Milkfish, Chanos chanos, larvae were found to suffer 100% mortality within 6 days of feeding when reared on Chlorella sp. According to the liver ultrastructure, Chlorella-fed fish underwent starvation. Likewise, no signs of lipid absorption were observed in the intestine of Chlorella-fed larvae. On the other hand, Chlorella-related histological alterations of the enterocytes in the anterior part of the intestine were different from starvation-related alterations. It is concluded that Chlorella-feeding creates a starvation situation for larval milkfish, but the early losses with this diet are due to an additional stress specifically introduced by Chlorella-feeding.

Young Nile tilapia (12 mg mean body weight and 11 mm total length) were stocked at a density of 5 fish/l in twelve 50-l aquaria filled with 30 l of tap water. They were fed pellet crumbles containing 35% crude protein at various daily feeding rates expressed as percentages of fish biomass. Mean increases in body weight after 5 weeks were 63, 198, 232 and 228 mg for the 15, 30, 45 and 60% feeding rates, respectively, when ambient temperature ranged from 19 to 21°C. Corresponding survival rates were 53, 85, 87 and 84%. Growth and survival rates were enhanced significantly (P < 0.01) at the 30, 45 and 60% feeding rates. Two feeding trials were conducted to compare the growth and survival of fry fed pellet crumbles and an unpelleted form of the same diet. Results showed that growth and feed conversion were similar for both forms of diet. However, the survival rate of fry fed pellet crumbles was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than the survival rate of fry fed the unpelleted diet. Prior pelleting of the formulated diet for the tilapia fry given at 30% to 45% of fish biomass daily ensured high survival, fast growth and efficient feed conversion.

The osmotic and chloride regulation by 5- to 10-g intermolt Penaeus indicus was investigated by abruptly changing medium salinity from seawater (32 ppt) to test salinities of 8, 20, 32 (control) or 40 ppt. Hemolymph samples were taken at 0, and then at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 5 and 10 days after the change in salinity, and were analyzed for osmolality and chloride concentrations. Tissue water content was also determined. Throughout the study period, daily mortality was low (1.8%), and was the same among control and experimental salinities. Hemolymph osmolality and chloride as well as tissue water content were stable within 0.25 to 0.5 days after the abrupt salinity change, except for tissue water content at 8 ppt which did not reach a steady state for 2 days. Intermolt P. indicus exhibited hyperosmotic or hyperionic regulation in salinities below isosmotic or isoionic salinities, and hypoosmotic or hypoionic regulation in those above. Hemolymph osmolality and chloride were positive linear functions of external osmolality and chloride concentrations (slope=0.24±0.02 and 0.20±0.02, respectively). Isosmotic and isoionic values were 780 mOsm/kg and 330 mM, respectively. Percentage tissue water decreased as a function of external osmolality (−0.0056% kg mOsm⁻¹) and hemolymph osmolality (−0.0232% kg mOsm⁻¹), indicating that tissue cells were relatively permeable to hemolymph water, and that the hemolymph acted as a barrier to buffer the cells from large fluctuations in external salinity. These results indicate that, like many penaeids, P. indicus is a good osmoregulator suitable for culture in brackishwater ponds where there are large fluctuations in salinity.

Sample of Penaus semisulcatus or Tiger Shrimp ("hipong bulik") from Manila Bay and Tayabas bay, and from waters off Palawan, Cebu, Samar and Capiz were obtained from Navotas Fishery Port during the period from March, 1978 to Febuary, 1979. The prevalence of Epipenaeon ingens in P. semisulcatus is 4.83/1000. No significant difference (P>0.05) in the prevelence of infection between the sezes was found. The parasites (E. ingens) was lodged on either side of the host's carapace and there was no significant difference in the regression analyses of the tumor size on carapace length wheter tumor is on the left or right side of the carapace of either male or female host. Despite the homogenity of regression lines in the comparative analyses of length-weight relationship of infected and uninfected P. semisulcatus, the slope of the regression of the infected sample are always higher than the value for the uninfected ones.

Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) were infected with Vibrio anguillarum by a water-born method. At 6, 12, 18, 36, 38-45 (moribund stage) and 48 h (dead) after infection, fish were sampled to determine the fate and location of the bacterium in various tissues by viable cell count and the enzyme-labeled antibody technique (ELAT). V. anguillarum was first detected in the skin at 12 h by bacterial isolation. It appeared in the muscle, spleen and liver at 24 h, but was not isolated from the gills or intestine until 36 h or 38-45 h. The same trend in the fate of the pathogen was confirmed by ELAT, and the cells were found in dermal layer of the skin from the early stage (12h) of infection. Based on these observations it was concluded that the first colonization site of V. anguillarum in ayu was the skin.

Wild immature Penaeus indicus females (11.5 ± 3.1 g body weight) were ablated by pinching, cautery or tying of one eyestalk, and stocked with control (unablated) females and males (9.2 ± 1.5 g) in a 12-m³ maturation tank. Full ovarian maturation and spawning were attained 4 days after ablation/stocking in all treatments, with a peak at 5–6 days. Seventy-five percent of ablated and unablated females spawned during the study period. Average egg numbers from complete spawns increased with size of females for all treatments. There was no significant difference in fecundity of complete spawns from the various treatments. However, hatch rates of unablated P. indicus were significantly higher than eyestalk-pinched females but not those ablated by cautery and tying. Similarly, survival after the 15-day period was lowest among pinched females.

