Showing papers in "Transactions of The American Fisheries Society in 1970"

Polymorphism in the Esterases of Atlantic Herring

Abstract: The esterase enzymes of the tissues of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus) were analyzed by starch gel electrophoresis. Four sets of esterase bands were distinguished by their electrophoretic mobility, their relative activity with the two substrates, alpha-naphthyl acetate and alpha-naphthyl butyrate, and their relative concentrations in plasma, liver, and heart tissues. All of the esterases were inhibited by 10−4M solutions of dichlorvos, an organophosphate inhibitor, but none was inhibited by 10−4M eserine sulfate or by 10−4 M EDTA. Polymorphism was noted in all four sets of esterases. Evidence for the genetic control of the fastest migrating set was obtained from population genetic analyses. In this set of esterases, five distinct bands occurred either singly or in pairs. The observed distribution of the three most common bands fits the hypothesis that they are controlled by a set of autosomal alleles. The two rarest bands occurred only in the heterozygous state, as would be expected. ...

An Exponential Surplus-Yield Model for Optimizing Exploited Fish Populations

Abstract: A surplus-yield model of fishery dynamics which assumes the Gompertz growth function is developed, resulting in an implied exponential relationship between catch per unit effort and fishing effort, and in an asymmetrical yield curve. A maximum sustainable yield, predicted by the exponential model, is obtained from a population size which is about 37% of the environmentally limited maximum size. Three methods for estimating the parameters of the exponential model, adapted from those used for the linear model of Schaefer (1954, 1957), are presented. The exponential model is compared with the linear model using examples of the fisheries for the California sardine, Sardinops caerulea (Girard), and yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares (Bonnaterre) of the eastern tropical Pacific and western Atlantic Oceans. Management implications are discussed.

Species Interactions of the Alewife in the Great Lakes

Abstract: The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) has caused serious problems in the Great Lakes for almost 100 years. It entered Lake Ontario in abundance via the Erie Canal during the 1860's when major piscivores were declining, and became the dominant species in the lake during the 1870's. The alewife subsequently spread throughout the Great Lakes and became the dominant species in Lakes Huron and Michigan as major piscivores declined. In lakes where it became extremely abundant, the shallow-water planktivores declined in the first decade after alewife establishment, the minor piscivores increased then declined in the second decade, and the deepwater planktivores declined in the third decade. The consequence has been a general reduction in fishery productivity. Rehabilitation will require extreme reduction of the alewife, and restoration of an interacting complex of deep- and shallow-water forage species, and minor and major piscivores, either by reestablishing species affected by the alewife, or by the intr...

The Enormous Diversity in Genome Sizes of Fish as a Reflection of Nature's Extensive Experiments with Gene Duplication

Abstract: It appears that nature has experimented extensively with various modes of gene duplication in fish. We witness extreme diversity in the genome size as well as in the degree of gene duplication among fish. There are those that have increased their genome size exclusively by repeated tandem duplication of chromosomal segments. They show no proportional increase in the number of functional gene loci. In this group, the trend for progressive elimination of excessive genetic redundancy appears to have started in modern times. There is another group which went through tetraploid evolution. These fish are endowed with twice the number of gene loci for many of the gene products.

The Sea Lamprey in the Great Lakes

Abstract: The sea lamprey was inadvertently introduced above Niagara Falls by the development of the Welland Canal between Lakes Ontario and Erie. A major population did not develop in Lake Erie but the species rapidly established itself as a highly significant predator in all three upper lakes. Its most obvious effect was the virtual extermination of the lake trout which had been the mainstay of the fishery. Efforts were made to limit sea lamprey reproduction by blocking the major spawning runs. These measures helped define the scope of the problem and generated considerable knowledge of the fluvial phase of the animal's life history but apparently exerted no significant restraint on population growth. Later control measures employed lamprey specific, selective toxicants to destroy larval populations in stream and estuarine habitats. Introduced first on Lake Superior to conserve the only significant lake trout stock then remaining, vigorous prosecution of these “treatments” resulted in a reduction, in 196...

