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The European eel encounters challenges in achieving sexual maturation in captivity, which has been a concern for researchers. This study explores surrogate broodstock technology as an alternative approach for eel production. The present study aimed to evaluate zebrafish and European sea bass as potential recipients for European eel spermatogonia transplantation, given the abundance of eel type A spermatogonia (SPGA). Immature European eel testes were dissected and maintained at 4 °C or cryopreserved. SPGA were obtained by dissociation of fresh or post-thawed tissue, employing an enzymatic solution, and then labelled with fluorescent membrane marker PKH26. SPGA from fresh tissue were transplanted into wild-type zebrafish larvae and triploid European sea bass larvae, while SPGA from cryopreserved testis were transplanted into vasa::egfp transgenic zebrafish larvae. One-and-a-half months post-transplantation (mpt), fluorescent donor cells were not detected in the gonads of zebrafish or European sea bass. Molecular qPCR analyses at 1.5 or 6 mpt did not reveal European eel-specific gene expression in the gonads of any transplanted fish. The findings suggest that the gonadal microenvironments of zebrafish and European sea bass are unsuitable for the development of European eel spermatogonia, highlighting distinctive spermatogonial stem cell migration mechanisms within teleost species [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) exhibits female-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD) early in development. New tagging techniques provide the opportunity to monitor individual sex-related growth during the post-larval and juvenile stages. We produced an experimental population through artificial fertilization and followed a rearing-temperature protocol (~16°C from hatching to 112 days post-hatching, dph; ~20°C from 117 to 358 dph) targeting a roughly balanced sex ratio. The fish were tagged with microchips between 61 and 96 dph in five tagging trials of 50 fish each; individual standard length (SL) was recorded through repeated biometric measurements performed between 83 to 110 dph via image analyses. Body weight (BW) was modelled using the traits measured on the digital pictures (i.e. area, perimeter and volume). At 117 dph, the fish were tagged with microtags and regularly measured for SL and BW until 335 dph. The experiment ended at 358 dph with the sexing of the fish. The sex-ratio at the end of the experiment was significantly in favor of the females (65.6% vs. 34.4%). The females were significantly longer and heavier than the males from 103 dph (~30 mm SL, ~0.44 g BW) to 165 dph, but the modeling of the growth curves suggests that differences in size already existed at 83 dph. A significant difference in the daily growth coefficient (DGC) was observed only between 96 and 103 dph, suggesting a physiological or biological change occurring during this period. The female-biased SSD pattern in European sea bass is thus strongly influenced by very early growth differences between sexes, as already shown in previous studies, and in any case long before gonadal sex differentiation has been started, and thus probably before sex has been determined. This leads to the hypothesis that early growth might be a cause rather than a consequence of sex differentiation in sea bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring individual feed intake of fish in farms is complex and precludes selective breeding for feed conversion ratio (FCR). Here, we estimated the individual FCR of 588 sea bass using individual rearing under restricted feeding. These fish were also phenotyped for their weight loss at fasting and muscle fat content that were possibly linked to FCR. The 588 fish were derived from a full factorial mating between parental lines divergently selected for high (F+) or low (F–) weight loss at fasting. The pedigree was known back to the great grand-parents. A subset of 400 offspring and their ancestors were genotyped for 1,110 SNPs which allowed to calculate the genomic heritability of traits. Individual FCR and growth rate in aquarium were both heritable (genomic h2 = 0.47 and 0.76, respectively) and strongly genetically correlated (−0.98) meaning that, under restricted feeding, faster growing fish were more efficient. FCR and growth rate in aquariums were also significantly better for fish with both parents from F– (1.38), worse for fish with two parents F+ (1.51) and intermediate for cross breed fish (F+/F– or F–/F+ at 1.46). Muscle fat content was positively genetically correlated to growth rate in aquarium and during fasting. Thus, selecting for higher growth rate in aquarium, lower weight loss during fasting and fatter fish could improve FCR in aquarium. Improving these traits would also improve FCR of fish in normal group rearing conditions, as we showed experimentally that groups composed of fish with good individual