Black Sea Bass Research Articles

Visual Cells and Pigments in a Demersal Fish, the Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata)

Using a single-beam, wavelength-scanning, dichroic microspectrophotometer, we measured absolute absorbance, bleaching difference absorbance, and linear dichroism spectra from isolated retinal receptors of the black sea bass, Centropristis striata. We determined, among other properties, the wavelength of peak α-band absorbance (λmax) of the pigment of the receptor cells. Out of well over 100 recordings, we found only 3 spectral types of visual pigment. The shortest-wavelength-absorbing type (λmax = 463 +/- 2 nm) was present only in single cones. Both members of the double cones contained the longest-wavelength-absorbing pigment of the three, with λmax = 527 +/- 5 nm. Rods were found to bear a typical rhodopsin, with λmax = 498 +/- 2 nm. Thus, the retina of this predatory demersal fish appears to use a set of three closely spaced visual pigments, with λmax clustering about 500 +/- 30 nm. This remarkable feature is discussed in relation to photic conditions in the habitat.

Seasonality of fish catch rates and species composition from the hard bottom trap fishery in the Middle Atlantic Bight (US east coast)

Fish community composition on natural hard bottom reef areas off the cots of Maryland and northern Virginia was investigated by examining the species composition and seasonality of catch of the most frequently caught species from the black sea bass ( Centropristis striata) trap fishery. Hard bottom areas were sampled with wooden fish traps from April to early December 1987. Mean catch per trap and total length were determined for the most commonly caught species. Black sea bass comprised over 96% of the catch overall. The other abundant species were: spotted hake ( Urophycis regia), tautog ( Tautoga onitis), red hake ( Urophycis chuss), conger eel ( Conger oceanicus), scup ( Stenotomus chrysops), and ocean pout ( Macrozoarces americanus). The catches of each species fluctuated through time, apparently as a result of seasonal migration patterns. Most species appeared to migrate inshore in the spring and offshore in the autumn. Ocean pout had not previously been reported to occur south of Delaware and was most abundant during the time of the coldest temperatures. The fish community on hard bottom areas in the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) had not been adequately described previously owing to the limitation of trawl nets sampling rough bottom. The hard bottom reef fish community differs considerably from that reported from South Atlantic Bight reef areas as well as from smooth bottom areas on the MAB continental shelf. The present study also provides data to compare with future studies on fish communities inhabiting artificial reefs.

Management Briefs: Effect of Catch-and-Release Angling on the Survival of Black Sea Bass

We tested the hypothesis that black sea bass Centropristis striata captured and released by anglers experience zero mortality. Black sea bass captured by hook and line in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, were tagged and held in wire cages on site for 48 h. Hook location and physical condition were recorded for each fish. Concurrently, black sea bass used as controls were collected from commercial fish pots, tagged, and held under similar conditions. A preliminary experiment established that neither tagging nor densities up to 12 fish per cage caused mortality. During the 48-h posthooking period, 3 of the 64 fish tested died, resulting in an estimated hooking mortality of 4.7%. The three fatalities were among five fish hooked in the esophagus. We concluded that survival is high among small caught-and-released black sea bass (<27 cm standard length) and that release of hooked fish has little effect on total fishing mortality.

Meristic and Morphometric Variation in Black Sea Bass North of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Abstract The hypothesis was tested that black sea bass Centropristis striata north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, were morphologically homogeneous and therefore constituted a single stock. Meristic and morphometric data were analyzed with multivariate analysis of variance and principal components analysis. Significant differences were found throughout the geographic region, most notably between samples from Virginia and Massachusetts. The meristic comparisons provided greater separation between geographic areas than did morphometrics. Results of the analysis can be attributed to environmentally induced phenotypic differences, but further research on spatial and temporal segregation will be necessary to determine if these local groups constitute separate genotypic entities.

Seasonal Utilization and Movement of Black Sea Bass on a South Carolina Artificial Reef

Abstract The principal objectives of this study were to estimate the average standing stock and utilization rate of black sea bass Centropristis striata on a heavily fished artificial reef. Secondary objectives were to define age and size compositions of the reef and hard-bottom populations of black sea bass and evaluate movements of the fish on reef and hard-bottom habitats. Fish of legal size (>20 cm long) were tagged and released at Capers Reef off Charleston, South Carolina, and at four hard-bottom areas within 10 km of the artificial reef. The total numbers offish tagged and released were 636 at the reef and 615 on hard bottom. A single-census Petersen estimate of the initial winter standing stock of legal-sized black sea bass on Capers Reef was 3,227 fish. The estimated utilization rate for the 6-month study period was 36%. All fish recaptured at the artificial reef had been released there. Twenty-five fish from the hard-bottom release groups were recaptured, only two of which had moved from the rel...

