Male and female gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis, were kept in large cages submerged in their natural habitat in the Gulf of Mexico. Gonadosomatic indices (GSI: 100 × gonad weight/body weight) and blood samples were obtained from male and female fish every 4 hours (beginning at 1600) throughout a day on 3 separate days of the semilunar cycle: at the GSI and spawning peak (July 27–28), at midcycle (August 2–3), and on a day prior to the probable spawning peak (August 9–10). Blood samples of females were assayed for cortisol, estradiol-17β (E₂), progesterone, testosterone, thyroxine (T₄), and triiodothyronine (T₃). The daily rhythms of hormones at each of the three days during the cycle differed markedly from one another. At the spawning peak, E₂ and T₃ peaks occurred at 1200, testosterone and progesterone peaks were found at 2400 and the GSI and cortisol peaks were at 0400. The GSI decreased sharply at 0800 indicating a period of probable spawning. At midcycle, most hormone levels were low throughout the day and the amplitudes of the hormone rhythms were suppressed. One day prior to the spawning peak, testosterone and progesterone variations (peaks at 2400) were similiar to those found on the day of the first semilunar GSI and spawning peaks. Daily variations of other hormones, especially E₂, were prominent on the day prior to peak spawning but different from those found on the day of peak GSI/spawning. In males, plasma concentrations of cortisol, testosterone, T₃ and T₄ also underwent daily variations that differed from one another on the 3 days of the cycle. The results clearly demonstrate that there are dramatic changes in the daily variations of plasma hormone concentrations during the semilunar spawning cycle.

Two peaks in biomass were recorded from natural beds of Gracilaria sp. at Leganes, Iloilo and Batan, Aklan study sites. The major peak occurred in February 1989 for both areas. The minor peak occurred in September 1988 at Batan and October 1988 at Leganes. Highest biomass at Ivisan, Capiz occurred in May 1988. Lowest biomass was recorded in June at Batan and December 1988 at Leganes. At Ivisan, no biomass was recorded from November 1988 to February 1989. Correlation analysis showed no relationship between biomass and temperature or pH at all study sites. However, salinity was negatively correlated with biomass at Leganes and Batan. Rainfall was inversely correlated with biomass. Based on salinity data gathered from the three study sites, Gracilaria sp. is euryhaline and can tolerate a wide range of salinity. The results show a marked seasonality in the biomass of Gracilaria sp.

This paper reviews studies on mercury and selenium interaction. It includes the effects of selenium on mercury toxicity on the organism, organ/tissue, and subcellular levels. The paper also touches on possible mechanisms for the "protective action" of selenium against mercury toxicity and deals briefly with the synergism between the two elements.

Soybean oil, cod liver oil and coconut oil were tested singly or in combination (1:1) as a source of dietary lipid for sea bass fry. Growth and survival rates of fry fed a diet containing cod liver oil and soybean oil (1:1 ratio) were highest, followed by those fed cod liver oil alone and soybean oil alone. Fry growth and survival rates were low in the coconut oil diet and lowest in the diet containing no lipid supplement. The fatty acid profiles of the sea bass fry were influenced by the fatty acid composition of the dietary lipid sources they were fed. Sea bass fry appear to favor lipid over carbohydrate as a major source of energy and a blend of cod liver oil and soybean oil was an effective dietary lipid source. Thus, a substantial savings in feed costs can be achieved if soybean oil is substituted in part for fish oil as a dietary lipid source for sea bass fry.