FCR were significantly more efficient. The FCR of groups was also better when the fish composing the groups had, on average, lower estimated breeding values for growth rate during fasting (losing less weight). Thus, improving FCR in aquarium and weight loss during fasting is promising to improve FCR of fish in groups but a selection response experiment needs to be done. Finally, we showed that the reliability of estimated breeding values was higher (from+10% up to +125%) with a genomic-based BLUP model than with a traditional pedigree-based BLUP, showing that genomic data would enhance the accuracy of the prediction of EBV of selection candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common carp is a major aquaculture species worldwide, commonly sold alive but also as processed headless carcass or filets. However, recording of processing yields is impossible on live breeding candidates, and alternatives for genetic improvement are either sib selection based on slaughtered fish, or indirect selection on correlated traits recorded in vivo. Morphological predictors that can be measured on live fish and that correlate with real slaughter yields hence remain a possible alternative. To quantify the power of morphological predictors for genetic improvement of yields, we estimated genetic parameters of slaughter yields and various predictors in 3-year-old common carp reared communally under semi-intensive pond conditions. The experimental stock was established by a partial factorial design of 20 dams and 40 sires, and 1553 progenies were assigned to their parents using 12 microsatellites. Slaughter yields were highly heritable (h 2 = 0.46 for headless carcass yield, 0.50 for filet yield) and strongly genetically correlated with each other (r g = 0.96). To create morphological predictors, external (phenotypes, 2D digitization) and internal measurements (ultrasound imagery) were recorded and combined by multiple linear regression to predict slaughter yields. The accuracy of the phenotypic prediction was high for headless carcass yield (R 2 = 0.63) and intermediate for filet yield (R 2 = 0.49). Interestingly, heritability of predicted slaughter yields (0.48–0.63) was higher than that of the real yields to predict, and had high genetic correlations with the real yields (r g = 0.84–0.88). In addition, both predicted yields were highly phenotypically and genetically correlated with each other (0.95 for both), suggesting that using predicted headless carcass yield in a breeding program would be a good way to also improve filet yield. Besides, two individual predictors (P1 and P2) included in the prediction models and two simple internal measurements (E4 and E23) exhibited intermediate to high heritability estimates (h 2 = 0.34 – 0.72) and significant genetic correlations to the slaughter yields (r g = |0.39 – 0.83|). The results show that there is a solid potential for genetic improvement of slaughter yields by selecting for predictor traits recorded on live breeding candidates of common carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Describing and explaining the geographic within‐species variation in phenotypes (“phenogeography”) in the sea over a species distribution range is central to our understanding of a variety of eco‐evolutionary topics. However, phenogeographic studies that have a large potential to investigate adaptive variation are overcome by phylogeographic studies, still mainly focusing on neutral markers. How genotypic and phenotypic data could covary over large geographic scales remains poorly understood in marine species. We crossed 75 noninbred sires (five origins) and 26 dams (two origins; each side of a hybrid zone) in a factorial diallel cross in order to investigate geographic variation for early survival and sex ratio in the metapopulation of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), a highly prized marine fish species. Full‐sib families (N = 1,950) were produced and reared in a common environment. Parentage assignment of 7,200 individuals was performed with seven microsatellite markers. Generalized linear models showed significant additive effects for both traits and pleiotropy between traits. A significant nonadditive genetic effect was detected. Different expression of traits and distinct relative performances were found for reciprocal crosses involving populations located on each side of the main hybrid zone located at the Almeria‐Oran front, illustrating asymmetric reproductive isolation. The poor fitness performance observed for the Western Mediterranean population of sea bass is discussed as it represents the main source of seed hatchery production, but also because it potentially illustrates nonadaptive introgression and maladaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the genetic basis of coping style in European seabass, fish from a full factorial mating (10 females x 50 males) were reared in common garden and individually tagged. Individuals