Cochlodinium Red Tide Effects on the Respiration of Abalone, Haliotis discus hannai Ino

Abstract

Cochtodinium votykrikoides -related red tide is the most notorious tidal bloom, resulting in mass mortality to marineanimals. This study aimed to test the effect of C. polyknkoides on the lethality to Haliotis discus hannai under con-trolled conditions. The oxygen demand of C. polykrikoides increases to reach its peak duhng the night, while the oxy-gen usage by H. discus hannai was continuously decreased with a threshold of 2 mg L U. The addition of C.polykrikoides did not effect the respiration of the H. discus hannai. However, the usage of oxygen by C. polykrikoidesduhng the night may lead to anoxia in the animal. With aeration, the level of dissolved oxygen (D.O.) was between6.06 and 7.28 mg LU; 90% of abalones survived even with a high concentration of C. potykrikoides (9000 cells mL U).Without aeration (3 mg LU of D.O.), however, the H. discus hannai suffocated immediately. Once 20 hours hadelapsed, all of the abalones were dead. The density of the H. discus hannai population contributed to their mortality.Therefore, aeration during the night and maintaining lower abalone densities is the best way to promote the sur-vivorship of H. discus hannai during a C. polykrikoides red tide.