waiting for better water flow to continue their upstream migration. Increasing catches in this area resulted in the elimination of the most potentially reproductive adult fishes before they had any chance to spawn, which has finally led to the virtual extinction of the population.     

Comparative character of the deep-water and inshore cottoid fishes endemic to Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal's 29 endemic species of cottoid fishes form three groups: shallow-water species in depths to 350 m; eurybathic species from 50 to 1300 m; and abyssal species from 400 to 1600 m. These groups differ in their abilities to withstand high hydrostatic pressure. As in marine deep-water fishes, abyssal cottoids in Baikal have few or no cones in the retina, and some have tubular eyes. Their seismosensory systems predominate, based chiefly on free neuromasts. The proportion of species with canal systems decreases with depth. Diversity of the predominantly gammarid foods also decreases from 45 species in shallow water to five species in deep water, and the lateral line system plays the dominant role in food detection at all depths. Two abyssal cottoids have become secondary pelagic, achieving close to neutral buoyancy through high lipid levels and reduced skeletal mineralization. These forms take advantage of the abundant pelagic planktonic amphipod populations. The adaptations of abyssal forms parallel those seen in deep-water marine fishes.     

Vertical ecology of the pelagic ocean: classical patterns and new perspectives

Applications of acoustic and optical sensing and intensive, discrete‐depth sampling, in concert with collaborative international research programmes, have substantially advanced knowledge of pelagic ecosystems in the 17 years since the 1996 Deepwater Fishes Symposium of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles. Although the epipelagic habitat is the best‐known, and remote sensing and high‐resolution modelling allow near‐synoptic investigation of upper layer biophysical dynamics, ecological studies within the mesopelagic and deep‐demersal habitats have begun to link lower and upper trophic level processes. Bathypelagic taxonomic inventories are far from complete, but recent projects (e.g. MAR‐ECO and CMarZ, supported by the Census of Marine Life programme) have quantitatively strengthened distribution patterns previously described for fishes and have provided new perspectives. Synthesis of net and acoustic studies suggests that the biomass of deep‐pelagic fishes may be two to three orders of magnitude greater than the total global commercial fisheries landings. Discrete‐depth net sampling has revealed relatively high pelagic fish biomass below 1000 m in some regions, and that gelatinous zooplankton may be key energy vectors for deep‐pelagic fish production. Lastly, perhaps, the most substantive paradigm shift is that vertical connectivity among fishes across classical depth zones is prevalent– suggesting that a whole‐water column approach is warranted for deep ocean conservation and management.     

Beetles in the diet of six species of deep‐sea fish

Abstract

Four scarab beetles (Acrossidius tasmaniae) and two unidentified weevils were recovered from the guts of a single individual of six deep‐sea fishes trawled from depths of 326–418 m, c. 30–40 km off the Wairarapa coast, North Island, New Zealand. These constitute the first records of terrestrial arthropods in the diet of deep‐sea fishes from the New Zealand region. Possible reasons describing how these terrestrial beetles came to be eaten by these fishes are discussed.     

Enormous gill chambers of deep-sea coffinfishes (Lophiiformes: Chaunacidae) support unique ventilatory specialisations such as breath holding and extreme inflation

Deep sea habitats tend to favor species with low energetic demands, and therefore we predict that deep sea fishes will have behavioral and morphological specializations of the gill ventilatory system to reduce the energetic cost of pumping water across the gills. However, it is difficult to study functional morphology of deep sea fishes due the lack of ability to conduct laboratory experiments with living fishes. For this study, we combined analysis of publicly available video recorded by remote-operated vehicles (ROV) with detailed anatomical study of museum specimens to document the functional morphology of the massive gill chambers that are observed in coffinfishes (Lophiiformes: Chaunacidae). Chaunacids, like other lophiiforms, exhibit highly specialised ventilatory anatomy such as an enlarged branchiostegal apparatus and restricted gill openings, but videos show them using this anatomy in a new and unusual way. We observed eight individuals ventilating extremely slowly at rates of 0.03–0.004 Hz, during which the gill chambers were full yet we saw no inhalation or exhalation for periods of 26 to 245 s. This holding breath behaviour has not been observed in any other fishes and is probably highly energetically efficient. This inflation of the gill chambers also increases body volume by up to 30%, making them more globose and difficult to be taken as prey, much like stomach inflation in pufferfishes (Tetraodontidae). We also used micro computed-tomography (CT) scans to document the enormous branchiostegal rays and associated muscles that support this unique behaviour.     

