Occurrence Of Fish Research Articles

The Role of Maturity in Artificial Habitat Selection by Female Red Snapper

AbstractThe Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus is a reef‐associated species found throughout the Gulf of Mexico that relies on artificial structures for habitat. In this study, we used Bayesian models to determine habitat selection by different sizes and ages of female Red Snapper and to identify whether there was a difference in habitat selection between immature and mature fish. Red Snapper (n = 693) were sampled using vertical longlines from March or April through November of 2016–2018 off the coast of Mississippi at different artificial structure types (platforms, artificial reefs, and rigs‐to‐reef structures [hereafter, “rigs‐to‐reefs”]) and depths (shallow, <20 m; mid‐depth, 20–49 m; and deep, 50–100 m). To adjust for the traditional occurrence of mature fish being larger and older than immature fish, only fish within the intersection of the FL (n = 616) and age (n = 622) ranges of immature and mature classes were used in these analyses. Fork length and age of immature and mature fish increased with increasing depth, but immature fish had a larger increase in FL per unit depth than mature fish. Immature fish on artificial reefs were found to be older than immature fish at platforms, while there was no age difference between the two structures for mature fish. There was no difference in FL or age between rigs‐to‐reefs and platforms or artificial reefs for immature fish, but FL and age of mature fish were greater at rigs‐to‐reefs than at platforms and artificial reefs. However, maturity did not play a role in how age increased with depth or with differences in FL between artificial reefs and platforms for mature fish. These differences in habitat use based on maturity should be considered along with FL and age to inform management regulations for Red Snapper.

First report on the occurrence of Sargassum Weed Fish Histrio histrio (Lophiliformes: Antennariidae) in Nigeria deep water, Gulf of Guinea

We report the first occurrence of Sargassum Weed Fish Histrio histrio at Bonga Field in Nigeria Outer Continental Shelf approximately 120 km south-east of Delta State in February 2014. At high tides and under difficulty, we sampled some seaweeds in the epi-pelagic realm using a secured standard plankton net to the environmental research vessel that was cruising at a dead speed (≤4 knots). Upon examination of the weeds we collected, one adult Sargassum Weed Fish along with two gelatinous fingerlings were realised. This finding suggests the probable occurrence of more population of Sargassum Weed Fish in their macro-habitat (the Sargassum seaweeds) which are abundantly bound in the Gulf of Guinea deep waters. The specimen was photographed on-board and preserved immediately in 10 % formalin solution for a 24-h period and was thereafter reprocessed, and permanently preserved with 70 % ethanol. We recommend a major study of the marine seaweeds and their colonisers amongst Gulf of Guinea member states.

MACROECOLOGIA DE PEIXES DE RIACHOS BRASILEIROS

Studies in Macroecology deal with patterns and processes on large scale (spatial, temporal and taxonomic) and that by definition are too comprehensive to be studied with replicated, manipulative and controlled experiments as it has been traditionally performed in Ecology. Macroecological studies are still conducted with a focus on terrestrial vertebrates and plants, while marine systems and especially freshwater systems remain little explored. The objective of this study is to highlight some advances in the fields of study of aquatic macroecology (spatial patterns of alpha and beta diversity), using fish from Brazilian streams as the object of analysis. By gathering stream fish occurrence information from large scale data sets, we found high total richness in Amazonia, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, and found on average seven species per sampling unit, with small variation related to the identity of the analyzed biomes. Yet, species composition is distinct between biomes and we found high turnover levels within them. We will guide the reader through possible causes and mechanisms of the identified patterns.

Benchmarking bioinformatic tools for fast and accurate eDNA metabarcoding species identification.