coping style was characterized through behavior tests at four different ages, categorizing fish into proactive or reactive: a hypoxia avoidance test (at 255 days post hatching, dph) and 3 risk-taking tests (at 276, 286 and 304 dph). We observed significant heritability of the coping style, higher for the average of risk-taking scores (h2 = 0.45 ± 0.14) than for the hypoxia avoidance test (h2 = 0.19 ± 0.10). The genetic correlations between the three risk-taking scores were very high (rA = 0.96–0.99) showing that although their repeatability was moderately high (rP = 0.64–0.72), successive risk-taking tests evaluated the same genetic variation. A mild genetic correlation between the results of the hypoxia avoidance test and the average of risk-taking scores (0.45 ± 0.27) suggested that hypoxia avoidance and risk-taking tests do not address exactly the same behavioral and physiological responses. Genetic correlations between weight and risk taking traits showed negative values whatever the test used in our population i.e. reactive individual weights were larger. The results of this quantitative genetic analysis suggest a potential for the development of selection programs based on coping styles that could increase seabass welfare without altering growth performances. Overall, it also contributes to a better understanding of the origin and the significance of individual behavioral differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although food deprivation is a major ecological pressure in fishes, there is wide individual variation in tolerance of fasting, whose mechanistic bases are poorly understood. Two thousand individually tagged juvenile European sea bass were submitted to two 'fasting/feeding' cycles each comprising 3 weeks of food deprivation followed by 3 weeks of ad libitum feeding at 25°C. Rates of mass loss during the two fasting periods were averaged for each individual to calculate a population mean. Extreme fasting tolerant (FT) and sensitive (FS) phenotypes were identified that were at least one and a half standard deviations, on opposing sides, from this mean. Respirometry was used to investigate two main hypotheses: (1) tolerance of food deprivation reflects lower mass-corrected routine metabolic rate (RMR) in FT phenotypes when fasting, and (2) tolerance reflects differences in substrate utilisation; FT phenotypes use relatively less proteins as metabolic fuels during fasting, measured as their ammonia quotient (AQ), the simultaneous ratio of ammonia excretion to RMR. There was no difference in mean RMR between FT and FS over 7 days fasting, being 6.70±0.24 mmol h-1 fish-1 (mean ± s.e.m., N=18) versus 6.76±0.22 mmol h-1 fish-1 (N=17), respectively, when corrected to a body mass of 130 g. For any given RMR, however, the FT lost mass at a significantly lower rate than FS, overall 7-day average being 0.72±0.05 versus 0.90+0.05 g day-1 1 fish-1, respectively (P<0.01, ttest). At 20 h after receiving a ration equivalent to 2% body mass as food pellets, ammonia excretion and simultaneous RMR were elevated and similar in FT and FS, with AQs of 0.105±0.009 and 0.089±0.007, respectively. At the end of the period of fasting, ammonia excretion and RMR had fallen in both phenotypes, but AQ was significantly lower in FT than FS, being 0.038±0.004 versus 0.061 ±0.005, respectively (P<0.001, f-test). There was a direct linear relationship between individual fasted AQ and rate of mass loss, with FT and FS individuals distributed at opposing lower and upper extremities, respectively. Thus the difference between the phenotypes in their tolerance of food deprivation did not depend upon their routine energy use when fasting. Rather, it depended upon their relative use of tissue proteins as metabolic fuels when fasting, which was significantly lower in FT phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal deformities are important traits for aquaculture as they induce slow growing and low market value. We studied their genetic determinism and their interactions with the environment at the ongrowing stage in 5839 European sea bass from a partial factorial mating of 33 sires and 23 dams, reared in four sites. All families were mixed, and fish were first reared in one site (site B) until 35 g mean weight, then distributed to the four sites. A posteriori reconstruction of pedigree with microsatellites was used. Deformities were scored internally at slaughtering, and externally from photographs. Site B, where all fish were initially stocked until 35 g and exposed to forced swimming because of fast water current showed the highest rate of deformities with 83% and 65% from internal and external scoring respectively. Heritability on the underlying scale was h2 = 0.25 ± 0.03 across all sites, and varied little between sites, while genetic correlations of deformities between sites were always high (>0.85). Genetic correlations between deformities and daily growth coefficient were variable between