Differential utilization of energy during wintering and spawning migration in Norwegian spring-spawning herring

The energy utilization in non-feeding Norwegian spring-spawning herring Clupea harengus was examined during periods of wintering in a fjord system in northern Norway and southward spawning migration (800 km distance) to the main spawning area off western Norway. At the onset of wintering the gonadosomatic index (IG) was higher and the amount of mesenteric fat was lower in male than in female herring, whereas the subsequent increase in IG and decrease in mesenteric fat occurred at a higher rate in females than in males. However, no differences were recorded between sexes in fat content (%) of whole fish at any time of the year. The absolute energy loss increased, whereas the relative energy loss decreased, with fish length. Furthermore, the absolute and relative length specific energy losses were two to three and three to four times higher, respectively, during spawning migration than during wintering. The distinct energy loss was attributed mainly to fat metabolism, whereas the storage protein only was transferred from the soma to the gonads and remained relatively constant in whole herring throughout the wintering and spawning migration. © 1999 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles     

The development of schooling behaviour in Atlantic herring Clupea harengus

The timing of the development of schooling behaviour in Atlantic herring Clupea harengus and the quantitative and qualitative evolution of such behaviour in the larval and post-metamorphic stages were investigated with a simulation model and experimental observations of laboratory-reared fish. Herring larvae started to develop schooling behaviour between the lengths of 35 and 40 mm. This coincided with the beginning of metamorphosis, characterized by ontogenetic changes which require a switch to a different antipredator strategy from that employed by early larvae, while providing the sensory and anatomical mechanisms necessary for the formation of schools. Schooling behaviour was established at the end of metamorphosis (50–55 mm) and its characteristics continued to evolve throughout the early juvenile stage. A critical period in terms of vulnerability to predation is expected between the end of the larval and beginning of the juvenile stages, before schooling behaviour is fully developed. The implications of some of the results for the methodology of future studies are also discussed.     

Diel variation in feeding rate and prey composition of herring and mackerel in the southern Gulf of St Lawrence

Diel feeding patterns of herring Clupea harengus and mackerel Scomber scombrus in the southern Gulf of St Lawrence were examined based on samples obtained by midwater trawling between 19 and 26 June 2001. Within 3 h time periods, stomach contents tended to be more similar between fish from the same tow than between fish from different tows. Thus, in contrast to previous diet studies, which have used individual fish stomachs as independent observations, tow was used as the experimental unit in statistical analyses in this study. Diel patterns in stomach fullness were identified using generalized additive models. Two peaks in stomach fullness occurred for herring, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Mackerel showed an increase in feeding intensity throughout the day with a peak in mid‐afternoon. The diel changes in stomach contents suggested rapid gastric evacuation rates for both species, especially for herring. The estimate of the instantaneous evacuation rate for herring was twice that for mackerel. Calanus copepods (mainly C. hyperboreus ), fishes (mainly capelin Mallotus villosus ) and euphausiids were the main prey found in the stomachs of both species. Calanus copepods dominated the diet of herring regardless of time period. They also dominated the diet of mackerel during the late afternoon, evening and night while fishes and euphausiids were dominant during the morning and early afternoon. These diel patterns emphasize the need for sampling throughout the day and night in order to estimate ration and diet composition for bioenergetic and ecosystem models.     

Discovery and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in two anadromous alosine fishes of conservation concern

Freshwater habitat alteration and marine fisheries can affect anadromous fish species, and populations fluctuating in size elicit conservation concern and coordinated management. We describe the development and characterization of two sets of 96 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays for two species of anadromous alosine fishes, alewife and blueback herring (collectively known as river herring), that are native to the Atlantic coast of North America. We used data from high‐throughput DNA sequencing to discover SNPs and then developed molecular genetic assays for genotyping sets of 96 individual loci in each species. The two sets of assays were validated with multiple populations that encompass both the geographic range and the known regional genetic stocks of both species. The SNP panels developed herein accurately resolved the genetic stock structure for alewife and blueback herring that was previously identified using microsatellites and assigned individuals to regional stock of origin with high accuracy. These genetic markers, which generate data that are easily shared and combined, will greatly facilitate ongoing conservation and management of river herring including genetic assignment of marine caught individuals to stock of origin.     

Investigation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Seagull Wing in Level Flight

Unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of a seagull wing in level flight are investigated using a boundary element method.Anew no-penetration boundary condition is imposed on the surface of the wing by considering its deformation.The geometry andkinematics of the seagull wing are reproduced using the functions and data in the previously published literature.The proposedmethod is validated by comparing the computed results with the published data in the literature.The unsteady aerodynamicscharacteristics of the seagull wing are investigated by changing flapping frequency and advance ratio.It is found that the peakvalues of aerodynamic coefficients increase with the flapping frequency.The thrust and drag generations are complicatedfunctions of frequency and wing stroke motions.The lift is inversely proportional to the advance ratio.The effects of severalflapping modes on the lift and induced drag(or thrust)generation are also investigated.Among three single modes(flapping,folding and lead & lag),flapping generates the largest lift and can produce thrust alone.For three combined modes,both flapping/foldingand flapping/lead & lag can produce lift and thrust larger than the flapping-alone mode can.Folding is shown toincrease thrust when combined with flapping,whereas lead & lag has an effect of increasing the lift when also combined withflapping.When three modes are combined together,the bird can obtain the largest lift among the investigated modes.Eventhough the proposed method is limited to the inviscid flow assumption,it is believed that this method can be used to the designof flapping micro aerial vehicle.     

