0-group flatfish growth conditions on a nursery ground (Bay of Canche, Eastern English Channel)

The settlement and growth conditions of three 0-group flatfish species, sole (Solea solea L.), plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.) and dab (Limanda limanda L.) in the Bay of Canche, French coast of the Eastern English Channel, were investigated during summer 1997. 0-group dab were the more abundant of the three species (75.4%) followed by plaice (21%) and sole (3.6%). Analyses of fish size distribution indicated that settlement of plaice occurred before sole and dab. Growth of sole was faster than that of plaice, which in turn was faster than that of dab (0.68, 0.43 and 0.33 mm d^?1 respectively). Sole differed from plaice and dab by their larger mean length attained at the end of their first summer stay in the nursery ground. Growth performances of 0-group sole and plaice were analysed by comparing estimated growth in the field with predicted maximum growth according to temperature-growth rate models from experimental studies of growth with unlimited food supply. The data of this study suggest that plaice growth may have been limited during late summer, whereas sole growth does appear to have been determined only by water temperature.     

Estimates of daily food intake by an inshore population of Pleuronectes platessa L. off eastern Anglesey, North Wales

A sequence of trawl surveys showed that the diet of plaice off eastern Anglesey was dominated by Abra alba in spring and summer, and by Pectinaria koreni in early spring and autumn. Plaice ate little food in winter. Despite the relatively small stomach in this species, plaice were able to achieve high rates of daily food intake during bouts of heavy feeding by rapidly transferring newly-ingested prey items into the anterior intestine without full gastric digestion. Seasonal daily feeding rates (percentage body weight) varied between 5 and 10% for small fish (15–20 cm total length), 3 and 12% for medium fish (20–25 cm) and 2.8 and 4.4% for large fish (30–35 cm).     

Feeding ecology and growth of O-group flatfish (sole, dab and plaice) on a nursery ground (Southern Bight of the North Sea)

The food composition of O-group sole Solea solea , dab Limanda limanda and plaice Pleuronectes platessa on a nursery ground at Gravelines, France, included 17–25 taxa. Sole (new settlers) fed mainly on harpacticoid copepods and when 50 mm in size, on polychaetes (Terebellidae). Dab (<40 mm) consumed mainly polychaetes (Magelonidae and Spionidae), and later amphipods, polychaetes (Spionidae) and Hydrozoa. O-group plaice diet was dominated by polychaetes (Terebellidae), crustaceans and molluscs at all sizes. O-group sole, dab and plaice did not compete for food resources, each species being specialized in different prey items. Growth rates during May-July 1998 varied between 0·5 and 0·67 mm day⁻¹ for sole, 0·12 and 0·24 mm day⁻¹ for dab and 0·55 and 0·81 mm day⁻¹ for plaice. For sole and plaice, these estimates were similar to those recorded in other nurseries and also close to the maximal growth predicted by experimental models. This suggests that their growth was not limited by food during the first summer of life.     

Monitoring juvenile stocks of flatfish in the Wadden Sea and the coastal areas of the southeastern North Sea

Results are presented of an on-going monitoring program, started in 1970, of the demersal fish population in the Wadden Sea, Scheldt estuary, and along the continental coast between the Belgian-French border and Esbjerg. Particular attention is given to long-term trends in overall abundance and annual variations in spatial distribution of 0- and 1-group plaice and sole in relation to year-class strength and to variations in growth rate. Recruitment level in both plaice and sole appeared to be higher in the 1980s than in the 1970s. The most important nursery areas for plaice are the German Bight and the Wadden Sea, and the relative contributions of these areas to the total plaice stock in different years are relatively stable. In contrast, the most important nurseries for sole are along the continental coast, and the contribution of different parts of these nurseries vary considerably from year to year. Abundant year-classes of sole can originate from northern as well as from southern parts of the nurseries. Relations between survey results and year-class estimates from Virtual Population Analysis (VPA) for plaice are better compared to sole. No trends have been observed in mean length at age 0 and 1 during the years the surveys have been carried out. It is concluded that the quality of the continental coastal area and the Wadden Sea as nursery area for plaice and sole has not declined during the period of investigation. Presented at the VI International Wadden Sea Symposium (Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Wattenmeerstation Sylt, D-2282 List, FRG, 1–4 November 1988)     

The dispersion of sole, Solea solea and plaice, Plemonectes platessa within and away from a nursery ground in the Irish Sea

