Warming of the oceans and consequent loss of dissolved oxygen (O2) will alter marine ecosystems, but a mechanistic framework to predict the impact of multiple stressors on viable habitat is lacking. Here, we integrate physiological, climatic, and biogeographic data to calibrate and then map a key metabolic index—the ratio of O2 supply to resting metabolic O2 demand—across geographic ranges of several marine ectotherms. These species differ in thermal and hypoxic tolerances, but their contemporary distributions are all bounded at the equatorward edge by a minimum metabolic index of ~2 to 5, indicative of a critical energetic requirement for organismal activity. The combined effects of warming and O2 loss this century are projected to reduce the upper ocean’s metabolic index by ~20% globally and by ~50% in northern high-latitude regions, forcing poleward and vertical contraction of metabolically viable habitats and species ranges.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/348/6239/1132.full.pdf

Climate change tightens a metabolic constraint on marine habitats

Fish immune system and its nutritional modulation for preventive health care

Under intensive culture conditions, fish are subject to increased stress owing to environmental (water quality and hypoxia) and health conditions (parasites and infectious diseases). All these factors have negative impacts on fish well-being and overall performance, with consequent economic losses. Though good management practices contribute to reduce stressor effects, stress susceptibility is always high under crowded conditions. Adequate nutrition is essential to avoid deficiency signs, maintain adequate animal performance and sustain normal health. Further, it is becoming evident that diets overfortified with specific nutrients [amino acids, essential fatty acids (FAs), vitamins or minerals] at levels above requirement may improve health condition and disease resistance. Diet supplements are also being evaluated for their antioxidant potential, as fish are potentially at risk of peroxidative attack because of the large quantities of highly unsaturated FAs in both fish tissues and diets. Functional constituents other than essential nutrients (such as probiotics, prebiotics and immunostimulants) are also currently being considered in fish nutrition aiming to improve fish growth and/or feed efficiency, health status, stress tolerance and resistance to diseases. Such products are becoming more and more important for reducing antibiotic utilization in aquafarms, as these have environmental impacts, may accumulate in animal tissues and increase bacterial resistance. This study reviews knowledge of the effect of diet nutrients on health, welfare and improvement of disease resistance in fish.

Nutrition and health of aquaculture fish.

This review and data analysis outline how fish biologists should most reliably estimate the minimal amount of oxygen needed by a fish to support its aerobic metabolic rate (termed standard metabolic rate; SMR). By reviewing key literature, it explains the theory, terminology and challenges underlying SMR measurements in fishes, which are almost always made using respirometry (which measures oxygen uptake, ṀO2 ). Then, the practical difficulties of measuring SMR when activity of the fish is not quantitatively evaluated are comprehensively explored using 85 examples of ṀO2 data from different fishes and one crustacean, an analysis that goes well beyond any previous attempt. The main objective was to compare eight methods to estimate SMR. The methods were: average of the lowest 10 values (low10) and average of the 10% lowest ṀO2 values, after removing the five lowest ones as outliers (low10%), mean of the lowest normal distribution (MLND) and quantiles that assign from 10 to 30% of the data below SMR (q0·1 , q0·15 , q0·2 , q0·25 and q0·3 ). The eight methods yielded significantly different SMR estimates, as expected. While the differences were small when the variability was low amongst the ṀO2 values, they were important (>20%) for several cases. The degree of agreement between the methods was related to the c.v. of the observations that were classified into the lowest normal distribution, the c.v. MLND (C.V.MLND ). When this indicator was low (≤5·4), it was advantageous to use the MLND, otherwise, one of the q0·2 or q0·25 should be used. The second objective was to assess if the data recorded during the initial recovery period in the respirometer should be included or excluded, and the recommendation is to exclude them. The final objective was to determine the minimal duration of experiments aiming to estimate SMR. The results show that 12 h is insufficient but 24 h is adequate. A list of basic recommendations for practitioners who use respirometry to measure SMR in fishes is provided.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jfb.12845

The determination of standard metabolic rate in fishes.

Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment and physical characteristics result in low dissolved oxygen concentrations (hypoxia) in estuaries and semienclosed seas throughout the world. Published research indicates that within and near oxygen-depleted waters, finfish and mobile macroinvertebrates experience negative effects that range from mortality to altered trophic interactions. Chronic exposure to hypoxia and fluctuating oxygen concentrations impair reproduction, immune responses, and growth. We present an analysis of hypoxia, nitrogen loadings, and fisheries landings in 30 estuaries and semienclosed seas worldwide. Our results suggest that hypoxia does not typically reduce systemwide fisheries landings below what would be predicted from nitrogen loadings, except where raw sewage is released or particularly sensitive species lose critical habitat. A number of compensatory mechanisms limit the translation of local-scale effects of hypoxia to the scale of the whole system. Hypoxia is, however, a serious environmental challenge that should be considered in fisheries management strategies and be a direct target of environmental restoration.

https://moritz.botany.ut.ee/~olli/eutrsem/Breitburg09.pdf

Hypoxia, Nitrogen, and Fisheries: Integrating Effects Across Local and Global Landscapes

Artificial lighting prevents high night-time mortality of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, caused by poor scotopic vision

Nile tilapia were exposed to severe hypoxic conditions. The respiratory frequency (RF) of the fish reached a maximum level at approximately 10 mmHg PO2 and decreased gradually thereafter. The fish sank to the bottom and subsequently their respiration began to stop. The hypoxic conditions increased the hematocrit value. As RF decreased, plasma cortisol and glucose levels climbed drastically. Just before respiratory arrest, the ATP and the total adenylate (TA) concentrations were significantly depressed in the liver, kidney and ordinary muscle but not in the heart or gill. As RF decreased, ATP and TA in both the liver and kidney decreased rapidly. Cytochrome oxidase activity increased significantly in the brain, heart, gill and ordinary muscle until respiratory frequency peaked. However, from the peak RF, this activity decreased in the liver and kidney. Lactic acid levels in both ordinary muscle and liver increased markedly when the fish sank. These results indicate that the stress response to hypoxic conditions is induced markedly with the decreased RF. It is also suggested that the decreased energy status in the liver and kidney of tilapia occurs at the same stage as the metabolic depression in the whole body, without increases in the aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms.

Stress response and energy metabolism in various tissues of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus exposed to hypoxic conditions.

Ontogeny of tolerance to hypoxia and oxygen consumption of larval and juvenile red sea bream, Pagrus major

Control and stressed groups of juvenile Japanese parrot fish Oplegnathus fasciatus were fed diets (moist pellet) supplemented with 0, 75, and 300mg of ascorbic acid (AsA) per 100g. Fish in the stressed group were intermittently exposed to decreasing water oxygen levels every 3 or 4 days for 16 weeks. In the fish given a diet containing no AsA supplement, AsA-deficiency symptoms were manifest-ed earlier, and to a greater extent, in the stressed fish than in the non-stressed ones. Similarly, the growth of stressed fish fed on a diet supplemented with 75mg AsA per 100g was inferior to the growth of the control group, and in the stressed fish there was a reduction in AsA levels in the plasma, kidneys, and gills. On the other hand, fish fed on a diet supplemented with 300mg of AsA per 100g were barely affected by the stressor. These results indicate that, in Japanese parrot fish under these experimental conditions, ex-posure to intermittent hypoxic stress not only induced AsA-deficiency disease early, but also in-creased the AsA requirement. It was also shown that high doses of AsA increased the ability of these fish to resist the stressor.

Effects of Dietary Ascorbic Acid on Tolerance to Intermittent Hypoxic Stress in Japanese Parrot Fish.

Schooling behaviour and histological retinal light adaptation in juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis were examined under various light intensities to determine the effect of light intensity on behaviour. After monitoring the schooling behaviour of juveniles 35–36 and 45–46 days post hatching, schooling variables such as nearest neighbour distance and separation swimming index were measured under different light intensities. Furthermore, retinal indices of light adaptation were investigated histologically for each experimental light intensity. Under intensities >5 lx, schooling variables in the two juvenile growth stages were nearly constant, allowing schooling. In contrast, the schooling variables indicated that the fish gradually swam more widely and randomly with decreasing light intensities <5 lx. The retinal indices also showed a shift from light adaptation to dark adaptation at light levels <5 lx. From 5 to 0·01 lx, retinal adaptation and fish schooling behaviour changed with light intensity. These data suggest that the schooling behaviour of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna is greatly affected by retinal adaptation.

Yasunori Ishibashi

Papers

Artificial lighting prevents high night-time mortality of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, caused by poor scotopic vision

Stress response and energy metabolism in various tissues of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus exposed to hypoxic conditions.

Ontogeny of tolerance to hypoxia and oxygen consumption of larval and juvenile red sea bream, Pagrus major

Effects of Dietary Ascorbic Acid on Tolerance to Intermittent Hypoxic Stress in Japanese Parrot Fish.

Schooling behaviour and retinomotor response of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis under different light intensities