Evolution of the visual sensory system in cichlid fishes from crater lake Barombi Mbo in Cameroon

In deep‐water animals, the visual sensory system is often challenged by the dim‐light environment. Here, we focus on the molecular mechanisms involved in rapid deep‐water adaptations. We examined visual system evolution in a small‐scale yet phenotypically and ecologically diverse adaptive radiation, the species flock of cichlid fishes in deep crater lake Barombi Mbo in Cameroon, West Africa. We show that rapid adaptations of the visual system to the novel deep‐water habitat primarily occurred at the level of gene expression changes rather than through nucleotide mutations, which is compatible with the young age of the radiation. Based on retinal bulk RNA sequencing of all eleven species, we found that the opsin gene expression pattern was substantially different for the deep‐water species. The nine shallow‐water species feature an opsin palette dominated by the red‐sensitive (LWS) opsin, whereas the two unrelated deep‐water species lack expression of LWS and the violet‐sensitive (SWS2B) opsin, thereby shifting the cone sensitivity to the centre of the light spectrum. Deep‐water species further predominantly express the green‐sensitive RH2Aα over RH2Aβ. We identified one amino acid substitution in the RH2Aα opsin specific to the deep‐water species. We finally performed a comparative gene expression analysis in retinal tissue of deep‐ vs. shallow‐water species. We thus identified 46 differentially expressed genes, many of which are associated with functions in vision, hypoxia management or circadian clock regulation, with some of them being associated with human eye diseases.     

A synthesis of genetic connectivity in deep‐sea fauna and implications for marine reserve design

With anthropogenic impacts rapidly advancing into deeper waters, there is growing interest in establishing deep‐sea marine protected areas (MPAs) or reserves. Reserve design depends on estimates of connectivity and scales of dispersal for the taxa of interest. Deep‐sea taxa are hypothesized to disperse greater distances than shallow‐water taxa, which implies that reserves would need to be larger in size and networks could be more widely spaced; however, this paradigm has not been tested. We compiled population genetic studies of deep‐sea fauna and estimated dispersal distances for 51 studies using a method based on isolation‐by‐distance slopes. Estimates of dispersal distance ranged from 0.24 km to 2028 km with a geometric mean of 33.2 km and differed in relation to taxonomic and life‐history factors as well as several study parameters. Dispersal distances were generally greater for fishes than invertebrates with the Mollusca being the least dispersive sampled phylum. Species that are pelagic as adults were more dispersive than those with sessile or sedentary lifestyles. Benthic species from soft‐substrate habitats were generally less dispersive than species from hard substrate, demersal or pelagic habitats. As expected, species with pelagic and/or feeding (planktotrophic) larvae were more dispersive than other larval types. Many of these comparisons were confounded by taxonomic or other life‐history differences (e.g. fishes being more dispersive than invertebrates) making any simple interpretation difficult. Our results provide the first rough estimate of the range of dispersal distances in the deep sea and allow comparisons to shallow‐water assemblages. Overall, dispersal distances were greater for deeper taxa, although the differences were not large (0.3–0.6 orders of magnitude between means), and imbalanced sampling of shallow and deep taxa complicates any simple interpretation. Our analyses suggest the scales of dispersal and connectivity for reserve design in the deep sea might be comparable to or slightly larger than those in shallow water. Deep‐sea reserve design will need to consider the enormous variety of taxa, life histories, hydrodynamics, spatial configuration of habitats and patterns of species distributions. The many caveats of our analyses provide a strong impetus for substantial future efforts to assess connectivity of deep‐sea species from a variety of habitats, taxonomic groups and depth zones.     