Populations of sole and plaice were sampled on and around a nursery on the North Wales coast during May, July arid October 1989 and 1990, and the distribution of age-groups described. Pre-recruit sole were tagged and reieased on the same area during September 1988 to provide information on their larger scale movements. Juvenile sole remained on the nursery ground close inshore until after their first winter, whereas plaice of the same age—group became more widely dispersed. Both species were still associated with the coastal zone as 2-groups, when they were vulnerable to capture by commercial trawls. The gradual movement of sole out of the nursery was almost complete by October of their third year. Sole tag returns were obtained mainly from the NE Irish Sea. and also from the E coast of Ireland. Only three of the 68 returns came from outside the Irish Sea, one from the SE Irish coast, one from Swansea Bay and another from the outer Bristol Channel. Published data indicated that plaice undergo more rapid and more extensive migrations within and away from the Irish Sea than sole of the same age-group. Juvenile plaice and sole populations from nursery grounds throughout the NE Irish Sea would become mixed, and could contribute to any of the spawning populations in that area.     

Seasonal patterns in feeding ecology of three small fishes in the Biandantang Lake, China

Feeding ecology of three small fish species, Hypseleotris swinhonis, Ctenogobius giurinus and Pseudorasbora parva was studied seasonally in the Biandantang Lake, a small, shallow lake in central China. Gut length, adjusted for total body length, was significantly higher in spring than in other seasons for all the three species. Seasonal changes in gut length were not associated with changes in food quality. Weight of fore-gut contents, adjusted for body weight, was significantly higher in winter and spring than in summer and autumn in H. swinhonis and C. giurinus , and significantly higher in autumn than in spring and summer for P. parva. Percentage of empty fore-guts was highest in summer and lowest in spring for H. swinhonis and C. giurinus , and highest in winter and lowest in autumn for P. parva. Diet of the three small fishes showed apparent seasonal changes, and these changes reflected partly the seasonal fluctuations of food resources in environment. Diet breadth was high in winter and low in autumn for H. swinhonis , high in winter and low in spring and summer for C. giurinus , and high in autumn and low in spring for P. parva. Diet overlaps between pairs of species were biologically significant in most cases, except between H. swinhonis and P. parva in summer and autumn and between C. giurinus and P. parva in autumn.     

The intertidal movements and distribution of young fish on a sandy beach with special reference to the plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.)

The intertidal movements of young fish were studied on a sandy beach over several tidal cycles during the day and the night. Young plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.), by virtue of their abundance, received the most attention, and it was found that they migrate up and down the beach with each tide in company with several other less abundant species. The dab (Limanda limanda (L.)), does not make this migration.The vertical distribution of the commoner fish species was charted and each was found to occupy a specific zone in relation to the water, but with large overlaps in many cases. A close relationship between the length of plaice and dabs and the depth in which they were caught was evident during the summer months, but this relationship broke down in the winter due mainly to an offshore movement of larger fish.The food intake of plaice was studied throughout the day and night; feeding occurred mostly during the day. No effect of the tide on feeding could be detected.The possible mechanisms controlling the tide-related movements and the size-depth relationship are discussed and a general hypothesis is put forward in which it is proposed that the fish are able to select and maintain their position at a particular depth throughout a tidal cycle thereby being guided up and down the beach. Attributes of depth which the fish might use as a reference point in their movements are discussed.     

Responses to hypoxia of plaice,Pleuronectes platessa,and dab,Limanda limanda,in the south-east Kattegat: distribution and growth

Synopsis Plaice, Pleuronectes platessa, and dab, Limanda limanda, were sampled with a Glommen lobster trawl at 25 to 40 m depth in the SE Kattegat during spring and autumn of 1984 to 1990. During autumn, hypoxia (O₂-concentration < 3 mg I^–1) occurred in the bottom water below the halocline for four to ten weeks every year, except in 1984 when moderate hypoxia (O₂-concentration 3–5 mg 1^–1) occurred. Biomass of both species was shown to be negatively correlated with oxygen concentration during autumn. Further, a decrease in population mean total length was observed during the study period in both spring and autumn samples. Laboratory studies of growth of juvenile plaice and dab, at 15° C and 30–34%, showed that growth is reduced at 50 and 30% O₂-saturation for both species during a 20 d period. There was some adaptation to hypoxia resulting in less reduction of growth during the second half of the experiment. The frequency of fish eating was reduced in plaice at 30% O₂-saturation. Reduced mean total length of the plaice and dab population of the SE Kattegat is discussed in view of sublethal effects of oxygen deficiency.     

