Shifts in the Skin-Associated Microbiota of Hatchery-Reared Common Snook Centropomus undecimalis During Acclimation to the Wild

Andrea M Tarnecki,Ryan W Schloesser,Nicole R Rhody,Nathan P Brennan

doi:10.1007/s00248-018-1252-7

Andrea M Tarnecki, Ryan W Schloesser + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-018-1252-7

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Journal: Microbial Ecology	Publication Date: Sep 6, 2018
Citations: 37	License type: open-access

Affiliation: Mote Marine Laboratory

Abstract

The skin-associated microbiota of fish competes against pathogens for space and nutrients, preventing colonization by harmful bacteria encountered during environmental transitions such as those faced during stock enhancement. Thus, alterations in bacterial community structure during release of cultured fish have important implications for health of these individuals. This study investigated microbiota structure during acclimation of juvenile hatchery-reared common snook Centropomus undecimalis to the wild by comparing skin-associated microflora among snook in captivity, after 48 h of acclimation at release sites, and from the wild. After two days of acclimation, the microbiota of hatchery-reared snook mirrored that observed on wild snook. Relative abundances of potential pathogens were higher in captive fish, whereas acclimated and wild fish harbored bacterial taxa influenced by geographical factors and water quality at release sites. Predicted microbiota function of acclimated and wild fish showed higher production of protective amino acids and antimicrobials, identifying a mechanism for microbial supplementation of the immune defense of these fish. The two-day transition to wild-type microbiota suggests a temporal scale of hours associated with bacterial succession indicating that the microbiota, whose structure is vital to fish health, aids in acclimation of fish to new environments during stock enhancement efforts.

Highlights

Common snook Centropomus undecimalis, a catadromous estuarine species of the Western Atlantic, is a marine sportfish that contributes to the Florida marine recreational fishery whose sales alone are valued at $10 billion each year [1]
The authors hypothesized that increased survival was primarily due to learning predator avoidance, but the fish benefit from learning to feed in the wild and recovering from the handling and stress associated with transport from the hatchery to the release sites
This study aimed to develop and employ a replicable approach to investigate shifts in microbiota structure and innate immune parameters during wild acclimation of juvenile hatchery-reared common snook in order to increase understanding of the benefit of an acclimation period to postrelease survival

Summary

Introduction

Common snook Centropomus undecimalis, a catadromous estuarine species of the Western Atlantic, is a marine sportfish that contributes to the Florida marine recreational fishery whose sales alone are valued at $10 billion each year [1]. Mote Aquaculture Research Park, 874 WR Mote Way, Sarasota, FL 34240, USA and develop techniques to optimize post-release survival. Brennan et al [2] demonstrated a 1.78× increase in survival by allowing juvenile snook to acclimate within predator-free enclosures for three days prior to release into estuarine environments. The authors hypothesized that increased survival was primarily due to learning predator avoidance, but the fish benefit from learning to feed in the wild and recovering from the handling and stress associated with transport from the hatchery to the release sites

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