The effects of three selected algal species, Tetraselmis tetrahele, Isochrysis galbana and marine Chlorella sp. on the population growth of Brachionus plicatilis was evaluated after 3, 5 and 7 days of culture. The rotifers fed on T. tetrahele showed superior growth with mean peak density of 92.5 individuals per ml to those fed on I. galbana (48.2 individuals per ml) and Chlorella sp. (47.2 individuals per ml) in 5 days. In another experiment, milkfish. Chanos chanos Forsskal, fry with initial mean body weight and standard length of 6.26 ± 1.07mg and 13.04 ± 1.40mm, respectively, were fed B. plicatilis reared on the three algal species for 30 days. Results showed that growth, measured in terms of gain in weight and length, was significantly different (P > 0.05) among treatments. Fastest growth was obtained in fry fed B. plicatilis cultured on T. tetrahele with mean gains in weight and length of 61.48 ± 8.40mg and 9.37 ± 1.68 mm, respectively, followed by fry fed B. plicatilis reared on I. galbana (43.56 ± 8.35mg and 6.25 ± 0.48mm). Milkfish fry fed B. plicatilis cultured on Chlorella sp. gave the poorest growth with mean gains in weight and length of 11.05 ± 1.82mg and 2.33 ± 0.29mm, respectively. Percentage survival ranged from 93.1 to 95.3 percent and was not significantly different between treatments (P < 0.05). The differences in population growth of B. plicatilis and consequently growth of milkfish fry was almost certainly attributed to the differences observed in the biological values of their algal diet, and in particular their protein and lipid contents. T. tetrahele and I. galbana improved the food value of B. plicatilis as live food for the milkfish fry. Their high dietary value was related to the higher algal protein and fat levels and contents of n-3 HUFA particularly 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 compared to B. plicatilis cultured on Chlorella sp. The results of the present study point to T. tetrahele as the most suitable food for the mass culture of the rotifer, B. plicatilis.

The salinity tolerance of freshwater-spawned and reared Oreochromis mossambicus, O. niloticus and their F₁ hybrids of various ages was studied. Several tests were conducted using three indices as practical measures of salinity tolerance: (1) mean survival time (MST); (2) median survival time (ST₅₀); and (3) median lethal salinity-96 hours (MLS-96). Interspecific and age-specific differences (P<0.01) in salinity tolerance were observed in these species and their F₁ hybrids on the basis of MST and ST₅₀ indices, with salinity tolerance generally increasing with age of brood. No significant age-specific differences (P > 0.05) in salinity tolerance were observed in all four groups on the basis of MLS-96 index. At the same salinity O. niloticus fry at ages from 15 to 90 days post-hatch exhibited significantly lower (P<0.05) salinity tolerance than O. mossambicus and F₁ hybrids. Changes in salinity tolerance were determined to be more closely related to body size than age.

A method for the separation and cryopreservation of Brachionus plicatilis embryos is described. Juveniles with uniform development were collected from a cultured stock by passing them through a series of nets. Collected juveniles were cultured and the embryos separated by vigorous vortex mixing as soon as the majority had laid their first eggs. Separated embryos at stage I (cleavage stage), stage II (invagination stage), stage III (symmetrical embryo stage), or stage IV (“eyed” stage) were frozen to −196°C using various concentrations of DMSO and a two-step freezing procedure. No stage I embryos survived freezing and the highest post-thaw survival was obtained with stage III embryos. A DMSO concentration of 10% of the freezing medium resulted in high post-thaw survival while concentrations higher than 10% appeared to be harmful to embryos. Prolonged incubation in 10% DMSO for up to 30 min before freezing increased post-thaw survival. Incorporating the above results, stage III embryos from a single batch culture were incubated in 10% DMSO for 30 min and frozen to −196°C. Post-thaw survival rates of 63%, 62%, 53%, and 55% were obtained after 3, 7, 15, and 30 days of storage in liquid nitrogen, respectively. Survivors fed actively on marine chlorella and started to lay eggs 2–3 days after thawing.

