Comparative assessment of plasma cortisol and fecal corticoid metabolites (FCM) of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) subjected to acute- and long-term stress

Abstract

Farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) are subject to a variety of stressors throughout production. Elevations of cortisol level in the blood are one of the major endocrine primary stress responses in vertebrates and are widely used as stress indicator. However, blood sampling is invasive and stressful procedures. Cortisol instantly released into the blood at sampling can easily interfere with the initial stress response of interest. Fecal corticoid metabolites (FCM) have been suggested for a less invasive assessment of stress in fish. In the present study, we evaluated stress responses by using plasma cortisol and FCM as stress indicators in Atlantic salmon. Atlantic salmon (with average weight 42 g) were exposed to 3 different stressors: 1) parr-smolt transformation; 2) infestation with salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) for two-weeks; 3) infection with infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) for four weeks. The results demonstrated that FCM levels correlated well with the plasma cortisol levels at single-point sampling during long-term stress (p < 0.05). Significant increases of both plasma cortisol and FCM were found two weeks after initiated 24 h light. Each tank was sampled twice, with around 40-min interval. The chasing during the first sampling was used as an acute stressor. The effects of sampling procedures on plasma cortisol and FCM levels are compared. Blood and feces were analyzed by an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Plasma cortisol and FCM levels increased within 40 min after fish perceived an acute stressor when the average weight of fish was below 100 g. Attenuated cortisol stress responses to acute stress were found after fish experiencing long-term stress. Collectively, FCM reflects changes in plasma cortisol and can be an alternative to analysis of plasma cortisol in Atlantic salmon, complementing evidence of using FCM as stress indicators for monitoring and improving fish welfare. The results highlight that standard sampling procedures and good experimental designs should be established to ensure robust and repeatable results in the study of stress based on the FCM measurement. Future study will investigate representative timepoints for FCM sampling, with particular attention to the types of stress and sizes of the fish.