Bioinformatic analysis of eDNA metabarcoding data is a crucial step toward rigorously assessing biodiversity. Many programs are now available for each step of the required analyses, but their relative abilities at providing fast and accurate species lists have seldom been evaluated. We used simulated mock communities and real fish eDNA metabarcoding data to evaluate the performance of 13 bioinformatic programs and pipelines to retrieve fish occurrence and read abundance using the 12S mt rRNA gene marker. We used four indices to compare the outputs of each program with the simulated samples: sensitivity, F-measure, root-mean-square error (RMSE) on read relative abundances, and execution time. We found marked differences among programs only for the taxonomic assignment step, both in terms of sensitivity, F-measure and RMSE. Running time was highly different between programs for each step. The fastest programs with best indices for each step were assembled into a pipeline. We compared this pipeline to pipelines constructed from existing toolboxes (OBITools, Barque, and QIIME 2). Our pipeline and Barque obtained the best performance for all indices and appear to be better alternatives to highly used pipelines for analysing fish eDNA metabarcoding data when a complete reference database is available. Analysis on real eDNA metabarcoding data also indicated differences for taxonomic assignment and execution time only. This study reveals major differences between programs during the taxonomic assignment step. The choice of algorithm for the taxonomic assignment can have a significant impact on diversity estimates and should be made according to the objectives of the study.

Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishes

AbstractCoastal restoration projects to mitigate environmental impacts have increased global demand for sand resources. Unfortunately, these resources are often extracted from sand/shell banks on the inner continental shelf, resulting in significant alteration or loss of low‐relief reefs in coastal oceans. Experimental reefs (oyster shell, limestone rubble, composite) were deployed in the western Gulf of Mexico to assess their potential value as nurseries for newly settled reef fishes. Occurrence, abundance, and species richness of juvenile fishes were significantly higher on all three types of low‐relief reefs compared with unconsolidated sediment. Moreover, reefs served as nursery habitat for a range of reef fish taxa (angelfishes, grunts, sea basses, snappers, and triggerfishes). Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) was the dominant species present on all experimental reefs (100% occurrence), and mean density of this species was markedly higher on each of the three low‐relief reefs (>40.0 individuals/reef) relative to comparable areas over unconsolidated sediment (0.2 individuals). Our results suggest creation or restoration of structurally complex habitat on the inner shelf has the potential to markedly increase early life survival and expedite the recovery of exploited reef fish populations, and therefore may represent a critical conservation tool for increasing recruitment and maintaining reef fish diversity.

Occurrence of fish species in the inland water of Murmansk Region (Russia): research in 1972-2021.

BackgroundKnowledge about the distribution of organisms on Earth is important backbone of biological sciences and especially for deeper understanding of biogeography. However, much of the existing distributional data are scattered throughout a multitude of sources (including in different languages), such as taxonomic publications, checklists and natural history collections and often, bringing them together is difficult. Development of the digital storage facilities may prevent loss of important data (Ruchin et al. 2020). Project GBIF is a good example of a successful data storage facility, which allows investigators to publish biodiversity data in one safe place in one uniform format. Our dataset describes the degree of the investigation of the fish fauna of the inland water of the Murmansk Region. Murmansk Region is a Euro-Arctic Region with a heterogeneous landscape, which determines diversity of the habitats for the fish occurrence. Our dataset contains valid information about distribution of the fish species. This dataset was built upon information obtained by the members of a Laboratory of the aquatic ecosystems of the Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems of Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Science (INEP KSC RAS). The dataset includes 18,509 records about 16 fish species from 14 genera (eight families) collected from 1972 to 2021. A total of 67 water bodies from 15 different basins (rivers from basins of the White and Barents Seas) was screened in order to characterise ichthyocenoses. The main purpose of publishing a database is to make our data available in the global biodiversity system to a wide range of users. The data can be used by researchers, as well as helping the authorities to manage their territory more efficiently.New informationAll occurrences are published in GBIF for the first time. We would like to make this data available to everyone by adding it in the global biodiversity database (GBIF).

Cold thermal tolerance as a range-shift predictive trait: an essential link in the disparity of occurrence of tropical reef fishes in temperate waters