Biological features of common fish species in Olyutorsky-Navarin region and the adjacent areas of the Bering Sea: 3. Righteye flounders (Pleuronectidae)

Biological features of the seven abundant commercial species—the Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, the Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides, the Alaska plaice Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus, the northern rock sole Lepidopsetta polyxystra, the yellowfin sole Limanda aspera, the flathead sole Hippoglossoides elassodon, and the Bering flounder H. robustus (Pleuronectidae)—have been studied for a 20-year period (1995?2015). These species are present in the northwestern Bering Sea in the summer–autumn season; they form the gatherings in Olyutorsky-Navarin region. The size-weight spectra of the fish caught by different fishing gear has been analyzed, the peculiarities of the linear growth and the weight gain, as well as the spawning period and scale and the spawning conditions, have been described. The largest halibut specimens have been registered in the bottom setlines and gill nets, while flounders were in snurrevad catches; the smallest specimens have been observed in trawl catches. The abundant year-class in most of the studied species is seen well on the long-term plots of the fish size spectra and is tracked by the decrease of their biological parameters. The species that demand vast growing grounds (Pacific halibut, Alaska plaice, northern rock sole, and yellowfin sole) are characterized by a smaller average body size of the fish sampled in the coastal waters due to the prevalence of the young specimens in this area.     

Meiofauna as food source for small-sized demersal fish in the southern North Sea

Meiofauna play an essential role in the diet of small and juvenile fish. However, it is less well documented which meiofaunal prey groups in the sediment are eaten by fish. Trophic relationships between five demersal fish species (solenette, goby, scaldfish, dab <20 cm and plaice <20 cm) and meiofaunal prey were investigated by means of comparing sediment samples and fish stomach contents collected seasonally between January 2009 and January 2010 in the German Bight. In all seasons, meiofauna in the sediment was numerically dominated by nematodes, whereas harpacticoids dominated in terms of occurrence and biomass. Between autumn and spring, the harpacticoid community was characterized by Pseudobradya minor and Halectinosoma canaliculatum, and in summer by Longipedia coronata. Meiofaunal prey dominated the diets of solenette and gobies in all seasons, occurred only seasonally in the diet of scaldfish and dab, and was completely absent in the diet of plaice. For all fish species (excluding plaice) and in each season, harpacticoids were the most important meiofauna prey group in terms of occurrence, abundance and biomass. High values of Ivlev’s index of selectivity for Pseudobradya spp. in winter and Longipedia spp. in summer provided evidence that predation on harpacticoids was species-selective, even though both harpacticoids co-occurred in high densities in the sediments. Most surficial feeding strategies of the studied fish species and emergent behaviours of Pseudobradya spp. and Longipedia spp. might have caused this prey selection. With increasing fish sizes, harpacticoid prey densities decreased in the fish stomachs, indicating a diet change towards larger benthic prey during the ontogeny of all fish species investigated.     

Age, growth and rate of food consumption in an upland population of the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L.

In a population of Gasterosteus aculeatus living in an infertile, upland lake, the fish bred at the age of one year and few survived to breed again. The highest growth rates were achieved in the first month of life, but in comparison with other populations of G. aculeatus growth was slow during the autumn and ceased during the winter. But in spring and early summer, there was a spurt in the growth rate.
Laboratory studies provided regression models for the prediction of the rate of food consumption from measurements of growth. The estimates of the consumption rate indicated the effect of the growth in body size and seasonal variations during the first year of life. It was estimated that a fish of mean length in the population consumed 3150 mg of food in a year in which it grew from 65.8 to 552.0 mg, with an overall gross growth efficiency of 15.4%.
The study illustrated the integration of laboratory and field studies to obtain reasonable estimates of the rate of food consumption by fish throughout their first year of life.     

Reproduction in fish of the Weddell Sea

Reproductive characteristics of 28 fish species were obtained during EPOS leg 3 in the inner Weddell Sea The gonadosomatic index (GSI) of female notothenioid fish was 15–30% at spawning. GSI in males was much less. Length at first spawning was attained from c. 70% of the maximum total length onwards. As in species of the low-Antarctic Zone gonad maturation was obviously a biennial process. More species in the high-Antarctic Zone spawn in summer and winter than in the low-Antarctic Zone where spawning in autumn/winter prevails. Fecundity was positively correlated with fish length and weight among most species. Fecundity exceeds 10,000 eggs only in a few nototheniid species. Egg diameter is commonly 3.5–5.0 mm with icefish having the largest egg sizes. Eggs of most species are probably left unattended, but nest guarding was suspected in the less fecund species. The results are discussed in comparison to reproduction in notothenioid fish inhabiting the low-Antarctic Zone.     