sites( rA = 0.50 ± 0.09, 0.43 ± 0.10, 0.32 ± 0.10, 0.18 ± 0.10 for sites A, B, C, D respectively) and were positively linked with the average growth rate in each site. These results pointed out that there could be a relation between growth rate and the evolution of deformities at the grow-out stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter- and intraspecific crossbreeding experiments were conducted to evaluate the aquaculture potential of hybrids in the genus Dicentrarchus, focusing on fertilisation and hatching success. The experimental design consisted of 24 controlled crosses in which individual and pooled fertilisations were made between wild D. labrax individuals (8 dams and 5 sires originating from West Mediterranean and Atlantic populations) and wild D. punctatus (6 sires). Three experiments were successively performed: (1) dams from the Mediterranean population, individually considered to have good egg quality, (2) dams from Mediterranean population, individually considered to have poor egg quality and (3) crossbreeding using pooled eggs from the Atlantic population. In each case, batches of these eggs were fertilized by sperm from males of the two species. Sperm cell quality (concentration and motility) was verified before experimentation in all cases and equal numbers of sperm cells from each male were used to individually (without inter-sire competition) fertilise egg batches. Through the repeated artificial crosses between female common sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus 1758) and male spotted sea bass D. punctatus (Block 1792), these experiments showed that no post-zygotic reproductive barriers exist to interspecific hybridisation between these two species when using D. labrax as dams and D. punctatus as sires. Phenotypically, the F1 hybrids were easily recognisable: they inherited the characteristic black spots of D. punctatus. Furthermore, embryo survival was significantly higher in interspecific crosses compared with intraspecific controls, showing increased fitness for this trait (increased performance at early life stage). Then, the experimental breeding design validates the observation that West Mediterranean and Atlantic common sea bass populations are different. Indeed, the inter-population crosses (between West Mediterranean dams and Atlantic sires) also revealed increased fitness at early life stages in comparison with the progeny of intra-Atlantic population crosses. However, these individuals were still smaller than their interspecific counterparts. The ability to produce viable F1 hybrids will have significant implications for the practical improvement of sea bass aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This preliminary study assessed genotype × diet interaction in late growth of European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax) fed with either a fish meal (FM)- or a fish oil (FO)-based diet (M) or an all-plant-based (PB) diet. A total of 550 fish from 224 families were reared together and tagged. DNA was sampled and microsatellites were used to assign parentage. When fish weight was 192 ± 54 g, two tanks were fed with M (FM: 100%; FO: 100%) and two others with PB (FM: 0% and FO: 0%). Body weight (BW), fork length (FL) and fillet lipid content ( CorrFat) were analysed with a linear model and with REML methodology. We observed no significant differences between groups, but a slightly lower ( P=0.03) daily growth coefficient in sea bass fed PB than in those fed M. Heritability estimates of BW differed significantly from zero (PB: 0.37 ± 0.18; M: 0.47 ± 0.24). Sire × diet interactions were significant and genetic correlations ranged between 0.51 and 0.87, showing genotype × diet interaction for BW and CorrFat. For the first time, genetic parameters in the context of total replacement of marine fishery by-products were estimated in European sea bass, showing re-ranking of family performances with extremely contrasted diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop a rapid and effective method of sexing juvenile sea bass with minimum labour and material. To this end, the gonad squash mount technique was applied along with macroscopic techniques for sexing a large number of experimental fish at the age of 215–275 days post fertilization (p.f.). At this age, 90% of the 3894 fish could be unambiguously sexed by macroscopic examination of their gonads, whereas the remaining proportion was identified using squash mount preparations (10%). The accuracy of the observations was measured up to classical histology procedures. Undifferentiated fish accounted for 0.1% of the total population only. The application of the squash mount technique holds out the prospect of considerable improvement in the efficiency and rapidity of current sexing techniques in sea bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological variability is no longer considered as statistical noise, but rather as an adaptive benefit. This