There is increasing empirical evidence of the shifting range distributions of tropical reef fishes as a response to persistent climatic warming. However, the link between the observed disparity of closely related species’ occurrence in temperate waters and their trait-based responses to winter thermal conditions is unclear. This study focuses on congeneric tropical reef fishes with similar dispersal potential (pelagic larval duration) but with varying occurrence in Kochi, southwestern Japan. The studied species include the abundantly occurring, overwintering, and reproductively established species in Kochi (adapted) and the less abundant species with no recorded overwintering and adult populations (non-adapted). This study assessed the responses of congeneric adapted and non-adapted species from two genera of Pomacentridae (Pomacentrus and Dascyllus) and one from Chaetodontidae (Chaetodon) to the winter seawater thermal range in Kochi by subjecting them to the decreasing temperature from 25 to 15 °C (1 °C d−1) in the laboratory. Both the adapted and non-adapted species demonstrated swimming and feeding reductions when temperatures approached 18 °C. However, stress-related behaviors were observed at 17 °C in the non-adapted species compared with 16 °C in their adapted congeners. The non-adapted species also exhibited relatively lower growth rates and higher mortality rates of > 50% during the 3-d exposure to 15 °C, indicating that the minimum winter temperature in Kochi is often lethal to these species. Thus, the present study highlights the species-specific cold thermal tolerance of tropical reef fishes to winter conditions at the leading edge as a useful predictor of a given specie’s range-shift capacity.

Generalized additive models with delayed effects and spatial autocorrelation patterns to improve the spatiotemporal prediction of the skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) distribution in the Colombian Pacific Ocean

Fish populations respond to environmental change with daily, monthly, and annual time delays, depending on each species life cycle. However, these delays are rarely included in Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) for species distribution that uses time-series data. Therefore, the predictions of these models entirely rely on assumptions of immediate fish response to oceanic factors. Spatial autocorrelation is also an issue for GAMs because datasets of fish occurrence usually exhibit this property, and though it has been progressively considered for modeling, it is still frequently ignored. These problems cause low model performance, unstable predictions and more importantly, wrong conclusions for fisheries management. We built and applied Generalized Additive Models with spatial terms and delayed effects of oceanic covariates (SDE-GAMs) to investigate model performance and prediction power for the spatiotemporal distribution of the skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), a species of commercial importance across the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Colombian Pacific Ocean. We used satellite-derived Surface Sea Temperature (SST), Sea Level Anomaly (SLA), and Chlorophyll-a (CHLA) as predictors for the Catch Per Unit of Effort (CPUE), considering monthly delayed covariate effects and spatial terms at intra-annual cycles. We evaluated performance improvement of SDE-GAMs compared to that of traditional GAMs (T-GAMs: only immediate covariate effects) and spatial GAMs (S-GAMs: immediate covariate effects plus spatial terms). The model performance of SDE-GAMs was on average 25.4% higher, while its prediction error was on average 43% lower. One, two and three-month delayed SST effects were the primary drivers of CPUE throughout the intra-annual cycle across the EEZ. SDE-GAMs were able to predict both general patterns and smaller details of the spatiotemporal distribution of skipjack, capturing sub-regional differentiation with high importance for management and decision making.

Assessing Linkages Between Small Impoundments and Long-term Trajectories of Prairie Stream Fish Assemblages

Most stream fish communities have changed over time in response to common anthropogenic disturbances. Impoundments are a widespread anthropogenic stressor that can negatively impact stream fishes as they alter flow regimes, block movements, and act as fountainheads for the introduction and spread of invasive species. Recent studies, however, have reported the occurrence and reproduction of native fishes in impoundments, suggesting they might benefit some native fishes. Our primary objective was to evaluate whether impoundment construction has led to changes in fish community structure in prairie streams. To accomplish this, we compared fish occupancy in small impoundments (,5 ha) to temporal trends in stream occupancy among species to test whether species' increases in stream occupancy were related to their occupancy in impoundments. We examined stream fish communities in the Upper Cottonwood River basin, Kansas, from 1948–2018, and sampled small impoundments in 2016 and 2017. A third (32%) of fish communities in impoundments were similar to stream assemblages, whereas most impoundments (68%) were dominated by sport or bait fishes. In streams, six species showed increases in occupancy and four species showed decreases since small impoundment construction. Of the species that exhibited increased stream occupancy, five showed a positive, logistical relationship between a species' impoundment occupancy and its increase in stream occupancy. Species declining in stream occupancy experienced continued linear declines and may still be declining. Our research suggests stream fish communities have changed since impoundment construction, and are associated with locally-invasive, native species reaching a new stable state in streams accompanied by declines in other native stream fish species.