长江下游重点江段水质污染及对鱼类的毒性影响

通过对长江下游安庆,南京,镇江和长江口4江段水质及其对鱼类毒性影响的调查发现,长江下游江段主航道的水质符合国家地面II类标准,但近岸的污染带水质受到一定程度的污染,其主要污染物为石油烃类和挥发酚等,这些污染物对鱼类有一定的毒性影响,可引起鱼类的急性中毒,并可诱导鱼类产生微核,同时在上述几个江段内的鱼体内可检出较高的污染物残留,这表明长江下游江段已受到不同程度的污染,这种污染对区域性渔业有影响。     

Diet and feeding strategy of blackmouth catshark Galeus melastomus

Diet and feeding strategy of the blackmouth catshark Galeus melastomus in the deep waters of the eastern Ionian Sea were investigated. Sampling was carried out using experimental bottom longline fishing at depths ranging from 300 to 855 m in summer and autumn 2010. Diet variability with fish size, season, area, sex and depth zone was tested and only season was found to significantly affect the diet of the species. Of the 870 stomachs examined, only 1·4% were empty. Cumulative prey curves showed that the sample sizes were adequate to describe the main prey items of the diet for both seasons. Prey identified belonged primarily to three major groups: fishes, cephalopods and dendrobranchiatan and caridean shrimps. In autumn, the above three major groups were found as principal prey, whereas in summer cephalopods followed by fishes were the principal prey and shrimps were found as secondary prey. SIMPER analysis indicated high dissimilarity between seasons and highlighted that Sepiolidae, Myctophidae, fishes, cephalopods, shrimps and other crustaceans contributed to seasonal differences in the diet of G. melastomus. The prey diversity index was higher in autumn than in summer. A high dietary overlap was observed between the two seasons. Galeus melastomus behaved as an opportunistic predator with a variety of unimportant prey in its diet. Feeding strategy indicated that G. melastomus holds a generalist niche with a considerable specialization at the individual level. This strategy seems to be an adaptation to a food‐scarce environment, as typified in deep‐water habitats.     

Reverse evolution in RH1 for adaptation of cichlids to water depth in Lake Tanganyika

Reverse evolution is a widespread phenomenon in biology, but the genetic mechanism for the reversal of a genetic change for adaptation to the ancestral state is not known. Here, we report the first case of complete reverse evolution of two amino acids, serine and alanine, at a single position in RH1 opsin pigment for adaptation to water depth. We determined RH1 sequences of cichlid fishes from four tribes of Lake Tanganyika with different habitat depths. Most of the species were divided into two types: RH1 with 292A for species in shallow water or 292S for species in deep water. Both types were adapted to their ambient light environments as indicated by the absorption spectra of the RH1 pigments. Based on the RH1 locus tree and ecological data, we inferred the ancestral amino acids at position 292 and the distribution of the depth ranges (shallow or deep) of ancestral species of each tribe. According to these estimates, we identified two distinct parallel adaptive evolutions: The replacement A292S occurred at least four times for adaptation from shallow to deep water, and the opposite replacement S292A occurred three times for adaptation from deep to shallow water. The latter parallelism represents the complete reverse evolution from the derived to the ancestral state, following back adaptive mutation with reversal of the RH1 pigment function accompanied by reversal of the species habitat shift.     

