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Triploidization influences various biological characteristics of fish, which is associated with reductions in the number of multiple cell types in different tissues/organs. Our behavioral analyses revealed that triploid Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) larvae exhibit lower sensitivity to light compared to diploids. Furthermore, histological analyses revealed a reduction in the number of ganglion cells and an increase in their size in the retinas of triploid T. orientalis larvae. Our findings provide the first evidence indicating that triploidization reduces sensory perception during the larval stage of fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT), Thunnus orientalis, is one of the most important species for aquaculture worldwide. For the conservation of this species and sustainable development of the tuna farming industry, production based on closed‐cycle aquaculture should be promoted. In this study, to develop an efficient method for transporting PBT eggs, we simulated egg transportation to optimize stocking density and shipping duration, which are the two variables critical to the transportation procedure of PBT. Based on the findings of this study, we concluded that PBT eggs should be transported at a density of 1 × 104 eggs/L within 12 h in the field. Furthermore, we showed that collisions between eggs during transportation negatively affected the normal hatching rates of eggs, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment (at 1000 μg/mL for 12 h) could reduce such damage. Our results suggest that PEG treatment is a practical approach that contributes to the stable transportation of PBT eggs, particularly in cases where the effects of physical shock damage is considerably increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Dead end; Pacific bluefin tuna; Primordial germ cell; Sterile; Thunnus orientalis EN Dead end Pacific bluefin tuna Primordial germ cell Sterile Thunnus orientalis 3872 3876 5 06/14/22 20220701 NES 220701 The I dead-end i ( I dnd i ) gene was first identified in zebrafish, I Danio rerio i , as a germ plasm component encoding an RNA-binding protein (Weidinger et al., 2003). To examine germ cell deficiency in addition to observations by GFP labeling, we conducted whole-mount immunostaining using anti-germ cell marker Vasa antibodies, as described previously (Hayashida, Higuchi, Hashimoto, et al., 2021), and histological analysis. In fact, inhibiting I dnd i expression causes faulty migration and ablation of zebrafish PGCs, resulting in germ cell deficiency (Weidinger et al., 2003). The zebrafish Dnd protein binds to 3' untranslated regions (3'UTR) of germline RNAs, such as I nanos i mRNAs, thereby protecting them against microRNA-mediated degradation, so they can contribute to the migration and survival of primordial germ cells (PGCs) (Kedde et al., 2007; Weidinger et al., 2003). [Extracted from the article]

Recently, based on the histological studies it is suggested that Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) spawns in the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition, off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan, in addition to the previously identified two spawning areas of the northwestern Pacific around the Nansei Islands and the Sea of Japan. Distributional surveys for PBF larvae have not been conducted in the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition, and thus, we conducted PBF larval surveys at twenty stations in this area in early August 2018 to obtain evidence for the spawning of PBF. Twelve PBF larvae (3.9–7.2 mm in body length) were collected at six stations where sea surface temperature ranged from 27.2 to 28.2°C. Otolith microstructure analysis indicated that age of these larvae ranged from 4 to 11 days after hatching and the larvae hatched in late July. Growth of the collected larvae was comparable to those in the other two spawning grounds. Therefore, PBF spawns, hatches, and at least survives to the postflexion stage, 11 days after hatching in the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition. This fact potentially has a large impact on recruitment processes of PBF if they survive to recruitment in this third spawning ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the growth, survival, and standardized cohort biomass of Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, larvae fed nutritionally enhanced prey during the first week of feeding using two commonly used, commercially available enrichment media, AlgaMac Enrich and Marine Glos. T. orientalis larvae exhibited exponential growth in standard length and dry weight. The daily specific growth rates in length and weight are