Insecticide Susceptibility of Some Common Fish Family Representatives

Abstract: Static acute bioassays were conducted to determine the relative susceptibility to insecticides of representatives of the families Ictaluridae, Cyprinidae, Centrarchidae, and Salmonidae. TL50 values were predicted for twelve species of fish tested against nine insecticides. Species differences in susceptibility to the organochlorine insecticides DDT, toxaphene and lindane, and the phosphorothionate organophosphorus insecticides Bayrex(R) and methyl parathion were minimal. Relatively large differences in species susceptibility to the organophosphorus insecticides of the phosphorodithioate group (malathion and Guthion(R) were observed. Species differences in susceptibility to the carbamate insecticides, carbaryl and Zectran, were apparent. Susceptibility to the insecticides was, in general, similar within systematic groups, with the Ictaluridae and Cyprinidae being the least susceptible and the Salmonidae being the most susceptible of the families tested.

Evaluation of Balance between Fishes and Available Fish Foods in Multispecies Fish Culture Ponds in Taiwan

Abstract: Evaluation of the condition of balance between fishes and available fish foods in impoundments of multispecies fish culture in Taiwan was made by analyzing the quantitative interrelations between the standing crop of fish-food biota and the stocked fishes of ecologically different species in a 6-hectare pond with organic fertilization and feeding, and 99 irrigation reservoirs with a total water surface area of 697 hectares. In a balanced condition, the growth rate of plankton, macrophytes, benthos and nekton (exclusive of stocked fishes) kept pace with the rate of consumption by the fishes, respectively, of planktophagic, macrophytophagic, benthophagic, and nektophagic species within the impoundment. Studies of the interaction between the fishes and the fish-food biota in the two types of impoundments of multispecies fish culture with different management methods shed considerable light on fish food utilization and competition in pond ecosystems. On the principle of fish production, these studies...

Insidious Alteration of the Estuarine Environment

Abstract: Shallow estuaries are characterized by certain features which make them rich and productive ecosystems; these same characteristics, however, are responsible for the delicate nature of the estuarine environment and greatly enhance its vulnerability to subtle alteration. In this paper and the subsequent discussions, we examine some of these features and discuss how insidious changes in estuaries can occur.

Selective Predation on Zooplankton by Gizzard Shad

Abstract: Food selection by a planktivorous fish, the gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, was studied in Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Kansas. To determine if selection was occurring a fish stomach sample and a plankton sample were taken concurrently at 22 separate sampling times during the study. Percent composition of the various food items in paired stomach and plankton samples was compared by an electivity (E) index. Four least squares analyses of variance were performed on the E index values to determine which factors (i.e., species of plankton, date of collection, time-day or night, size-class of fish or size-class of plankton) explained most of the variation in E and thus was responsible for selection by gizzard shad. Differences between the species of plankton in the analysis was found to be the most consistent factor contributing to selection. Differences in size, mobility, behavior, and so forth might be considered as causative agents responsible for positive or negative selection by gizzard shad. Of th...

Heterogamety in Teleostean Fishes

Abstract: Teleostean fishes constitute a proliferous evolutionary grade, which shows a correspondingly diverse array of sex-mechanisms. Although most species are gonochorists, many groups have independently evolved monoecy as a response to varying degrees of breeding isolation. On the other hand, cytologically expressed heterogamety distinguishes several groups, especially those represented by the deep-sea species investigated, which belong to primitive and intermediate orders. Acetic-orcein squashes of kidney, spleen, and gonad reveal heteromorphic chromosome pairs in males of nearly half the 25 species of deep-sea teleosts examined. Within one family, the Y chromosome varies interspecifically in size from the second largest to the smallest element in the complement. Most such pairs are identifiable as atypically behaving bivalents associated end-to-end; some of these, perhaps, are expressed as heterochromatic bodies in preleptotene. The dimorphic components segregate in the secondary spermatocytes. Two k...

