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In this paper, we estimate levels of inbreeding with parental relatedness and contribution inferred from microsatellites in groups of Common sole that reproduce by natural mating. We present results on spawning patterns during one entire reproductive season of wild Common sole, Solea solea, kept in two broodstock groups (28 animals in broodstock A; 20 animals in broodstock B) under semi-natural conditions. Batches of eggs were collected daily and incubated separately. First, we performed a parentage analysis on parents and samples of 24 newly hatched larvae from all batches, using 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers. As expected, contribution of parents to offspring was highly skewed. In both broodstocks, five or less parental pairs produced more than half of the total progeny. Natural spawning and unequal contributions of parents to offspring resulted in significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibria. Furthermore, few alleles were lost and levels of heterozygosity in offspring population increased. Next, we calculated relatedness between parents that mated successfully based on estimates of molecular similarity. Mean coefficients of coancestry in offspring were determined using parental relatedness and contributions. Levels of coancestry in progeny were substantially high. These results show that due to different parental contributions, natural mating in groups can result in significant inbreeding in future generations despite of limited loss of alleles and high levels of heterozygosity in first generation progeny. This shows that using loss of alleles and levels of heterozygosity alone can be misleading for estimation of genetic diversity.

International audience; Dover sole (Solea solea, Linneaus 1758) were raised from first feeding on brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) with different contents and compositions of the essential fatty acids (EFA) arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n - 6); eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n - 3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n - 3), and their metabolic rate and tolerance to hypoxia measured prior to and following metamorphosis and settlement. Four dietary Artemia preparations were compared: (1) un-enriched; (2) enriched with a commercial EFA mixture (Easy DHA SELCO Emulsion); (3) enriched with a marine fish oil combination (VEVODAR and Incromega DHA) to provide a high ratio of ARA to DHA, and (4) enriched with these fish oils to provide a low ratio of ARA to DHA. Sole fed un-enriched Artemia were significantly less tolerant to hypoxia than the other dietary groups. Larvae from this group had significantly higher routine metabolic rate (RMR) in normoxia, and significantly higher O-2 partial pressure (PO2) thresholds in progressive hypoxia for their regulation of RMR (P-crit) and for the onset of agitation, respiratory distress and loss of equilibrium. Metamorphosis was associated with an overall decline in RMR and increase in P-crit, but juveniles fed on un-enriched Artemia still exhibited higher P-crit and agitation thresholds than the other groups. Sole fed un-enriched Artemia had significantly lower contents of EFA in their tissues, both before and after settlement. Thus, enriching live feeds with EFA has significant effects on the respiratory physiology of sole early life stages and improves their in vivo tolerance to hypoxia. We found no evidence, however, for any effect of the ratio of ARA to DHA.

In order to investigate the impact of blood residues on the end quality of exsanguinated and unbled farmed turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), meat quality was evaluated using mechanical, sensory, and computer imaging techniques. The results show that exsanguination is important for improving the visual appearance, and the blood residue could be quantified using a computer imaging system. After 6 d of storage, mechanical analysis using puncture test or shear force showed no difference between exsanguinated and unbled fish. The trained taste panel was unable to detect any differences between exsanguinated and unbled fish after 6 and 14 d of storage. We conclude that over a 2-wk period the blood residue in turbot meat does not affect texture or sensory quality, but does affect the visual appearance.