the first reported for T. orientalis larvae and the averages ranged from 3.8 to 4.1% and 27.5%, respectively, for larvae in the AlgaMac treatment and from 4.1 to 6.1% and 31.5%, respectively, in the Marine Glos treatment. Average daily growth rates in length ranged from 0.16 to 0.23 mm/d for larvae in the AlgaMac treatment and from 0.17 to 0.27 mm/d for those in the Marine Glos treatment. Daily growth rates in length were similar to those reported for other tuna larvae reared in the laboratory but slower than most published estimates for larval tunas in situ at similar water temperatures. Mean prey number per gut was positively associated with mean prey level in the tank. Both enrichment media appear to be good sources of nutritional improvement of planktonic prey for T. orientalis larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Success of swim bladder inflation ( SBI) is crucial for early survival of Pacific bluefin tuna ( PBF) larvae, because it reduces larval sinking death by enhancing buoyancy. In Experiment 1, we examined the effect of photoperiod on SBI and survival in PBF larvae by comparing photoperiods of 9L: 15D (9L), 14L: 10D (14L: natural photoperiod), 19L: 5D (19L) and 24L: 0D (24L) during 2-10 days post hatch (dph). In Experiment 2, the combined effects of photoperiod (24L and 14L) and nighttime aeration rate (enhanced night-time aeration: ENA of 1300 mL min−1 as a countermeasure for sinking death and 130 mL min−1) on the survival and SBI were also examined during 2-10 dph. Moreover, in Experiment 3 the effect of photoperiod on vertical distribution of larvae in night-time was examined on 3-5 dph. Photoperiod of 24L in Experiment 1 significantly inhibited SBI compared with 14L and 19L; nevertheless, it significantly improved survival compared with other photoperiods with a dark period. On the other hand, the shortened light period (9L) showed significantly reduced SBI and also survival. In Experiment 2, the countermeasure for sinking death of ENA under 24L did not further improve the survival; rather it tended to reduce the survival. In Experiment 3, larvae distributed less in the bottom layer in 24L than in 14L, suggesting the reducing effect of 24L on sinking death. The results indicate that 24L without ENA is suitable for survival which is the most serious problem in PBF larviculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environment-recruitment relationships can be difficult to delineate with parametric statistical models and can be prone to misidentification. We use non-parametric time-series modeling which makes no assumptions about functional relationships between variables, to reveal environmental influences on early life stages of bluefin tuna and demonstrate improvement in prediction of subsequent recruitment. The influence of sea surface temperature, which has been previously associated with larval growth and survival, was consistently detected in recruitment time series of bluefin tuna stocks that spawn in the Mediterranean Sea, the North Pacific, and the Southern Ocean. Short time series for the Gulf of Mexico stock may have precluded a clear determination of environmental influences on recruitment fluctuations. Because the non-parametric approach does not require specification of equations to represent system dynamics, predictive models can likely be developed that appropriately reflect the complexity of the ecological system under investigation. This flexibility can potentially overcome methodological challenges of specifying structural relationships between environmental conditions and fish recruitment. Consequently, there is potential for non-parametric time series modeling to supplement traditional stock recruitment models for fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidating fishing effects on fish population dynamics is a critical step toward sustainable fisheries management. Despite previous studies that have suggested age or size truncation in exploited fish populations, other aspects of fishing effects on population demography, e.g., via altering life histories and density, have received less attention. Here, we investigated the fishing effects altering adult demography via shifting reproductive trade-offs in the iconic, overexploited, Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis. We found that, contrary to our expectation, mean lengths of catch increased over time in longline fisheries. On the other hand, mean catch lengths for purse seine fisheries did not show such increasing trends. We hypothesized that the size-dependent energetic cost of the spawning migration and elevated fishing mortality on the spawning grounds potentially drive size-dependent skipped spawning for adult tuna, mediating the observed changes in