variability comes from consistent differences in behavioral and physiological responses among individuals to a changing/challenging environment, named “coping style”, “temperament” or “personality”. Many studies have described how to characterize personality traits and how to assess their consistency over time and between different contexts; however, little is known about the environmental factors shaping personality development. Because contrasting personalities are maintained with evolution, this lead to the widespread assumption that genes play a predominant role in personality. In many cases, personality traits are however also likely to be determined by individual experience, which is probably at least as important as genetics in shaping personality. The aim of this study was to assess how environmental variability (herein food predictability) impacts behavioral responses, particularly the shyness-boldness axis, one of the most widely shared animal personality trait. Here, we reared juvenile seabass (95 days old) from two divergent strains selected for feed deprivation tolerance under standard conditions for 40 days. Thereafter, we submitted them to two feeding treatments (Predictable versus Unpredictable) starting at 135 dph and lasting 60 days. Seabass reared under a predictable food supply (PFS) grew faster and were shyer than fish reared under an unpredictable food supply (UFS) ( i.e. they took more time to exit the refuge zone of a Z-maze; UFS: 132.47 ± 34.63 s; PFS: 336.79 ± 56.97 s) but their exploration tendency was similar. We also examined the behavioral responses of these fish facing a hypoxic challenge. Hypoxia tolerance results were consistent before and after the two feeding treatments. Our findings show the importance of early environmental experience as a driving force shaping boldness. In addition, we provide further evidence that predictable feeding time should be respected in studies assessing essential functions such as growth and behavior. Although personality traits are partially heritable, this study demonstrates the important influence of environmental conditions and life history on behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two hundred fifty three full-sib families from 33 males and 23 females of European seabass were produced in a partly factorial mating design. All fish were reared in the same tank for 14months until reaching mean weight of 35g, then 7000 of them were individually tagged and weighed, and dispatched to four farms in different locations (France, Israel, Italy and Portugal) representing a wide variety of environmental conditions. Around mean weight of 400g, 1177 to 1667 fish at each site were weighed. Daily growth coefficient (DGC) was calculated. Pedigrees were successfully redrawn for 99.2% of fish using microsatellite markers. Genetic correlations between sites were high for body weight (>0.80 in all cases but one, i.e., five cases over six), but only moderate for DGC (0.21–0.61), with one exception. This indicates significant G×E interactions for growth rate, which were not revealed when studying body weight due to shared common environment of the fish prior to separation to the different rearing environments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Feed efficiency is a major goal for aquaculture sustainability, and selecting fish to genetically enhance this trait would be highly valuable. However, no selective breeding program specifically targeted to feed efficiency exists for farmed fish, mostly because of the difficulty of measuring individual feed intake. However, a negative phenotypic correlation between feed efficiency and weight loss at fasting has been previously demonstrated in sea bass submitted to feed deprivation (FD). We mated sea bass parents selected for their high (FD + ) or low (FD − ) weight loss at fasting to produce FD + and FD − progeny, which were reared in a single tank to avoid common environmental effects. At 8 months of age, 1200 of those fish were submitted to three alternating periods of fasting (3 weeks) and re-feeding (3 weeks). Individuals were weighed at the end of each feeding and fasting period. Their line of origin was identified by genotyping of 12 microsatellite markers, resulting in 1130 unambiguously assigned fish (484 FD − , 686 FD + ). FD − offspring lost significantly less weight than FD + offspring in this feed deprivation trial. After that, the feed efficiency of eight groups of 50 FD + fish and eight groups of 50 FD − fish was evaluated in four successive 20-day periods. At the end of the fourth period, 10 fish per tank were sacrificed to evaluate their carcass yield. The FD − fish had a better overall growth and were fatter, and FD + fish had a better carcass yield. A better feed efficiency was expected for the FD − fish, but differences between the two groups for this trait, measured either with feed efficiency ratio or with residual feed intake, were not consistently