Regulation of sexual succession in the protogynous black sea bass, Centropristis striatus (osteichthyes: Serranidae)

Serum levels of 17β-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,11-dione (11-KT) and testosterone in the protogynous black sea bass, Centropristis striatus fluctuate annually, correlated with the breeding season. Although serum 11-KT levels in both males and females exhibit seasonality, serum estradiol-17β concentrations cycle annually only in the females. Throughout the year, serum estradiol levels in males (127 ± 56 pg/ml, mean ± SD) were significantly ( P < 0.05) less than levels in breeding (3,930 ± 1,390 pg/ml), or nonbreeding females (261 ± 62 pg/ml). In all female sea bass not undergoing sexual succession, histological examination of the ovary revealed only spermatogonia or ongoing spermatogenesis restricted to the posterior male lamellae; a duct system was nonexistent. In female fish undergoing sexual succession, ovarian tissue was always nonvitellogenic and regressing. Breeding females were not observed to undergo gender change. During sexual succession in the postspawning period, male tissue spread into neighboring female lamellae containing oocytes, gradually replacing them and other female tissue. A male duct system developed on the surface. At any time of year, black sea bass undergoing sexual succession had serum estradiol levels (79 ± 19 pg/ml) which were significantly less ( P < 0.05) than concurrent female serum estradiol levels. A χ-square test demonstrated that serum estradiol levels in these intersex animals were not significantly different from those of males. The possibility is discussed that sexual succession results from inhibition of ovarian tissue response to steroidogenic gonadotropin.

Community structure of fishes attracted to shallow water fish aggregation devices off South Carolina, U.S.A.

Twenty-two fish aggregation devices were deployed in 14 m of water off South Carolina. Species composition and abundance were determined by diver visual census on eight occasions from May through November, 1985. A total of 21 families and 36 species of fishes was observed at 121 stations. Pelagic fishes dominated the fauna with a 99.3% relative abundance, and Decapterus punctatus accounted for 97.6% of the individuals. Caranx crysos, Diplectrum formosum, Decapterus punctatus, Centropristis striata and Monacanthus hispidus were the most frequent species. Total fish abundance, number of species and abundance of four of the six most common species were significantly affected by season. Hurricane activity may have caused a significant drop in pelagic fish abundance at the FADs in July. No significant correlations among species abundances were found after removal of season and FAD type effects. Spatial zonation and seasonal occurrence patterns suggest some competition among pelagic fishes. Several factors that regulate FAD faunal abundance and composition are hypothesized, including: juvenile fish availability, availability of shelter, availability of adequate food resources, interspecific and intraspecific competition, severe sea conditions, and sporadic intrusions of large predatory fishes. It is hypothesized that the abundances of benthic and pelagic FAD fishes are correlated and that there is a direct or indirect energetic link between shallow water pelagic and benthic fish assemblages near FADs.

Genetic structure of Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations of sea bass, menhaden, and sturgeon: Influence of zoogeographic factors and life-history patterns

To assess the influence of zoogeographic factors and life-history parameters (effective population size, generation length, and dispersal) on the evolutionary genetic structure of marine fishes in the southeastern USA, phylogeographic patterns of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were compared between disjunct Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations in three coastal marine fishes whose juveniles require an estuarine or freshwater habitat for development. Black sea bass (Centropristis striata), menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus andB. patronus) and sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) samples were collected between 1986 and 1988. All species showed significant haplotype frequency differences between the Atlantic and Gulf, but the magnitude and distribution of mtDNA variation differed greatly among these taxa: sea bass showed little within-region mtDNA polymorphism and a clear phylogenetic distinction between the Atlantic and Gulf; menhaden showed extensive within-region polymorphism and a paraphyletic relationship between Atlantic and Gulf populations; and sturgeon exhibited very low mtDNA diversity both within regions and overall. Evolutionary effective sizes of the female populations (N f (e)) estimated from the mtDNA data ranged fromN f (e) = 50 (Gulf of Mexico sturgeon) toN f (e) = 800 000 (Atlantic menhaden), and showed a strong rank-order agreement with the current-day census sizes of these species. The relationship betweenN f (e) and the estimated times of divergence (t) among mtDNA lineages (from conventional clock calibrations) predicts the observed phylogenetic distinction between Atlantic and Gulf sea bass, as well as the paraphyletic pattern in menhaden, provided the populations have been separated by the same long-standing zoogeographic barriers thought to have influenced other coastal taxa in the southeastern USA. However, vicariant scenarios alone cannot explain other phylogenetic aspects of the menhaden (and sturgeon) mtDNA data and, for these species, recent gene flow between the Atlantic and Gulf coasts is strongly implicated. These data are relevant to management and conservation issues for these species.