the catch lengths. Using eco-genetic individual-based modeling, we demonstrated that fishing-induced evolution of skipped spawning and size truncation interacted to shape the observed temporal changes in mean catch lengths for tuna. Skipped spawning of the small adults led to increased mean catch lengths for the longline fisheries, while truncation of small adults by the purse seines could offset such a pattern. Our results highlight the eco-evolutionary dynamics of fishing effects on population demography and caution against using demographic traits as a basis for fisheries management of the Pacific bluefin tuna as well as other migratory species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of swimbladder inflation ( SBI) failure on mortality (Experiment 1), lordotic deformity (Experiment 2) and growth (Experiment 1, 2) in Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, postflexion larvae and juveniles by producing larvae lacking inflated swimbladders. Experiment 1 was conducted for postflexion larvae to juveniles (from 18 to 30 days-post-hatch; dph). Mortality was not significantly different between the fish with ( WIS) and without ( WOIS) inflated swimbladders. Standard length ( SL) and body weight ( BW) were significantly smaller in WOIS than WIS. Moreover, the SBI was found in WOIS after postflexion stage. In Experiment 2, two examination trials were conducted on SBI, vertebral deformity and growth for juvenile stage. Lordotic deformities were found neither in the WOIS nor in the WIS. Although SL and BW were significantly smaller in WOIS than WIS at 22 dph, after 37 dph no significant differences were found between them. The results of Experiment 1 and 2 indicate that SBI failure causes growth retardation until juveniles of 30 dph; however, it does not cause growth retardation in juveniles after 37 dph and mortality of postflexion larvae and juveniles. Moreover, SBI failure did not cause lordotic deformity in PBT differently from many other fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the optimal timing of day to promote initial swimbladder inflation ( ISI) for improved Pacific bluefin tuna ( PBT), Thunnus orientalis, larval survival. Larval swimbladder inflation frequency was compared based on three experiments using different time schemes of surface film removal ( SFR) from 3 to 9 days post hatch (dph). SFR was conducted from 05:00 to 19:00 hours (light period: S.5-19), 19:00 to 05:00 hours (dark period: S.19-5), 08:00 to 19:00 hours (S.8-19) and the entire day (S.24) in Experiment 1; from 08:00 to 19:00 hours (S.8-19-E2), 08:00 to 13:00 hours (S.8-13), 13:00 to 19:00 hours (S.13-19) in Experiment 2; and from 13:00 to 16:00 hours (S.13-16), 16:00 to 19:00 hours (S.16-19), 18:00-19:00 hours (S.18-19) in Experiment 3. The swimbladder inflation frequency at the experiment termination (9 dph) was significantly higher ( P < 0.001) in S.24 (91.1 ± 5.7%), S.5-19 (92.2 ± 5.1%) and S.8-19 (93.3 ± 3.4%) than in S.19-5 (11.1 ± 5.1%) in Experiment 1, and remarkably higher in S.8-19-E2 (81.7%) and S.13-19 (88.3%) than in S.8-13 (0.0%) in Experiment 2, and significantly higher ( P < 0.001) in S.16-19 (84.4 ± 5.1%) and S.18-19 (70.0 ± 12.0%) than in S.13-16 (7.8 ± 3.9%) in Experiment 3. These results suggest that the optimal timing to promote larval ISI by SFR is a few hours before the end of light period (16:00-19:00 hours) from 3 to 9 dph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna ( Thunnus orientalis; PBT) often experience high mortality during ship transportation. This study investigated whether the addition of colours or patterns to the walls of tanks affected survival rate. In the first experiment, three colours and lattice patterns were tested: dark blue single-colour, red single-colour, and red-blue lattice pattern. Fish in all tanks exhibited abnormal behaviours when sunlight entered the tanks between 0800 and 1000 hours, but mortality only increased in the single-coloured tanks as a result of collision with the tank walls. In the second experiment, four colours and patterns were tested: dark blue single-colour, red-blue lattice pattern, red-blue lattice pattern with shade sheet and red-green lattice pattern with shade sheet. Again, we visually observed that fish in all treatment groups exhibited abnormal behaviour when sunlight entered the tanks, but there were no collision deaths in the lattice-patterned tanks and survival in this group was significantly higher than in the single-coloured tanks. Thus, the use of a high-contrast colour pattern can prevent mass death of juvenile PBT during ship transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large pelagic predators play important roles in oceanic ecosystems, and may migrate vast distances to utilize