significant. Although the two lines were clearly divergent for several traits, demonstration of feed efficiency differences between the FD + and the FD − lines was not consistently observed in sea bass. A second generation of selection may allow further divergence in the lines and reveal differences in feed efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although individual electronic tagging using PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tags is well established, it is mainly used for fish >60mm in length. Since electronic tagging is an ideal identification method, we used RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) microtags (6mm in length, 1mm in diameter, 10mg in mass) to characterize individual fish from the early stages of their development and throughout their lifecycles. We used sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax (105day-old fish weighing between 100 and 1100mg), and studied the effects of intra-coelomic tagging in half the population using different endpoints including survival and tag reading, growth over 6months and swimming responses. Dead fish were counted daily, biometric data were collected at 21 to 28days intervals and fish were sexed at the end of the experiment. Behavioral swimming responses following a sudden dark challenge were evaluated after the first three biometric measurements (immediately after tagging, and then 21 and 42days later). After 6months, mean survival was 69%, the smallest surviving fish weighed 197mg at tagging, and success in tag reading was 79% for the size class 300–400mg after 63days. No negative effects were observed on growth and most deaths occurred within 15days after tagging with a first peak after 5days but that did not particularly affect the smallest individuals. Differences in swimming responses were detected between tagged fish and untagged controls immediately after the surgical procedure with tagged fish swimming more than controls for 45min. However, after 21days, the tagged fish swam less than the untagged controls after being placed in the observation tank for 1h and 45min. At 42days post-tagging, no further differences were observed. Overall, results suggested that the tagging method was suitable for fish as small as 400mg and 36mm in total length. This type of early tagging method is invaluable for the longitudinal monitoring of individual biological traits (e.g., growth) or for repeated assays with the same individual at distinct time points (e.g., behavior studies). We used it for a first evaluation of early growth differentiation between sexes and demonstrated a 31% mass gain difference in females that was visible as soon as the fish reached 105days old. This confirms the potential of the method for the selection of early-expressed character traits which could lead to rearing cost savings for the aquaculture research field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sea bass is a major species in Mediterranean aquaculture, but has a distribution area ranging from North Atlantic to South Mediterranean, with a population structure previously revealed by population genetics. To test the farming performances of wild sea bass populations, we produced a partial diallel cross mating scheme, using sires originating from North Atlantic (NAT), South Atlantic (SAT), West Mediterranean (WEM), North-East Mediterranean (NEM) and South-East Mediterranean (SEM). Fifteen sires per origin were mated in a full-factorial design using artificial fertilization with 9 NAT dams and 17 WEM dams, producing 10 population crosses and 1950 potential full-sib families. All fish were reared together, then tagged at an average weight of 20g and distributed to four different sites (1800 fish per site). They were grown to an objective of 200g mean weight, where 737 to 775 fish were slaughtered in each site, and their parentage was recovered using 6 to 7 microsatellite loci, resulting in 98.9% unique assignments. All populations had similar growth rates until tagging size (20g), but differences appeared later on. No heterosis appeared for growth rate, and genotype by environment interaction (G×E) at the population level was limited, with a significant re-ranking only in one rearing site, while strong G×E for growth rate was observed within populations. Populations were different in shape, muscular fat content, and carcass yield, but not in fillet yield. In general, heterosis was absent and G×E was very limited between populations. No “ideal” population combining all favorable traits was identified. Differences between extreme populations ranged between 3 and 49% of the mean, depending on the traits. Interestingly, in almost all cases, these differences were within the reach of one generation of intense (5%) phenotypic selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN) is a major threat for the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) aquaculture industry. The improvement of disease resistance through