Diet composition and food consumption rate of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the western Baltic Sea

Stomach content composition and prey‐specific consumption rates of juvenile and adult harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were estimated from a data set including 339 stomachs collected over a 32 yr period (1980–2011) in the western Baltic Sea. The stomach contents were mainly hard parts of fish prey and in particular otoliths. The bias originating from differential residence time of otoliths in the stomachs was addressed by use of a recently developed approach. Atlantic cod and herring were the main prey of adults, constituting on average 70% of the diet mass. Juvenile porpoises also frequently consumed gobies. Here, the mass contribution by gobies was on average 25%, which was as much as cod. Other species such as whiting, sprat, eelpout, and sandeels were of minor importance for both juveniles and adults. The diet composition differed between years, quarters, and porpoise acquisition method. Yearly consumption rates for porpoises in the western Baltic Sea were obtained in three scenarios on the daily energy requirements of a porpoise in combination with an estimate including the 95% CLs of the porpoise population size. Cod of age groups 1 and 2 and intermediate‐sized herring suffered the highest predation from porpoises.     

陕西红碱淖同域分布遗鸥与棕头鸥巢址选择比较

2009—2011年4—7月在陕西红碱淖对同域分布的遗鸥和棕头鸥巢参数特征、巢群空间分布和巢址生境选择进行了对比分析。结果表明:巢外径、巢深、巢高等参数均存在显著差异,这主要是与营巢生境和巢址空间分布上有关;从巢群空间分布上来看,两者均选择于湖心岛上营巢繁殖,巢群呈斑块状分布,但彼此没有混巢现象,有时甚至通过压缩种间巢间距来达到共存,由于遗鸥繁殖群体数量占优势,遗鸥总是占据最佳的巢域,棕头鸥巢群通常被排挤至湖心岛边缘部分;在巢址生境选择上,植被类型、植被高度、植被盖度、巢离水面高度和巢距最近水边距离均存在显著差异。这表明两者巢址生境选择上具有特异性,这种特异性使得巢址生境选择上存在生态位差异,促成了遗鸥和棕头鸥能在同一湖心岛上营巢繁殖因素之一。     

A Perspective on the Toxicity of Low Concentrations of Petroleum-Derived Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons to Early Life Stages of Herring and Salmon

This article presents a critical review of two groups of studies that reported adverse effects to salmon and herring eggs and fry from exposure to 1 μg/L or less of aqueous total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (TPAH), as weathered oil, and a more toxic aqueous extract of “very weathered oil.” Exposure media were prepared by continuously flowing water up through vertical columns containing gravel oiled at different concentrations of Prudhoe Bay crude oil. Uncontrolled variables associated with the use of the oiled gravel columns included time- and treatment-dependent variations in the PAH concentration and composition in the exposure water, unexplored toxicity from other oil constituents/degradation products, potential toxicity from bacterial and fungal activity, oil droplets as a potential contaminant source, inherent differences between control and exposed embryo populations, and water flow rate differences. Based on a review of the evidence from published project reports, peer-reviewed publications, chemistry data in a public database, and unpublished reports and laboratory records, the reviewed studies did not establish consistent dose (concentration) response or causality and thus do not demonstrate that dissolved PAH alone from the weathered oil resulted in the claimed effects on fish embryos at low μg/L TPAH concentrations. Accordingly, these studies should not be relied on for management decision-making, when assessing the risk of very low–level PAH exposures to early life stages of fish.     

Sex‐specific foraging behavior in response to fishing activities in a threatened seabird

Some seabird species have learnt to efficiently exploit fishing discards from trawling activities. However, a discard ban has been proposed as necessary in Europe to ensure the sustainability of the seas. It is of crucial importance for the management and conservation purposes to study the potential consequences of a discard ban on the foraging ecology of threatened seabirds. We assessed the influence of fishing activities on the feeding habits of 22 male and 15 female Audouin's gulls (Larus audouinii) from the Ebro Delta (Mediterranean Sea) during the breeding period using GPS loggers together with Stable Isotope Analysis (SIA), which provided new insights into their foraging behavior and trophic ecology, respectively. GPS data revealed different sex‐specific foraging patterns between workdays and weekends. Females were highly consistent in that they foraged at sea throughout the week even though discarding stops at weekends. In contrast, males switched from foraging at sea during the week (when discards are produced) to an increased use of rice field habitats at weekends (when fishermen do not work). This sex‐specific foraging behavior could be related to specific nutritional requirements associated with previous egg production, an energetically demanding period for females. However, on a broader time scale integrated by the SIA, both sexes showed a high degree of individual specialization in their trophic ecology. The need to obtain detailed information on the dependence and response of seabirds to fishing activities is crucial in conservation sciences. In this regard, sex‐specific foraging behavior in relation to fisheries has been overlooked, despite the ecological and conservation implications. For instance, this situation may lead to sex differentiation in bycatch mortality in longlines when trawlers do not operate. Moreover, any new fisheries policy will need to be implemented gradually to facilitate the adaptation of a specialized species to a discard ban scenario.