The movements of brown trout, Salmo trutta (L.) in Loch Leven, Kinross, Scotland

Juvenile trout enter Loch Leven during autumn and winter from the nursery streams, spend their adolescent phase offshore until reaching a length of 0.30 cm, and then move to the littoral areas in early summer. There are two types of littoral area:'favourable'areas from which movement of individual fish in the summer is very restricted, and'unfavourable'areas used briefly in early summer from which movement away is pronounced. Trout are absent from the littoral areas in winter. In subsequent summers homing to previous feeding areas is characteristic of fish from'favourable'areas, with a tendency for older fish to move to the south east area of the loch. Spawning runs occur simultaneously into the main inflows, chiefly between October and December. Emigration into the outflow occurs, but is probably unimportant.     

Disruption of seasonality in growth hormone-transgenic coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and the role of cholecystokinin in seasonal feeding behavior

Seasonal variation in daily food intake is a well-documented phenomenon in many organisms including wild-type coho salmon where the appetite is noticeably reduced during periods of decreased day length and low water temperature. This reduction may in part be explained by altered production of cholecystokinin (CCK) and growth hormone (GH). CCK is a hormone produced in the brain and gut that mediates a feeling of satiety and thus has an inhibitory effect on food intake and foraging behaviour. Growth hormone (GH) enhances feeding behaviour and consequently growth, but its production is reduced during winter. The objectives of this study were: first, to compare the seasonal feeding behaviour of wild and GH-transgenic coho salmon; second, to determine the behavioural effect of blocking the action of CCK (by using devazepide) on the seasonal food intake; and third, to measure CCK expression in brain and gut tissues between the two genotypes across seasons. We found that, in contrast to wild salmon, food intake in transgenic salmon was not reduced during winter indicating that seasonal control of appetite regulation has been disrupted by constitutive production of GH in transgenic animals. Blocking of CCK increased food intake in both genotypes in all seasons. The increase was stronger in wild genotypes than transgenic fish; however blocking CCK in wild-type fish in winter did not elevate appetites to levels observed in the summer. The response to devazepide was generally faster in transgenic than in wild salmon with more rapid effects observed during summer than during winter, possibly due to a higher temperature in summer. Overall, a seasonal effect on CCK mRNA levels was observed in telencephalon with levels during winter being higher compared to the summer in wild fish, but with no seasonal effect in transgenic fish. No differences in seasonal CCK expression were found in hypothalamus. Higher levels of CCK were detected in the gut of both genotypes in winter compared to summer. Thus, CCK appears to mediate food intake among seasons in both wild-type and GH-transgenic salmon, and an altered CCK regulation may be responsible at least in part for the seasonal regulation of food intake.     

Age and growth analysis of the mosshead sculpin Clinocottus globiceps Girard 1857 (Pisces: Cottidae) from Helby Island, British Columbia

The age and growth of the cottid fish Clinocottus globiceps Girard from tidepools at Helby Island, British Columbia, Canada were investigated with the aid of whole saccular otoliths (sagittae); ages were validated by marginal increment analysis. Four hundred and twenty five specimens were examined from 214 females and 211 males. Marginal increment analysis on specimens with one to three opaque zones suggested an annual ring deposition in sagittae during the late autumn and spring months.
The C. globiceps population was composed of individuals from less than 1 year to 5 years of age for fish measuring between 5–120 mm standard length. Growth was faster for younger than for older age groups. Lengths-at-age data were fitted to the Gompertz growth model, and estimates of the model parameters L₀, G and g were 26.7 mm 1.58 and 0.30 for pooled cohorts, respectively. The highest levels of growth occurred during late spring and early summer, when water temperatures were at maximum and food was most abundant. The lowest levels of growth occurred during the autumn and winter months.     

洞庭湖区社鼠消化道长度和质量的季节变化

对洞庭湖区社鼠（Niviventer confucianus）自然种群四季的消化道各器官的长度和质量进行了测定。结果表明。消化道指标季节变化明显。总体消化道含内容鲜质量、净鲜质量与干质量均具有显著的季节变化。以冬、春季较高。夏、秋季较低。消化道各器官的变化与总消化道不尽相同。其中,以胃的变化相对比较稳定。仅长度的变化达显著水平,以冬季最短,夏、秋季较长。这是动物为适应繁殖季节能量需求而增加摄食量的反应,也与夏秋季食物丰富度有关。小肠、盲肠、大肠的长度和质量指标（内容鲜质量、净鲜质量和干质量）以冬、春季较高。夏、秋季较低。这是该鼠对冬、春季低温和食物匮乏的适应性反应。总体来说。洞庭湖区社鼠为适应夏、秋季繁殖盛期能量需求增加的主要对策是增加摄食量;而为适应冬、春季低温环境和食物数量和质量减少的主要对策是增大消化道。提高消化效率。     

