Sablefish Anoplopoma Fimbria Research Articles

Sex ratio, spawning period, and size and age at maturity of sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria off northern California.

Size, sex, state of maturity and age were determined for sablefish captured by commercial otter trawl vessels at depths from 100m to 900m off northern California from January through August 1984. Sex ratios appeared to be 1:1 among immature fish at all depths, but significantly departed from a 1:1 ratio among mature fish during many months and at many depths, without any clear pattern. Plots of percent spent fish against month suggested that spawning took place from late January through March with a probable peak during early February. Estimated fork lengths at 50% maturity showed a shift to a smaller size with increasing depth. A greater fraction of males and females was mature at smaller sizes and younger ages in deeper waters (>600m) than in shallow waters (<600m). Maturation of both sexes occurred over a wide range of ages and sizes (from 3 to 8 years of age and from 40 to 65cm in fork length), although females generally matured at a larger size and older age than males. Two alternative hypotheses could explain collected data. Sablefish may move to deeper waters at the onset of sexual maturity (for which size and age may vary considerably among individuals), or distinct deep water and shallow water stocks may exist off northern California. Tagging experiments are necessary for distinguishing between these alternative explanations.Sablefish Anoplopoma fimbri

Laboratory Feeding and Growth.of Juvenile Sablefish,Anoplopoma fimbria

We collected wild juvenile sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) from the neuston off Oregon and established them in laboratory culture. Growth was determined weekly for up to 8 wk for fish over a size range of 35–110 mm SL (0.3–16.5 g) when provided with one of two live prey species at four ration levels. Fish were fed either mysid shrimp, Archaeomysis grebnitzkii, or adult brine shrimp, Artemia salina, at ration sizes of 10, 20, and 30% wet body weight/d, and with ad libitum availability of food. Fish provided with mysids at a given ration size generally had mean daily length and weight increments higher than those achieved with Artemia at the same ration. Superiority of the mysids for promoting growth was primarily due to their higher dry to wet weight ratio. Gross conversion efficiencies exceeding 40% were achieved on low rations of mysid prey. Peak growth exceeding 2 mm/d and 1.0 g/d establishes juvenile neustonic sablefish among the fastest growing juvenile fishes yet examined.

Lesion on Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) of Possible Viral and Bacterial Origin

Lesion on Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) of Possible Viral and Bacterial Origin

A Methodology for Estimating Area Fished for Baited Hooks and Traps Along a Ground Line

The methodology that estimates area fished for baited hooks or traps involves experimental fishing of strings of baited hooks or traps at different spacing along a ground line. This methodology enables expansion of catch per effort to a population estimate, when other methods may be impracticable. Experimentation and estimation procedures are given and the method is applied to data for prickly sculpin (Cottus asper), halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), and sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria).Key words: baited hook, baited trap, stock assessment, fish density, longline, estimate

Fish-bone oil: Percent total body lipid and carbon-14 uptake following feeding of 1-14C-palmitic acid

Bones contain the majority of body lipid in some marine fish. In the sheepshead wrasse Pimelometopon pulchrum and the sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria, the bone lipid comprised 79 to 93% and 52 to 82% of the total body lipid, respectively. The senorita Oxyjulus california, another species of wrasse, has only 14% of its body lipid in bone. To determine whether dietary lipid is deposited quickly in the bone lipid, three species of fish were fed 1-14C-palmitic acid. Radioactivity appeared in the bone lipid as soon as 12 h after feeding, with the species rich in bone lipid incorporating the highest activity relative to the flesh. Roughly 80% of the radioactivity recovered in A. fimbria bone lipid was found in triglyceride. Radioactivity was equally distributed between phospholipid and triglyceride in P. pulchrum bone lipids. The results suggest that in some marine fish the bones contain the majority of the organism's reserve energy.

Subcutaneous Hemorrhage in Captive Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria): A Possible Link to Mortality

During the spring of 1971 two groups of sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) were captured by pot fishing gear off the Washington coast. Within three days subcutaneous hemorrhages occurred in both groups and the more extensively hemorrhaged fish soon died. It appeared that the hemorrhages were a delayed reaction to injury sustained at capture. Impact against the pot walls or embolism arising from rapid decompression are suggested as possible causes.

Preliminary Study of Sablefish Culture, a Potential New Industry

A new industry may be possible based on capture of second-year juvenile sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) weighing about 300 g then rearing them to 4 kg for sale. I found sablefish easy to rear. Under growth-favouring conditions they gained about 150 g per fish per month, used about 5 kg wet weight of feed per kilogram gained, and had mortalities of less than 1% per month. Concentrations of at least 43 kg of fish/m2 or 70 g/liter did not adversely affect growth or mortality.

Mortality of Dart-Tagged Captive Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria)

Infection from dart tags killed sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in a tank and in a net. Mortality began 3 months after tagging and reached a high level after 8 months that persisted for more than a year. At the observed mortality rate virtually all would die within a year.

Canadian Marine Oils of Low Iodine Value: Fatty Acid Composition of Oils from Newfoundland Turbot (Greenland Halibut), Certain Atlantic Herring, and a Sablefish

Marine oils with iodine values in the range 83–108 from Newfoundland turbot or Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), and certain Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), were examined for fatty acid composition by gas–liquid chromatography. The herring oils differed from the other oils in having high levels of C20and especially C22fatty acids (chiefly monounsaturated). The sablefish oil had a high level of C18fatty acids, the turbot oil a composition intermediate between the herring and sablefish oils. All of these oils contained moderate amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids (7.3–14.4%). The low iodine values were primarily due to monounsaturated fatty acids and not to saturated fatty acids (17.1–21.0%)