resources in different marine ecoregions. Understanding movement patterns of migratory marine animals is critical for effective management, but often challenging, due to the cryptic habitat of pelagic migrators and the difficulty of assessing past movements. Chemical tracers can partially circumvent these challenges by reconstructing recent migration patterns. Pacific bluefin tuna ( Thunnus orientalis; PBFT) inhabit the western and eastern Pacific Ocean, and are in steep decline due to overfishing. Understanding age-specific eastward transpacific migration patterns can improve management practices, but these migratory dynamics remain largely unquantified. Here, we combine a Fukushima-derived radiotracer (134Cs) with bulk tissue and amino acid stable isotope analyses of PBFT to distinguish recent migrants from residents of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The proportion of recent migrants to residents decreased in older year classes, though the proportion of older PBFT that recently migrated across the Pacific was greater than previous estimates. This novel toolbox of biogeochemical tracers can be applied to any species that crosses the North Pacific Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the influence of initial swimbladder inflation ( ISI) failure on survival of Pacific bluefin tuna ( PBT), Thunnus orientalis, larvae to prevent mass mortality due to sinking death. In Experiment 1, swimbladder inflation frequency and survival within an ISI promoted ( PS) group, for which surface film of rearing water was removed, and a group without ISI promotion ( NPS) were compared in 20 and 30 kL tanks. The PS group demonstrated significantly higher swimbladder inflation frequency and increased survival than the NPS group within 20 kL tanks at 9 days post hatching (dph). Similar tendencies were observed within 30 kL tanks. In Experiment 2, larval distribution and swimbladder inflation frequency in the night-time were examined through larval sampling within the upper and middle layers of the water column and tank bottom within 1.6 and 30 kL tanks at 5 dph. Larvae at tank bottom had higher distributional density and significantly lower swimbladder inflation frequency than those distributed in the upper and middle layers within 1.6 kL tanks. Similar tendencies were observed within 30 kL tanks. Results of this study suggest the improvement of larval survival due to prevention of sinking death through ISI promotion in mass-scale PBT larviculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initial swimbladder inflation ( ISI) of Pacific bluefin tuna ( PBT), Thunnus orientalis, larvae was studied to increase the survival of cultured larvae. Experiment 1 was conducted to explore promotion and inhibition of ISI under different water surface conditions; including the use of surface skimmer to remove autogenous surface substances ( SS), covering the water surface with liquid-paraffin-layer ( LP) and oil film ( OF), and a control (non-treatment, NT). Significantly higher inflation frequency was observed in SS (62.2%) than NT (11.9%), LP (2.7%) and OF (3.9%). This indicates that ISI in PBT larvae can be promoted by removal of surface substances on rearing water which inhibit larval air gulping. Experiment 2 aimed to elucidate proper day of larval age to start skimming for promoting ISI with four different periods of oil film removal: from 3 to 8 ( SF3D), 4 to 8 ( SF4D), 5 to 8 ( SF5D), 6 to 8 ( SF6D) days-post-hatch (dph). Significant improvement in ISI frequency was observed in SF3D (80.2%) but the frequency was very poor in SF4D, SF5D, and SF6D (17.8-7.5%). This implies the need of oil film removal without missing a narrow window, 1 day of 3 dph, to promote ISI in practical PBT larviculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to investigate the suitability of Artemia enriched with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and choline as live food on the growth and survival rate of the Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT; Thunnus orientalis) larvae. The PBT larvae were fed either Artemia enriched with oleic acid (Diet 1), DHA (Diet 2), DHA+choline 1.0 mg L−1 (Diet 3) and DHA+choline 2.0 mg L−1 (Diet 4) or striped knifejaw larvae (Diet 5, reference diet), in duplicate for 12 days. Enrichment of Artemia with DHA significantly increased the DHA levels to 13.9, 13.8 and 12.5 mg g−1 on a dry matter basis in Diets 2, 3 and 4 respectively; however, the levels were significantly lower than the reference diet (26.9 mg g−1 dry matter basis; Diet 5). Although growth and survival rate were significantly improved by the enrichment of Artemia with DHA and choline, the improvement was negligible compared with the enhanced growth and survival rate of the fish