Movement and Distribution of Smallmouth Bass in the Middle Snake River

Abstract: The movement and distribution of smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieui, were studied in the Snake River, a large western river, prior to impoundment. A tag and recovery program was designed to assess interpool movement. Smallmouth bass were collected by angling and electrofishing. Primacord, a detonating fuse, was used to assess distribution during late fall and winter. Underwater observations were made with SCUBA apparatus. Bass behavior was studied in the laboratory and dealt principally with temperature effects, light intensity and substrate. Only 8% of the tagged fish recaptured were taken by anglers; the remaining 92% were taken by electrofishing. Ninety-nine (76%) of the recovered fish free at least 7 days were found in the same pool or defined location in which they were tagged, while 22 of the 31 fish recovered outside the pool in which they were marked had moved less than 1200 m (1,312 yds). A few moved several kilometers upstream or downstream from the release point. There was no signi...

Effect of John Day Dam on dissolved nitrogen concentrations and salmon in the Columbia River, 1968

Abstract: Concentrations of dissolved nitrogen gas were measured in the lower 640 km of the Columbia River from April to September 1968 to determine the effect of newly-constructed John Day Dam on nitrogen saturation downstream. Observations were also made of symptoms of gas bubble disease and mortality in juvenile and adult salmon. Heavy spillway discharge at the dam caused abnormally high (123–143%) supersaturation downstream, and mortalities of juvenile and adult salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) were substantial. Delays in passage at John Day and The Dalles Dams coupled with supersaturation of nitrogen gas caused the mortalities. The authors recommended that in future dam construction one or more turbines should be operable before the reservoir is filled. Increasing the flow through the turbines while decreasing flow over the spillways will reduce concentrations of nitrogen. In addition, every possible effort should be made to reduce the delay of salmon passing over dams.

Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Chromosomes and Speciation

Abstract: The chromosomes of sea-run Atlantic Salmon from three North American rivers were studied with cell culture preparations. Extensive data from Machias River (Maine) specimens showed a sharp mode of 54 chromosomes. Modes of 55 for the Narraguagus River (Maine) and 56 for the Miramichi River (New Brunswick) represented much smaller percentages of their counts. A relatively constant arm number of 72 indicates a Robertsonian pattern of polymorphism.

Functional and Evolutionary Dynamics of Polymorphic Esterases in Catostomid Fishes

Abstract: Functional and evolutionary dynamics of polymorphic esterases in catostomid fishes are discussed using Catostomus clarki from the Colorado River to develop a consideration of patterns of variation. Since esterase phenotypes among other closely related species provide support for some of the hypotheses formulated from investigations of C. clarki, brief mention is made of C. santaanae, C. platyrhynchus, C. discobolus, C. columbianus, C. plebeius, and C. insignis. A model is presented which allows conceptualization of the relationship existing between functional characteristics of the Es-I esterases in catostomid fishes and their geographic pattern of gene frequency variation.

Men, Birds and Anchovies in the Peru Current—Dynamic Interactions

Abstract: Apparent abundance, measured by catch-per-effort in the commercial fishery, of the anchoveta, Engraulis ringens, in the Peru Current, during 1966, 1967 and 1968 has been above that expected from earlier analysis of the relation of apparent abundance to commercial fishing effort. During these years there has also been apparent enhanced recruitment, measured by the catch-per-effort of the entering year-class. During these same years, however, the guano birds, that also feed on E. ringens, have been at a low population level compared to previous years. Combining the fishermen's catch with the harvest by guano birds, for fishing years 1960–61 through 1967–68, relating this to the total fishing effort by the two predators, and treating this as a single fishery, it is shown that the combined data are well fitted by the logistic model for the catch-effort relationship. The maximum sustainable yield of the combined fishery is about 10 million metric tons per year, presently shared, approximately, 9.3 mil...