An investigation was conducted to establish water hardness concentration for optimum hatching of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) eggs. Eggs were incubated for 19 h at 26.5°C at six levels of water hardness: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 mg/l CaCO₃. Water absorption at 100–200 mg/l CaCO₃ caused eggs to burst prematurely and minimal water absorption occurred at 600 mg/l CaCO₃. Chloride concentration at 0 and 6 h post-fertilization was significantly related to egg hatchability. Total ammonia-nitrogen at 6 h, pH at 6 h, magnesium hardness at 18 h and chlorides at 18 h significantly influence viability of larvae. A water hardness of 300–500 mg/l CaCO₃ is recommended for the successful hatching of silver carp eggs.

The effect of molting on osmotic and chloride concentrations in the blood of the prawn Penaeus monodon Fabricius (20±3 g) at various salinities was investigated. Prawns were obtained from ponds in Iloilo, Philippines, in 1984. They were stocked in salinities of 8, 20, 32 and 44‰, and their hemolymph was sampled during molt (Time 0), and then 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 10 and 14 d after molting. Prawns during and immediately after molt tended to conform to the environmental osmolality. Subsequent postmolt (≧0.5 d) stages displayed more divergence from external salinity. The isosmotic point was higher (940±30 mOsm kg-1) during molt than during intermolt (663±8 mOsm/kg-1), suggesting different osmotic requirements in early molt. Hyperregulation of hemolymph chloride below 20‰ S, as well as isoionic point (301±6 mM), were independent of molting stage. At 20‰ S and above, newly molted (0 to 0.25 d post-molt) individuals tended to conform to the external chloride concentration while intermolt (≧0.5 d) post-molt individuals did not. Contribution of hemolymph chloride to hemolymph osmolality was greater during intermolt than during ecdysis, suggesting an important role for other negatively charged ions during molt. When molt occurred in 20‰ S (the test salinity most similar to the isoionic salinity), there was little or no change in hemolymph osmolality or chloride concentration from 0 to 14 d postmolt. At 8, 32 and 44‰ S, the change from molt to intermolt values in hemolymph osmotic and chloride concentrations was hyperbolic. Non-linear least-squares regression showed that prawns generally achieved intermolt values within 1 d after molting. Prawns at intermolt regulated hemolymph osmolality (620 to 820 mOsm kg-1) and chloride concentration (300 to 450 mM) at a much narrower range than during molt (520 to 1 170 mOsm kg-1 and 250 to 520 mM, respectively). Hemolymph osmolality was a more sensitive indicator of physiological response than hemolymph chloride concentration. Distribution and culture of P. monodon might be limited in low salinities by its ability to maintain a hemolymph osmolality ≧500 mOsm kg-1 during molt and ≧600 mOsm kg-1 in intermolt, and in high salinities by its capacity to reduce the hemolymph osmolality from values at molt to those in intermolt. Osmotic and chloride concentrations in the blood of P. monodon clearly varied with both molt stage and salinity of the medium. Dependence on external factors, however, gradually declined in older molt stages, suggesting a reduction in integument permeability and greater development of ion absorption/secretion mechanisms as the exoskeleton hardened.

Two experiments were conducted to measure the economic viability of retarding milkfish growth (stunting) in brackishwater ponds. In the first experiment, 2-month-old fish were reared for 6 months in ponds with initial stocking densities of 15, 20, 25, and 30 fish/m². The second experiment had a common stocking density of 20 fish/m² with rearing periods of 6, 9, and 12 months. All experiments followed the lab-lab method of growing natural food plus additional substrates. Supplemental feeding using rice bran mixed with ground trash fish started 60 days after initial stocking. Under Philippine conditions stunting milkfish fingerlings at 20 fish/m² for 6–9 months is most cost effective; this permits the production of milkfish fingerlings for lower cost than they can be purchased.

The purpose of this study was to find out how yolk and oil globule absorption in Siganus guttatus proceed as the digestive tract develops, in order to determine the probable causes of early larval mortality. Yolk and oil globule absorption in the rabbitfish were compared with the same processes in the more sturdy seaperch larvae during the first 10 days of larval life under identical rearing conditions in 32‰ sea water at 27°–30°C. The rapid decline of yolk in both species coincided with the rapid development of the digestive system within 24 h from hatching, indicating that most of the yolk was used for organogenesis. Whereas yolk was depleted in both fish in 3 days, the oil globule persisted in the rabbitfish only for 4 days and in the seaperch for 7 days. Oil globule depletion in the rabbitfish coincided with a negative mean length increment, implying an energy deficit even when the larvae had already started to feed. Ultrastructural observations of the gut epithelia of the rabbitfish revealed pinocytosis in the hindgut cells immediately after ingestion of rotifers, well in advance of complete yolk and oil globule absorption. Therefore, starvation due to exhaustion of the endogenous energy reserves in addition to the physical inability to feed were ruled out as major causes of larval mortality in rabbitfish.