larvae-fed group ( P<0.05). The results demonstrated that enriched Artemia does not seem to be the right choice to feed the PBT larvae perhaps because of the difficulties in achieving the correct balance of fatty acid with higher DHA/EPA from Artemia nauplii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diel and ontogenetic changes in larval body density related to swim bladder volume were investigated in Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, to determine the causality of larval mortality – adhesion to the water surface and contact with the tank bottom during seedling production. The density of larvae with deflated swim bladders increased with total length and days post hatch. Diel density change was observed after day 2 post hatch; owing to daytime deflation and night-time inflation of the swim bladder, the density was relatively higher during the daytime. Increased swim bladder volumes clearly reduced larval density during the night-time after day 9 post hatch. However, the density of larvae with inflated swim bladders was greater than rearing water density (Δρ>0.0099). The small density difference between larvae and rearing water (Δρ=0.0022−0.0100) until day 4 post hatch may have caused larval mortality by adhesion to the water surface because larvae can be easily transported to the water surface by aeration-driven upwelling in rearing tanks. Density increased noticeably from day 5 to day 9 post hatch. The increased density difference (Δρ=0.0065−0.0209) in larvae and rearing water possibly induced mortality by contact with the tank bottom because larvae sink particularly during the night-time on ceasing swimming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuna aquaculture is currently dependent on the wild capture of juveniles for production. The development of hatchery technology for bluefin and other tunas would be a major step forward in improving sustainability of their aquaculture. The present study overviews the technology in the life cycle completion of the Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT)Thunnus orientalis(Temminck et Schlegel) under aquaculture conditions in Kinki University, and the problems to be solved for the establishment of tuna hatchery technology. On 23 June 2002, broodstock of PBT that were artificially hatched and reared spontaneously spawned in captivity. The resulting eggs hatched and were subsequently reared to the juvenile stage. The spawning fish were the result of a research project started in 1987 to rear wild-caught juvenile PBT that were several months old. Fertilized eggs were obtained from these fish in 1995 and 1996. Resulting juveniles (the artificially hatched first generation) were reared to maturity and spawned in 2002. Over the summer of 2002, 1.63 million eggs from these fish were used for a mass rearing experiment, and 17 307 juveniles were produced and transferred to an open sea net cage. Of these artificially hatched second-generation PBT, 1100 grew to approximately 95 cm total length and 14 kg body weight in 22 months. This procedure means the completion of PBT life cycle under aquaculture conditions, which was first attained among large tuna species. The problems awaiting solution in PBT hatchery production are their unpredictable spawning in captivity, to improve survival during the first 10 days post hatch, to reduce cannibalism in larval and juvenile stages, and to solve collision problem causing high mortality during the juvenile stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Serial sections, prepared from 0.5 to 30 days posthatch (dph) larval and juvenile Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel 1844), were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and examined by light microscopy for immune organ development. The early kidney was present at 0.5 dph, undifferentiated stem cells began to appear at 2 dph, and by 7 dph occasional small lymphocytes were present. The thymus was first obvious at 5 dph, located above the fourth branchial arch, small lymphocytes appeared at 7 dph, and by 15 dph an outer thymocytic zone and an inner epithelioid zone were visible. The progenitor spleen was present at 2 dph, located close to the gut, and by 12 dph it consisted of a mass of sinusoids filled with red blood cells, and remained mainly erythroid throughout the period studied. These results suggest that development of immune organs in this species is precocious relative to other marine teleosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A captive-raised Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, 145·6 cmLT , 35·2 kg M, was found to be a hermaphrodite. This is the first record of hermaphroditism in this species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]