Relative Abundance, Food Habits, and Age of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata (LeSueur), in Certain New Jersey Streams

Abstract: American eels, Anguilla rostrata (LeSueur), were collected from 8 New Jersey streams. Three areas on the Big Flatbrook were selected for intensive examination. Eels comprised 37% of the total weight and 20% of the total number of the 25 species of fishes collected on the Flatbrook. The weight of eels was exceeded only by the white sucker (Catostomus commersoni). Stomach content analysis of eels showed a gradual increase in size of food organisms taken with increase in size of eels. Ephemeroptera, Megaloptera, and Trichoptera were most prevalent in smaller eels (less than 40 cm) while fish and Crustacea were more frequently found in larger specimens (greater than 40 cm). Stomach contents reflected the relative abundance of organisms in bottom samples. Of the fish taken by eels as prey, bottom dwelling and sluggish species were most prevalent. Age determinations by otolith ring counts of 169 specimens showed a range of ages from 3 (less than 14.5 cm long) to 19 (approximately 85 cm long) years with...

Body‐Scale Relation and Calculation of Growth in Fishes

Abstract: Most calculations of fish growth from scale measurements are made from one of four types of curves: straight line through the origin (Dahl-Lea); straight line with intercept (Lee); logarithmic line (Monastyrsky); empirically derived curve (Segerstale). Occasionally, different curves are used for different length intervals of fish. Present understanding of the basic principles of research on the body-scale relation is good but certain problems still await clear solution. Nomographic devices for the calculation of growth appeared early. Many of these unnecessarily had a moving part. The simplest homograph yet developed and one that can be adapted to any kind of body-scale relation was described by Carlander and Smith. Computers appear to be destined to replace nomographs in most large-scale research on growth.

The Uptake, Distribution and Elimination of Dietary 14C-DDT and 14C-Dieldrin in Rainbow Trout

Abstract: The rate and efficiency of uptake from food, the distribution in selected tissues, and the rate of elimination, of 14C-p,p' DDT and 14C-dieldrin in rainbow trout were investigated during and after a minimum of 140 days of exposure. Growth of fish during 140 days of exposure was not affected by insecticide exposure. However, both DDT and dieldrin significantly increased lipogenesis during this period. Total residue accumulation was dose-dependent, and those fish exposed to 0.2 mg/kg per week of either DDT or dieldrin, or to 1.0 mg/kg per week dieldrin apparently had reached the equilibrimn state after 140 days of exposure. Fish accumulated 20–24% of the available dietary DDT and 9–11% of the available dietary dieldrin. Generally, there was an approximately linear increase in the residue concentration of a tissue, followed by an equilibrium state during which the residue content remained virtually constant with continued exposure to the insecticide. The predicted time required for rainbow trout to ...

Environmental Influences on Early Development and Year-Class Strength of Northern Pike in Lakes Oahe and Sharpe, South Dakota

Abstract: Survival of artificially-fertilized ova and larvae of northern pike, Esox lucius, was estimated from embryos held in natural spawning areas in Lake Oahe and Lake Sharpe, two main stem Missouri River reservoirs. Mortalities approaching 100% during early embryonic development were associated with sudden drops in water temperature below 10 C or prolonged temperatures near 5 C. Silt deposition of 1.0 mm per day was associated with mortality of 97% or above. Following hatching available food appeared to be a more important factor in survival than temperature change or silt deposition. Estimates of year-class strength of northern pike in the two reservoirs suggest that large year classes were associated with stable to rising water level and temperature, flooded vegetation, and calm weather during the spawning season. Small year classes have been associated with abrupt water temperature fluctuations, dropping water level, and high silt deposits.

Amino Acids Essential for the Growth of Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

Abstract: (1970). Amino Acids Essential for the Growth of Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society: Vol. 99, No. 1, pp. 90-92.