A comparison of three fish trap designs

Three trap types were compared for effectiveness in the capture of demersal reef fishes off the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States. A series of trials indicated that the chevron or “A” design was most effective overall and for species of commercial and recreational interest in terms of both total weight and numbers of individuals, and that the differences in effectiveness were not due to differences in methods of baiting the traps. Superiority of the chevron design, the largest of the traps, was apparent for all species but one ( Centropristis striata) even after standardizing catch by trap volume.

Re-examining the selfish herd: are central fish safer?

The risk (per caput attack rate) of occupying discrete spatial locations within a school of 25 Atlantic silversides, Menidia menidia, under attack by a black seabass, Centropristis striata, was determined. When available, stragglers were attacked more frequently than the school and suffered a significantly higher risk in comparison to school members. Within the school, central silversides suffered the most attacks and sustained a significantly higher percentage of the risk, as compared to peripheral silversides. This finding contradicts theoretical models of the relative benefit of occupying a given location within an animal aggregation and seems to be explicable in terms of predator attack modes and school size.

Acute effects of mercuric chloride on intracellular GSH levels and mercury distribution in the fishOreochromis aureus

In recent years there has been much interest in the effects of trace metals on intracellular levels of reduced glutathione (GSH). Most of the research has been performed on rats. As GSH is ubiquitous in living organisms it is of interest to establish a relationship between mercury intoxication and intracellular GSH levels in fish; especially as fish living in rivers and coastal areas are often expose to mercury as an aquatic pollutant. The role of GSH in fish trace metal toxicity has not been thoroughly investigated. The distribution of total glutathione (oxidized + reduced) in selected black sea bass organs seems to follow the established pattern for mammalian organs. Thus, it would appear that teleostian and mammalian glutathione metabolism may have many similarities. There are few reports concerning the effects of mercury during the first few hours of exposure. The aim of this investigation is to establish any changes in organ GSH and mercury levels following just 2 h exposure to mercuric chloride (HgCl/sub 2/).

Effect of ingested benzo[ a]pyrene and cadmium on tissue accumulation, hydroxylase activity, and intestinal morphology of the black sea bass, Centropristis striata

Black sea bass, Centropristis striata, were fed shrimp containing [14C]benzo[a]pyrene (200 ppb) in the presence and absence of cadmium (10 ppm) for 10 days. Concentrations of cadmium in muscle tissue were significantly higher when both cadmium and benzo[a]pyrene were ingested simultaneously by the fish. Results indicate that selected tissue concentrations of total benzo[a]pyrene compounds (parent and metabolites) were not affected by the presence of cadmium. The bile contained the majority of benzo[a]pyrene found for all treatments. Ingestion of both contaminants had no effect on hepatic benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase activity. Histological evidence from the feeding study demonstrated the presence of subcellular inclusions in the intestinal columnar cells and the combined effects of both contaminants appeared greater than either alone.

History and Condition of Food Finfisheries in the Middle Atlantic Region Compared with other Sections of the Coast

Abstract The five principal food finfishes that made up more than 50% of the total catch of food finfishes in the Middle Atlantic region, from New York to Virginia, about 25 years ago were: Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), scup (Stenotomus chrysops), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and black sea bass (Centropristis striata). Of these, only black sea bass had not clearly declined in abundance up to that time. Subsequently, the Middle Atlantic region has shown the greatest proportional decline in landings and their total value of any coastal region of the United States, except for the Great Lakes. From 1929 to 1983, 16 different species ranked among the top five by weight. Whereas abundance of many species changed from natural causes, the major species also suffered from overfishing. In their place, new species of lesser value such as silver hake (Merluccius bilinearis) have been harvested more effectively. Even with these additional species the total catch ...

Interaction of benzo(a)pyrene and cadmium on GSH-S-transferase and benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase in the black sea bass Centropristis striata.