selective breeding is a promising option to reduce outbreaks. With the development of high-throughput genotyping technologies, identification of genomic regions involved in the resistance could improve the efficiency of selective breeding. The aim of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) involved in VNN resistance and to quantify their effect. Four experimental backcross families comprising 378, 454, 291 and 211 individuals and two commercial populations A and B comprising 1027 and 1042 individuals obtained from partial factorial crosses (59♂ x 20♀ for pop A; 39♂ x 14♀ for pop B) were submitted to a redspotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) challenge by bath. A high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip panel was designed to develop the ThermoFisher Axiom™ 57k SNP DlabChip, which was used for genotyping all individuals and building a high quality linkage map. In the backcross families, composite interval mapping was performed on 30,917, 23,592, 30,656 and 31,490 markers, respectively. In the commercial populations, 40,263 markers in pop A and 41,166 markers in pop B were used to perform genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using a GBLUP and a BayesCπ approach. One QTL was identified on chromosome LG12 in three of the four experimental backcross families, and one additional QTL on LG8 was detected in only one family. In commercial populations, QTL mapping revealed a total of seven QTLs, among which the previously mentioned QTL on LG12 was detected in both. This QTL, which was mapped to an interval of 3.45 cM, explained 9.21% of the total genetic variance in pop A, while other identified QTLs individually explained less than 1% of the total genetic variance. The identification of QTL regions involved in VNN resistance in European sea bass, with one having a strong effect, should have a great impact on the aquaculture industry. Future work could focus on the fine mapping of the causal mutation present on LG12 using whole genome sequencing. • Viral Nervous Necrosis is a major disease for European sea bass. • A novel SNP array for European sea bass was designed. • A total of nine QTL were detected. • One QTL, shared by five over six of the data sets and located on the LG12 explained 9.2% of the total genetic variance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual tagging is key to a better understanding of early life stages in fish. Very small RFID transponder microchips (500 × 500 × 100 μm, 82 μg) are now available. The aim of this study was to develop a protocol to tag European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) larvae from 61 days post-hatching (dph; standard length ~10 mm) to 96 dph (standard length ~28 mm) through intra-coelomic implantation of microchips. The suitability of such a tagging procedure was evaluated, with the purpose of determining the minimal fish age and body size for microchip tagging without adverse effects on survival and growth performance. We produced an experimental population composed by 50:50 normally pigmented larvae and albino larvae through artificial fertilization. Five tagging trials were performed over 35 days, in fish aged 61, 75, 83, 89 and 96 dph. Each time, 50 normally pigmented fish were tagged, while 50 albino fish were used as controls. Mortality was recorded daily, while biometric measurements were performed at 75, 83, 89, 96, 103 and 110 dph via image analysis. Microchip tagging was possible in larvae from an age of 75 dph (standard length ~20 mm), with satisfactory performance in terms of survival rate (between 84 and 98% 24 h after tagging) and growth rate, and without significant differences in comparison with the untagged controls. In contrast, tagging before 75 dph is not to be recommended, as the age group 61 dph was the most affected in terms of survival (only 62% of fish survived 24 h after tagging) and growth rate, showing significant differences compared to the untagged controls. The overall microchip reading success rate for the age groups throughout the experiment was 51.4%, the overall reading success rate at each biometric measurement was 48.2%, probably due to the change in orientation of the microchip inside the fish body cavity. The tagging protocol developed was then overall successful, albeit with a moderate reading success. Precocious tagging could allow the collection of new types of data (individual, longitudinal) related to larval development, behavioral studies, physiological and immunological investigations. Future tests could focus on the effects of tagging on baseline locomotion and behavior, as well as the suitability and the efficiency of intramuscular microchip tagging on larger fish. • A new RFID method for early stage fish tagging. • Individual tagging of sea bass is now possible at 75 days post-hatching. • No significant side effect due to intra-coelomic microchip implantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]