Effect of Hydrogen Sulfide on Northern Pike Eggs and Sac Fry

Abstract: A series of bioassays were conducted to test the effect of H2S at two concentrations of oxygen on northern pike (Esox lucius L.) eggs and sac fry. At an oxygen concentration of approximately 2 ppm mean median tolerance limits (TLm) for eggs were 0.411, 0.076, 0.038, 0.034, and 0.030 ppm H2S for 24, 48, 72, 96 hours, and for the duration of the embryonic period, respectively. At an oxygen concentration of approximately 6 ppm mean median tolerance limits (TLm) were 0.181, 0.046, 0.041, 0.037, and 0.032 ppm H2S for 24, 48, 72, 96 hours, and for the duration of the embryonic period, respectively. Mean TLm values for sac fry were 0.035, 0.016, 0.012, and 0.009 ppm H2S at 2 ppm oxygen and 0.160, 0.047, 0.030, and 0.026 ppm H2S at 6 ppm oxygen for 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, respectively. Eggs subjected to H2S resulted in increasing percentages of sac fry with anatomical malformations. Sac fry hatched from eggs held at the higher H2S concentrations were smaller than the controls. Sac fry subjected to H2S ...

The Uptake, Metabolism, and Elimination of Chlorinated Residues by Goldfish (Carassius auratus) Fed A 14C-DDT Contaminated Diet

Abstract: Goldfish (Carassius auratus) were exposed to a diet containing 50 nanomoles/gram (nmoles/g) 14C-DDT for a maximum of 192 days (total exposure 842 nmoles). Six sacrifices were made during the exposure period and the total residue distribution among the principal tissues determined. The lowest total residue concentrations were noted in muscle, skin, and immature ovary, and the highest in mesenteric adipose, lateral-line nerve, and testes. There was no correlation between the total lipid content of the tissues and the residue concentrations. Semi-logarithmic plots of the DDT uptake data, for most tissues, were characterized by an initial period of rapid uptake followed by linear slopes which approached horizontal. In nearly all cases, the regression coefficients were not statistically significant for the reduced phase of uptake. The percentage composition of DDT, DDE, and DDD was determined for the tissues. The percentage of metabolites increased with continued exposure, in spite of the constant and...

Temperature tolerance of young-of-the-year cisco, Coregonus artedii

Abstract: Young-of-the-year ciscoes (Coregonus artedii) acclimated to 2, 5, 10, 20, and 25 C and tested for tolerance to high and low temperatures provide the first detailed description of the thermal tolerance of coregonids in North America. The upper ultimate lethal temperature of the young ciscoes was 26 C (6 C higher than the maximum sustained temperature tolerated by adult ciscoes in nature) and the ultimate lower lethal temperature approached 0 C (near that commonly tolerated in nature by adult ciscoes). The temperature of 26 C is slightly higher than the lowest ultimate upper lethal temperature recorded for North American freshwater fishes; however, published information on the depth distributions of fishes in the Great Lakes suggests that some of the other coregonids may be less tolerant of high temperatures than the cisco.

Electrophoretic Analysis of Hybrids Between Salmon (Salmo salar L.) and Trout (Salmo trutta L.)

Abstract: The first fertile hybrid generation ever known to have been produced artificially between salmon (Salmo salar L.) and trout (Salmo trutta L.) has been examined electrophoretically. To find out the mode of inheritance for the protein systems investigated the F1 hybrids were compared with samples of salmon and trout of the parental populations as well as a sample of F2 hybrids. All fishes were 2+ years of age. In the protein systems where protein or enzyme activity was detected 17 were more or less complete summations of the parental patterns in the F1 hybrid thereby displaying a codominant relationship between the parental genes. Four protein systems were identical in both species. Dominance of trout genes was the most striking feature of the F2 hybrids, since the action of all salmon genes was suppressed. In four patterns one or more zones had been added to the theoretical maximum pattern obtained by simply mixing the parental patterns. This phenomenon was attributed to the action of multiple gen...