Reduced dry season fish biomass and depleted carnivorous fish assemblages in unprotected tropical oxbow lakes

The effectiveness of protected areas in maintaining biodiversity is increasingly under debate. Specifically, the responses of animal populations in freshwater ecosystems to disturbances outside protected areas are not well understood. Fish assemblages can serve as an indicator of such responses. We used dry season oxbow lake fish occurrence data implemented within a Measurement of Biodiversity framework to examine the influence of extractive activities on the richness, structure and abundance of fish assemblages. We compared oxbow lakes in protected areas with lakes subject to artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) and other human activities. The main components of fish biodiversity maintained by lake protection were abundance and biomass. The strongest predictors of community structure were fishing intensity and water transparency. As variation in these factors are likely a consequence of ASGM, our results may indicate indirect impacts of ASGM on freshwater ecosystems. Our analysis of fish trophic guilds also suggested that carnivores dominated fish assemblages in protected lakes, whereas in disturbed lakes detritivores were more frequent, suggesting a trophic downgrading of freshwater ecosystems subject to ASGM. Taken together, our results indicate responses of fish assemblages to human activity associated with ASGM. In the western Amazon, protected and isolated areas appear to be successful at maintaining the integrity of fish assemblages. Given the vulnerability of freshwater habitats and their high value for ecosystem services, we recommend local community engagement and resource allocation to prevent the degradation of oxbow lake habitats and the depletion of local aquatic biodiversity in unprotected areas.

Low microplastic abundance in Siganus spp. from the Tañon Strait, Central Philippines

Microplastic (MP) occurrence is a major global issue, though data on MP occurrence in the Philippines is limited and the potential effects of MPs on biota are still poorly studied. MP occurrence in fishes remains a concern, especially in economically and ecologically important species such as Siganus spp. This study determined MP occurrence in the gastrointestinal tract of wild rabbit fishes from Tañon Strait, the largest marine protected area in the Philippines. Siganus canaliculatus (n = 65), S. spinus (n = 17), S. guttatus (n = 5), S. virgatus (n = 8) and S. punctatus (n = 1) were sampled from the north and south of the strait. All MPs isolated from the gut of the rabbit fishes except for fibers were chemically analyzed by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy; an established library was used to determine the polymeric identities. Five particles were confirmed as polyester, polyamide, polyethylene or phenoxy resin MPs. The average MP abundance was 0.05 items/individual (S. virgatus > S. guttatus > S. canaliculatus > S. spinus = S. punctatus), which is comparable to studies conducted in other locations using similar methods. Fibers were counted (1556 in total), but not chemically analyzed. The low MP abundance in the samples may be attributed to the capability of rabbit fishes to discriminate food preferences. However, the risks associated with MPs should not be underestimated, especially as all parts of the fishes—including the gut—are utilized as human foods in the Philippines and many other Asian countries.

Geomorphological characteristics of the Wabash River, USA: Influence on fish assemblages.

River hydrogeomorphology is a potential predictor of ecosystem and assemblage variation. We tested for fish assemblage variation as a function of hydrogeomorphology in a Midwestern US large river, the Wabash River. Fish data were classified by taxonomy and traits and we tested if assemblages varied with river hydrogeomorphology or river distance, defined into 10‐km distinct reaches. Three unique geomorphological units, Functional Process Zones (FPZ), were identified using an ArcGIS hydrogeomorphic model, based primarily on channel width, floodplain width, and down valley slope. Five locations were identified as FPZ A with narrow stream channel, high down valley slope, and an expansive floodplain. Ten locations were identified as FPZ B with a wide river channel and wide floodplain. Thirty‐five locations were identified as FPZ C with wide river channel and a constrained floodplain. The sites were categorized into three stream orders: 5, 6, and 7. We found hydrogeomorphology classified by unique FPZs or by river distance influenced taxonomic and functional fish assemblages for the Wabash River. There was high overlap among fish occurrences among FPZs, but nine species resulted as significant indicators of specific FPZs. Five traits were significant indicators of FPZs: an intermediate Swim Factor score, medium tolerance to silt, small‐large stream size preference, and two Shape Factor categories. Our conclusions are that fish assemblages respond strongly to local geomorphology and river distance, fitting the riverine ecosystem synthesis and the river continuum concept.