In aquaculture research, maintenance of water culture quality is of great importance. Recent improvement in fishpond management and fish culture systems, such as intensive feeding and fertilization, have created complex problems. Deterrioration of weter quality is primarily the resulting effect of these improvements. Foe example, high-protein feeds and nitrogen fertilizers applied in fishponds produce considerable amount of nitrate in the water. Moreover, their synergistic effects cannot be ignored. Hence the routine determination of nitrite in fishpond water is required. Since its introduction by Small et al., ion chromatography has been widely used for the determination of ions in water. However,the presence of very high concentrations of chloride is the main obstacles in the analysis of seawater samples, affecting the separation and detection not only of nitrite but also of other anions. Itoh and Shinbori applied ion chromatography to the analysis of seawater using a 125-cm long column and a conductimetric detector. This technique provided by a simple and sensitive analysial method for brine samples. However, nitrite could not be determined owing to the presence of a large chloride peak. Attempts to determine nitrite in seawater also led to innovations in the methodology. Lee and Field employeed a post-column cerium flourescence detection system to determine nitrite and nitrite in drinking water and seawater. The use of a pretreatment column in the silver form for removal of chloride has been reported. Various detectors have been applied in ion chromatography in addition to the conductimetric detector. The UV detector has been shown to be luseful detector for several kinds of inorganic anions. Selected detection of specified inorganic ions can be achieved by tuning the wavelength of the UV detector in ion chromatography and also in ion-exclusion chromatography. The elemination of the chloride matrix interference in the sub-ppm determination of nitrite in seawater was achieved by a heart-cutting and recycling method using a dual detection system consisting of conductimetric and UV detectors. This method, however, requires valve switching during analysis and needs a long analysis time. This paper describes a simple and rapid method of UV-absorbing anions, such as nitrite, nitrite and bromide, in brine samples using a chloride-form anion-exchange resin column combined with a UV detector.

Six semipurified diets comprising three levels of protein (25, 35, 45% of dry matter) each at two levels of estimated energy (3161, 3832 kcal/kg) were fed to fry for 8 weeks in 250-l tanks at a stocking density of 80 fish/tank. Growth increased with increasing dietary protein \((P\lt0.01)\) and energy \((P\lt0.05)\). Within isocaloric diets, a positive correlation was found between growth and dietary protein-to-energy \(\left(\frac{P}{E}\right)\) ratio \((P\lt0.05)\). Protein productive value (PPV) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were negatively correlated with dietary \(\left(\frac{P}{E}\right)\) ratio. The equations describing this trend were: \(\mathsf{PPV}=50.16-0.19X\) and \(\mathsf{PER}=2.83-0.12X\), where \(X\) is \(\left(\frac{P}{E}\right)\). Based on responses for growth rate and efficiency of protein utilization, a diet with 35% protein and 3832 kcal/kg energy was found to be best for rabbitfish fry. Carcass fat levels increased in those fish fed diets with 3832 kcal/kg energy. Carcass protein and ash percentages remained essentially constant and independent of dietary treatment.

Tissues (hepatopancreas, muscle, gonad) of wild Penacus mordon females with ovaries in different stages of development and males were analyzed for Upid content and fatty acid composition. Hepatopancreatic tissue had the highest mean levels of lipid at 15.72–25.20% in females and averaged 46.20 ± 1.53% in males. Levels of Lipid in the muscle were low with no marked variation throughout the maturation s-es. Ovarian lipid levels increased significantly at stage II (early maturing ovaries) and remained high through stage IV (fully mature ovaries). Peak lipid level was found at stage III (late maturing ovaries) and coincided with a decline in hepatopancreas lipid. Ovarian and hepatopancreatic lipids declined drastically in spent females. Profiles of fatty acid in the tissues consistently showed the presence of PUFA 204n-6, 20:5n-3 and 22611-3, with high levels in the polar lipid fraction of vitellogenic ovaries. These values were reflected in the male testis and spawned eggs. The finding suggest storage and utilization of lipids for maturation and spawning processes and that the phospholipids were mainly responsible for increases in ovarian lipids. The type of fatty acids present in maturing prawn ovaries is indicative of their importance in reproductive physiology.