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American Society for Testing and Materials

The rapid development of intensive fed aquaculture (e.g. finfish and shrimp) throughout the world is associated with concerns about the environmental impacts of such often monospecific practices, especially where activities are highly geographically concentrated or located in suboptimal sites whose assimilative capacity is poorly understood and, consequently, prone to being exceeded. One of the main environmental issues is the direct discharge of significant nutrient loads into coastal waters from open-water systems and with the effluents from land-based systems. In its search for best management practices, the aquaculture industry should develop innovative and responsible practices that optimize its efficiency and create diversification, while ensuring the remediation of the consequences of its activities to maintain the health of coastal waters. To avoid pronounced shifts in coastal processes, conversion, not dilution, is a common-sense solution, used for centuries in Asian countries. By integrating fed aquaculture (finfish, shrimp) with inorganic and organic extractive aquaculture (seaweed and shellfish), the wastes of one resource user become a resource (fertilizer or food) for the others. Such a balanced ecosystem approach provides nutrient bioremediation capability, mutual benefits to the cocultured organisms, economic diversification by producing other value-added marine crops, and increased profitability per cultivation unit for the aquaculture industry. Moreover, as guidelines and regulations on aquaculture effluents are forthcoming in several countries, using appropriately selected seaweeds as renewable biological nutrient scrubbers represents a cost-effective means for reaching compliance by reducing the internalization of the total environmental costs. By adopting integrated polytrophic practices, the aquaculture industry should find increasing environmental, economic, and social acceptability and become a full and sustainable partner within the development of integrated coastal management frameworks.

Integrating seaweeds into marine aquaculture systems: a key toward sustainability

Minireview integrating seaweeds into marine aquaculture systems: a key toward sustainability'

Although many fisheries stocks have declined precipitously throughout the world, fish farming--and especially shrimp and salmon farming--has boomed. The increasingly large scale of these enterprises is now having unforeseen ecological consequences on ocean resources through habitat destruction, effluent discharge, exotic species introductions, and heightened fish catch for feed use. Ending unsustainable production practices will require reorienting regulatory policies and fiscal incentives in shrimp- and salmon-producing counties, and enhancing restrictions on environmentally unsound practices.

Nature's Subsidies to Shrimp and Salmon Farming

https://jcp.bmj.com/content/jclinpath/12/2/193.1.full.pdf

Practical Clinical Biochemistry

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1897&context=parasitologyfacpubs

Synopsis of freshwater crayfish diseases and commensal organisms

Total and differential haemocyte counts (THCs and DHCs) were obtained from 36 white and 36 red western rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus) that had experienced stress during capture and transportation. The lobsters were divided into three different groups on the basis of their holding time in the factory tanks and their health status (fresh arrivals, healthy and moribund). THCs were obtained with a haemocytometer from fresh haemolymph stained with gentian violet. THCs ranged from 2.5 106 to 15.9 106 cells mL-1 in the three groups, being lowest in the moribund lobsters. DHCs were obtained from haemolymph smears stained with both Giemsa and May–GrUnwald. Three major haemocyte groups could be identified in lobster haemolymph: hyalinocytes, semi-granulocytes and granulocytes. The proportion of hyalinocytes in the three lobster groups ranged from 29.1% to 37.0%, that of semi- granulocytes from 51.1% to 62.9%, and that of granulocytes from 5.1% to 13.1%. The proportion of granulocytes declined in lobsters after they were held for 16 h in the factory tanks and was lowest in moribund lobsters. The results show that THCs and DHCs may be useful in assessing stress or health status in the western rock lobster or other lobsters.

Total and differential haemocyte counts in western rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus George) under post-harvest stress

Investigation of alternative protein sources in practical diets for juvenile shrimp, Penaeus monodon

Hemolymph clotting time as an indicator of stress in western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus George)

This study aimed to determine the effect of post harvest operations such as air exposure on the health status of lobsters. These effects can be assessed through measurement of selected immune parameters such as total haemocyte counts, haemolymph clotting time, bacteraemia and the differential proportion of granular cells in lobster haemolymph. Lobsters were taken from factory holding tanks and exposed to air for 2, 6, 12, and 18 h through placement in foam boxes. Controls were sampled at each time point by collecting lobsters from the same tank as the experimental animals (10 animals /treatment group) with a different group of lobsters being sampled at each time point. Air exposure caused a significant increase in clotting time at 12h and 18h. Total haemocyte counts showed a decreasing trend. The proportion of granular cells tended to be lower in air-exposed animals, the difference was significant at 2h exposure. The bacteraemia levels tended to be higher in air exposed lobsters than in controls and the difference was significant at 12h exposure. Low total haemocyte counts, high clotting times, low granular cell numbers and high bacteraemia levels implied increased susceptibility to infection and lowered immunity. The results show that air exposure has a significant adverse effect on the immune system and hence on the health status of the lobsters.

Louis H. Evans

Papers

Synopsis of freshwater crayfish diseases and commensal organisms

Total and differential haemocyte counts in western rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus George) under post-harvest stress

Investigation of alternative protein sources in practical diets for juvenile shrimp, Penaeus monodon

Hemolymph clotting time as an indicator of stress in western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus George)

Effect of air exposure on the immune system of the rock lobster Panulirus cygnus