Long-term drivers of persistence and colonization dynamics in spatially structured amphibian populations.

Many organisms live in networks of local populations connected by dispersing individuals, called spatially structured populations (SSPs), where the long-term persistence of the entire network is determined by the balance between 2 processes acting at the scale of local populations: extinction and colonization. When multiple threats act on an SSP, a comparison of the different factors determining local extinctions and colonizations is essential to plan sound conservation actions. We assessed the drivers of long-term population dynamics of multiple amphibian species at the regional scale. We used dynamic occupancy models within a Bayesian framework to identify the factors determining persistence and colonization of local populations. Because connectivity among patches is fundamental to SSPs dynamics, we considered 2 measures of connectivity acting on each focal patch: incidence of the focal species and incidence of invasive crayfish. We used meta-analysis to summarize the effect of different drivers at the community level. Persistence and colonization of local populations were jointly determined by factors acting at different scales. Persistence probability was positively related to the area and the permanence of wetlands, whereas it was negatively related to occurrence of fish. Colonization probability was highest in semipermanent wetlands and in sites with a high incidence of the focal species in nearby sites, whereas it showed a negative relationship with the incidence of invasive crayfish in the landscape. By analyzing long-term data on amphibian population dynamics, we found a strong effect of some classic features commonly used in SSP studies, such as patch area and focal species incidence. The presence of an invasive non-native species at the landscape scale emerged as one of the strongest drivers of colonization dynamics, suggesting that studies on SSPs should consider different connectivity measures more frequently, such as the incidence of predators, especially when dealing with biological invasions.

Landscape determinants of fish reproductive guilds

Species dependent on freshwaters are declining globally. Understanding natural and anthropogenic environmental drivers affecting community structure and species occurrence is crucial for planning management and conservation actions. The aim of this study was to determine which landscape characteristics constrain reproductive guilds in wadeable streams and to explore the influence of reproductive strategy on fish occurrence. We expected reproductive guilds to differ in their associations with landscape determinants (i.e., the landscape characteristics found to constrain our reproductive guilds). This study was conducted in the Delaware River Basin in North America. We compiled existing stream survey and geospatial data from multiple government agencies and scientific organizations for 552 sites. We used ordination and regression techniques to identify important landscape determinants and their associations with reproductive guilds. We identified 12 variables that explained 20.6% of the total variation in reproductive guild composition. Slope, land cover and disturbance variables drove the position of reproductive guilds in ordination space. All reproductive guilds differed in the set of landscape-scale determinants that were selected during modelling. Best subsets of variables selected in regression models indicate that reproductive guild occurrence is significantly explained by catchment characteristics. These characteristics include measures of slope, land use and land cover, disturbance, and climate. Differences in determinants and relationships with reproductive guilds found in regression models, and gradients identified, indicate the importance of different landscape-scale determinants for specific reproductive guilds. Furthermore, our findings suggest a link between the environmental requirements of reproductive guilds and landscape-scale characteristics.

Causation of Saddleback Deformities in The Yellowfin Bream Acanthopagrus australis Fishery: Evidence of Physical Injury

The yellowfin bream A. australis supports an important commercial net and angling fishery on the east coast of Australia. Saddleback, a deformity of the dorsal fin and profile, occurs in this species, with the occurrence of fish with saddleback being as high as 10% in some areas. The present study provides new information and analysis of causation of the saddleback deformity in the yellowfin bream fishery. Lateral line scale regeneration due to injury, and soft tissue abnormalities indicative of deep wounding are present in yellowfin bream with saddleback. X-ray images of the entire skeleton of specimens with saddleback were also examined. An unpublished government report on chemical residues in saddleback and normal yellowfin bream is appended and discussed. The absence of both chemical residues, and lack of other skeletal deformities in yellowfin bream with saddleback provide indirect evidence of physical injury as the cause of saddleback in this case. The role of discarding of meshed yellowfin bream, which are smaller than the legal minimum size, as causation of the saddleback deformity is evaluated.