Predicted effects of climate warming on the distribution of 50 stream fishes in Wisconsin, USA

Summer air and stream water temperatures are expected to rise in the state of Wisconsin, U.S.A., over the next 50 years. To assess potential climate warming effects on stream fishes, predictive models were developed for 50 common fish species using classification-tree analysis of 69 environmental variables in a geographic information system. Model accuracy was 56·0-93·5% in validation tests. Models were applied to all 86 898 km of stream in the state under four different climate scenarios: current conditions, limited climate warming (summer air temperatures increase 1° C and water 0·8° C), moderate warming (air 3° C and water 2·4° C) and major warming (air 5° C and water 4° C). With climate warming, 23 fishes were predicted to decline in distribution (three to extirpation under the major warming scenario), 23 to increase and four to have no change. Overall, declining species lost substantially more stream length than increasing species gained. All three cold-water and 16 cool-water fishes and four of 31 warm-water fishes were predicted to decline, four warm-water fishes to remain the same and 23 warm-water fishes to increase in distribution. Species changes were predicted to be most dramatic in small streams in northern Wisconsin that currently have cold to cool summer water temperatures and are dominated by cold-water and cool-water fishes, and least in larger and warmer streams and rivers in southern Wisconsin that are currently dominated by warm-water fishes. Results of this study suggest that even small increases in summer air and water temperatures owing to climate warming will have major effects on the distribution of stream fishes in Wisconsin.     

Migration route and spawning area fidelity by North Sea plaice

Data from plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L., tagged with electronic data storage tags, were used to test whether these fishes exhibited migration route and spawning area fidelity in successive spawning seasons. Depth and temperature data were recorded for each fish over 365-512 days in the central North Sea and this information was used to reconstruct movements based on tidal locations. We discovered highly directed seasonal migrations from the winter spawning area south of a major topographical feature, Dogger Bank Tail End, to summer feeding grounds 250 km to the north in deep, cold, thermally stratified water. Our results show synchronous timing of migration, repeated pre- and post-spawning migration routes and 100% spawning area fidelity, including two individuals that returned to within 20 km of their previous season's spawning location. This is the first study to provide a complete reconstruction of annual migrations by individual fishes, showing strong homing behaviour along consistent migration routes.     

Vertical distributions of late stage larval fishes in the nearshore waters of the San Blas Archipelago, Caribbean Panama

Light traps were used to describe the vertical distribution of late larval stages of reef fishes in the San Blas Archipelago during three successive new moon periods. Traps were deployed in the lagoon and at an exposed site on the outer reef edge. At each site, two traps were anchored at the surface and two traps just above the bottom. Most families of reef fishes that were abundant in catches displayed clear patterns of depth preference. The larvae of gerrids, pomacentrids and lutjanids were predominantly captured in shallow traps, while gobiids, labrids, apogonids and blenniids were usually collected in deep traps. Studies that used lights to aggregate and collect larval fishes display marked differences in the composition of catches between the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and the Caribbean. In order to determine whether such results were due to biases inherent in different sampling methods, or to locality-specific patterns of larval behaviour, we simultaneously deployed light traps and dip-netting around lights during three new moons in the San Blas Archipelago. We found that these sampling techniques collected differing components of the larval fish assemblage from the same water mass. However, there remains good evidence for the existence of locality-specific responses to light in older larval stages, suggesting that broad generalisations about patterns and causes of vertical distributions may be difficult to achieve.     

Some peculiarities of brain phospholipids in deep sea fishes]

Total phospholipids (PL) as well as the content of various phospholipid classes and their fatty acid composition have been investigated in the brain of mesopelagic and abyssal marine teleosts. These species were compared to shallow water ones. The brain of deep sea fishes was found to be very poor in PL as compared to the brain of mesopelagic ans surface water species. No differences concerning the brain PL content were revealed between the two last mentioned groups. The relative content of separate PL classes was very similar in all the species studied irrespectively of the depth of their habitat. Peculiarities were found in fatty acid composition of individual PL from deep sea species as compared to surface ones. The deeper the habitat, the lower the content of saturated fatty acids, especially of the stearic acid. The lowest content of saturated fatty acids, maximum level of polyenoic fatty acids as well as some peculiarities in the relative content of particular fatty acids were found in the brain of ultraabyssal (6, 000 m) Leucicorus sp.