Seasonal variation in the thermal performance of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

1. Experimental data on the maximum growth and food consumption of winter‐acclimatised Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) juveniles from three Norwegian rivers situated at 59 and 70°N were compared with predictions from published models of growth and food consumption of summer‐acclimatised fish from the same populations. 2. All winter‐acclimatised fish maintained positive growth and a substantial energy intake over the whole range of experimental temperature (1–6 °C). This contrasted with predictions from growth models based on summer acclimatised Atlantic salmon, where growth and energy intake ceased at approximately 5 °C. 3. Growth and food consumption varied significantly among populations. Winter‐acclimatised fish from a Northern population had a higher mass‐specific growth rate, higher energy intake and higher growth efficiency than southern populations, which is contrary to predictions from models developed using summer‐acclimatised salmon, where fish from the Northern population had the lowest growth efficiency. 4. The experiment provides evidence that thermal performance varies seasonally and suggests adaptation to the annual thermal regime.     

Impact of fish predation on cladoceran body weight distribution and zooplankton grazing in lakes during winter

1. It is well accepted that fish, if abundant, can have a major impact on the zooplankton community structure during summer, which, particularly in eutrophic lakes, may cascade to phytoplankton and ultimately influence water clarity. Fish predation affects mean size of cladocerans and the zooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton. Little is, however, known about the role of fish during winter. 2. We analysed data from 34 lakes studied for 8–9 years divided into three seasons: summer, autumn/spring and winter, and four lake classes: all lakes, shallow lakes without submerged plants, shallow lakes with submerged plants and deep lakes. We recorded how body weight of Daphnia and then cladocerans varied among the three seasons. For all lake types there was a significant positive correlation in the mean body weight of Daphnia and all cladocerans between the different seasons, and only in lakes with macrophytes did the slope differ significantly from one (winter versus summer for Daphnia). 3. These results suggest that the fish predation pressure during autumn/spring and winter is as high as during summer, and maybe even higher during winter in macrophyte‐rich lakes. It could be argued that the winter zooplankton community structure resembles that of the summer community because of low specimen turnover during winter mediated by low fecundity, which, in turn, reflects food shortage, low temperatures and low winter hatching from resting eggs. However, we found frequent major changes in mean body weight of Daphnia and cladocerans in three fish‐biomanipulated lakes during the winter season. 4. The seasonal pattern of zooplankton : phytoplankton biomass ratio showed no correlation between summer and winter for shallow lakes with abundant vegetation or for deep lakes. For the shallow lakes, the ratio was substantially higher during summer than in winter and autumn/spring, suggesting a higher zooplankton grazing potential during summer, while the ratio was often higher in winter in deep lakes. Direct and indirect effects of macrophytes, and internal P loading and mixing, all varying over the season, might weaken the fish signal on this ratio. 5. Overall, our data indicate that release of fish predation may have strong cascading effects on zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton and water clarity in temperate, coastal situated eutrophic lakes, not only during summer but also during winter.     

枸杞岛岩礁生境主要鱼类的食物组成及食物竞争

基于2009年3月-2010年2月枸杞岛沿岸岩礁生境渔业资源调查数据,对岩礁生境中的3种定居性鱼类（褐菖鲉、大泷六线鱼和斑头六线鱼）和3种非定居性鱼类（花鲈、黄姑鱼和小黄鱼）的食物组成及食物关系进行了研究.结果表明： 麦秆虫、钩虾、褐菖鲉幼鱼、鳀鱼和中国毛虾等是6种鱼类的主要饵料生物,且饵料组成随季节而变化.3种定居性鱼类中,大泷六线鱼和斑头六线鱼在秋季食物竞争激烈;3种非定居性鱼类中,黄姑鱼和小黄鱼在夏季食物竞争激烈;非定居性鱼类和定居性鱼类之间,黄姑鱼分别与褐菖鲉（秋季）和大泷六线鱼（冬季）食物竞争激烈.黄姑鱼是引起岩礁生境中6种主要鱼类食物竞争的关键鱼种.枸杞岛岩礁生境中6种主要鱼类的摄食活动对褐菖鲉幼鱼的资源量有一定影响.