Anisakiasis Pada Ikan Laut Di Indonesia: Prevalensi, Sebaran Dan Potensi Patogenitasnya Pada Manusia

Nematode worm Anisakis sp is the causative agent of anisakiasis, a zoonosis which continues to be a health problem in humans, globally. Its clinical spectum varies from mild to very severe and always connected with sea fishes, one important source of nutrition for the community that cannot be ignored. In addition, consumer’s behavior and lifestyle in processing and consuming sea fishes also have has the potency as the predisposing factor for its transmission and clinical manifestations. This review article aimed to describes recent global data on anisakiasis and its occurrence in marine fishes of Indonesian waters and the risk of transmission in the community.

A new late devonian fish fauna from Northeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT Devonian fishes from South America tend to be fragmentary and sparse, catching little attention for palaeontological sampling. However, some of these remains demonstrate a wide variety of fishes which help understanding environmental and palaeogeographic patterns across the Devonian. In the Parnaíba Basin, the occurrence of Devonian fishes was thought to be restricted to the Pimenteira Formation (Middle Devonian; Eifelian-Givetian). It is described here for the first time fish remains from the Upper Devonian (Famennian) Longá Formation. These fossils represent at least two chondrichthyan (including acanthodians) taxa based on fin spines and a jaw fragment, and osteichthyan taxa based on dermal plates. Although fragmentary, these represent the first Devonian osteichthyan occurrence for the Parnaíba Basin and add to the scares Late Devonian fish record from Brazil. Recent studies have questioned the previous interpretations regarding the relationship between Gondwana and Euramerica, instead supporting more endemic vertebrate communities. Our results reinforce the palaeontological potential of the Palaeozoic strata of the Parnaíba Basin and call for additional work on the region, which may shed light on the diversification of vertebrates across Gondwana.

First report on occurrence of smooth back guitar fish, Rhinobatos lionotus from Pondicherry (Puducherry) coastal waters, South east coast of India

There is no aimed fishery for guitar fish in India, but these are mainly caught as bycatch of bottom set gill net and trawl fisheries. Batoids, particularly rays and guitar fish occupies more than 50% of the total elasmobranch landings in India. Basically there is no study on diversity and taxonomy of skates in India. In the present study Smooth back Guitar fish, Rhinobatos lionotus recorded as a first report in Pondicherry coastal waters.

Differences in the reproductive traits of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis among three fishing grounds in the Sea of Japan

Differences in the reproductive traits of Pacific bluefin tunaThunnus orientalis(PBF) in the Sea of Japan (SOJ) were investigated to evaluate the reproductive potential in 3 fishing grounds (i.e. northern, central and southern areas). The size distribution of PBF differed among the fishing grounds, with smaller fish (100-130 cm in fork length, FL) being caught in the central and northern areas of the SOJ. Spawning-capable females were found at sea surface temperatures (SSTs) between 17 and 25°C, with most SSTs >21°C. Seasonal changes in SST differed among the fishing grounds, and the period when SST exceeded 21°C differed in each fishing ground. Spawning-capable females were found at different times among the fishing grounds, and were observed throughout the fishing season in the southern area of the SOJ. The mean ± SD relative batch fecundity was estimated to be 69.8 ± 45.3 and 92.7 ± 43.1 oocytes g-1in the central and southern areas of the SOJ, respectively. The total spawning fraction was 0.2, 0.38 and 0.73 in the northern, central and southern areas of the SOJ, respectively. SST and FL were positively correlated with the batch fecundity. In addition, FL, SST and location affected the probability of occurrence of spawning-capable fish among mature fish. Therefore, the difference in the observed reproductive potential of PBF among fishing grounds in the SOJ can be linked to the differences in seasonal increases in SST and the size distribution of adult fish.

First Deep-Sea Shark Fossil Teeth from the Miocene of South Korea

Important vertebrate fossil remains were collected in the Pohang Basin in South Korea for many decades, but only few have been described up to now. Here, three deep-sea shark teeth are described, which most likely derived from the Duho Formation (middle Miocene) near Pohang City, South Korea. One of the teeth is identified as belonging to the genus Mitsukurina, while the others are assignable to Dalatias. None of these taxa were previously reported from the Korean Peninsula. The occurrences of these deep-water fishes in the Pohang Basin support the hypotheses that the Duho Formation was deposited in a deep-sea environment, and sharks, even including benthopelagic forms were already widely distributed throughout the East Sea when this sea was still developing.