Retention of Marks and Their Effects on Growth, Behavior, and Migrations of the American lobster, Homarus americanus

Abstract: Laboratory and field experiments were conducted with the lobster, Homarus americanus, to test the retention through molting of three primary marks—the back tag, elbow tag, and brand. Relatively more back tags were retained through the molt than elbow tags or brands. Molestation among tagged lobsters contributed significantly to tag loss. In November 1965 and July 1966, a total of 1776 lobsters were tagged and released at Monhegan Island, Maine. Lobsters were given a primary mark plus a secondary mark of amputated abdominal scutes and spines. The secondary mark was retained through 2 molts and permitted recognition of a lobster that had lost its primary mark. The recapture of marked lobsters through June 1968 yielded information on tag retention and the effects of marks on growth and behavior. Lobsters marked with the back tags had an 88% retention rate through a molt compared with 55% for brands and 16% for elbow tags. By June 1968 approximately 98% and 77% of the November release of back-tagged ...

The Effect of Temperature on the Rate of Development and Survival of Alewife Eggs and Larvae

Abstract: Eggs from Lake Michigan alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) were incubated at 79 different temperatures from 42.1 to 87.0 F. Hatching occurred at 44.4–84.9 F and was optimum (38% hatched) at about 64 F. Incubation time varied from 15 days at 45 F to 3.7 days at 70 F and 2.1 days at 84 F. Time from start to finish of hatching ranged from 13 days at about 46 F to 2–3 days at 68–70 F and 1–2 days at 80–84 F. Survival of unfed larvae held at incubation temperatures increased from 3.8 days at 51 F to 7.6 days at 58–59 F and then decreased to 2.4 days at 80–82 F.

Nonrandom Segregation of Two Lactate Dehydrogenase Subunit Loci in Trout

Abstract: Two of the five lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) subunit loci known to exist in salmonid fishes were obtained in heterozygous condition in the hybrid of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush Walbaum) X brook trout (S. fontinalis Mitchill) and linkage tests were performed. These loci (and subunits), designated A and B, are both regarded as being duplicates of and therefore homologous to the B locus of higher vertebrates. In first backcrosses of doubly heterozygous males to homozygous brook trout females there was a significant deficiency of parental combinations among the offspring. However, when the doubly heterozygous parents were female, there were equal numbers of the four backcross progeny types produced, indicating independent assortment. Second backcrosses to brook trout homozygotes produced similar results. Among first backcross families there was a range of values of parental combinations of from 13.5–30.0%, while among second backcrosses this value ranged from 1.0–66.0%. The latter value is an exc...

Movements and Migrations of the Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, Tagged in Waters of New York and Southern New England

Abstract: Bluefish were tagged in and near Long Island Sound between 1964 and 1969. Tag returns support the belief that there is a discrete northern race of bluefish as more than 75% of the returns from fish at large more than one season return to the general area of Long Island Sound. Small bluefish move southward along the coast during late fall while adults, fish over approximately 45 cm total length, have an inshore-offshore migration. Bluefish first arrive in the area when the water temperatures reach 12 to 15 C which is usually during May. The fish follow the warmer water by entering the inner bays of Long Island or going to the western end of Long Island Sound. Large numbers of bluefish arrive in the general area during late July and August after spawning in offshore waters. The fall migration takes place when the water temperature drops to approximately 13 to 15 C.

Phylogenetic Relationships of Sunfishes as Demonstrated by Hybridization

Abstract: Five interspecific and 18 intergeneric sunfish crosses were attempted by artificial stripping and fertilization techniques. Hatching success appeared to be related to phylogenetic relationship. In interspecific crosses, hatching success was 64–122% as high as in the parental control cross. In intergeneric crosses it varied from less than 1 to 104% as high as the parental cross, but in only 5 of the 18 intergeneric crosses was hatching success more than 60% as great as in the control cross. Hybridization success indicated a close phylogenetic relationship between Micropterus and Chaenobryttus and between Ambloplites and Pomoxis. Lepomis was somewhat intermediate between the other four genera, possibly indicating a more central phylogenetic relationship than has been reported from morphological studies of this family.