The effect of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and cadmium (Cd) upon the hepatic enzymes, BaP hydroxylase and GSH-S-transferase, was investigated in black sea bass. Intraperitoneal (ip) injections of BaP produced a significant increase in BaP hydroxylase activity in the microsomal fraction and GSH-S-transferase activity in the cytosol. Administration of Cd alone had no effect on either enzyme. However, when both Cd and BaP were injected (ip) in the fish, Cd had an inhibitory effect on the activity of these hepatic enzymes. Pretreatment of fish with a low dose of Cd (0.42 mg/kg) prior to injection of BaP and Cd produced a 30% increase in GSH-S-transferase activity and a 50% reduction in BaP hydroxylase activity when compared to fish injected with BaP alone following Cd pretreatment. Thus, a low dose of Cd was effective in producing a tolerance to a subsequent Cd challenge for the enzyme GSH-S-transferase but not for BaP hydroxylase. In contrast, fish pretreated with a high dose of Cd (2.5 mg/kg) prior to BaP treatment alone or with Cd displayed no difference in either enzyme activity. The implications from this study on the exposure of black sea bass to two xenobiotics, Cd and BaP, indicate that BaP hydroxylase may not serve as a good monitor for hydrocarbon pollution in the presence of Cd.

Se-dependent GSH-peroxidase isolated from black sea bass ( Centropristis striata)

1. Black sea bass were injected i.p. with Na 2SeO 3 (Se-75). A GSH-dependent peroxidase was extracted from the liver via differential centrifugation and gel filtration chromatography. 2. Sea bass liver GSH-peroxidase eluted coincidently with Se-75 and was estimated to have a molecular weight of 72,000. 3. The nature of the selenium-protein bond in the peroxidase was investigated by dialysis vs sodium selenite, glutathione (a sulfhydryl reagent) and alkali. It was concluded that the Se-75 was associated with the peroxidase through a non-sulfhydryl linkage likely to be a C—Se bond. 4. This study confirms that Se is found in a GSH-peroxidase fraction isolated from black sea bass and suggests that Se may play an important role in marine fish.

Distribution of GSH and GSH cycle enzymes in black sea bass ( Centropristis striata)

1. 1. Tissue extracts were prepared from black sea bass kidney, liver, brain, red blood cells and muscle; each of the extracts was analyzed for the following glutathione (GSH)-dependent enzyme activities: Se-dependent and Se-independent GSH-peroxidases, GSH reductase, γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase, GSH-S-transferase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. 2. 2. Each of the black sea bass tissues possessed an active complement of GSH-metabolizing enzymes in a relative distribution similar to that reported for other species including mammals. 3. 3. Tissue GSH concentrations were of the same magnitude as those reported for mammalian tissues.

Hormone-Induced Ovulation of Black Sea Bass and Rearing of Larvae

(1984). Hormone-Induced Ovulation of Black Sea Bass and Rearing of Larvae. The Progressive Fish-Culturist: Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 201-203.

The role of digestion in the black sea bass, Centropristis Striata, on the chemical speciation of organically bound cadmium

1. The process of digestion ( in vivo and in vitro) upon the chemical form of intrinsic cadmium (Cd) in oysters was examined. 2. Analyses of stomach contents of adult black sea bass ( Centropristis strial), 6 hr after consuming oysters previously exposed to Cd, indicated that Cd was associated with five protein fractions having approximate molecular weights of > 160,000, 74,000, 38,000, 11,000 and <4000. 3. After 24 hr of in vivo digestion, analyses of intestinal contents indicated that most of the detectable Cd was associated with smaller molecular weight compounds. 4. Similar results were obtained in an in vitro digestion system; the Cd was associated with somewhat larger complexes than those found in the in vivo digestion. 5. Free amino acids were present in the low-molecular weight organo-Cd fraction, suggesting a possible role of amino acids in intestinal Cd transport.

The role of digestion in the black sea bass centropristis striata, on the chemical speciation of organically bound cadmium

The role of digestion in the black sea bass centropristis striata, on the chemical speciation of organically bound cadmium

Accumulations of naphthalene and cadmium after simultaneous ingestion by the black sea bass, Centropristis striata.

Black sea bass,Centropristis striata, were daily force-fed capsules containing oyster,Crassostrea virginica, tissues previously exposed to109Cd in the presence and absence of14C-naphthalene (NPH). Black sea bass were sacrificed at 24, 72, and 336 hr, and values for radioactivity associated with Cd and total NPH compounds (including NPH cellular metabolites) determined for various tissues and body fluids. Results indicated that concentrations of tissue Cd were significantly higher when both Cd and NPH were ingested simultaneously. Tissue concentrations of total NPH compounds were generally not affected by the presence of Cd.