Scientific knowledge and conservation policies : interrelationships in the Spanish livestock autochthonous endangered breeds

El objetivo del estudio fue analizar las relaciones entre el conocimiento científico y los principales factores que determinan el grado de amenaza de las razas autóctonas españolas en peligro de extinción. Se utilizaron los datos oficiales del conjunto de razas españolas en peligro de extinción durante el período 2009-2013, y la producción científica y divulgativa de cada raza, recopilada a partir de Web of Science y Google para el período 1950-2012. Las razas fueron clasificadas según su riesgo de extinción con base en criterios demográficos durante el período 2009-2013. Los resultados han mostrado que el riesgo de extinción es elevado en más de la mitad de las razas, moderado en el 12,4% y crítico en el 36,1%. Los mayores niveles de riesgo correspondieron a razas concentradas en pequeñas áreas, con poblaciones y rebaños de menor tamaño, y reconocimiento oficial más reciente. La producción científica en el área de genética ha sido significativamente superior en las razas con mayor riesgo de extinción, mientras que los aspectos productivos y productos han sido más estudiados en las razas con menor riesgo de extinción. La divulgación de aspectos zootécnicos y sistemas de producción, producciones y productos ha sido significativamente mayor en las situaciones de menor riesgo de extinción. Por todo ello, se recomienda que las políticas de conservación concentren sus apoyos en una fase inicial relativa al estudio y caracterización racial basada en aspectos genéticos y una segunda fase centrada en el incremento del conocimiento y divulgación de las características productivas y de los sistemas de producción.The aim of this study was to analyse the progress and current status of endangered autochthonous Spanish breeds exploring relationships between the main factors that determine the degree of endangered and the scientific and technical production related to the breed. The status of each breed was determined from official data published by Ministry of Agriculture during 2009-2013. The scientific and disclosure production related to each breed was collected from Web of Science and Google for 1950-2012. Each breed was classified according to its risk of extinction, based on demographic criteria and the annual growth rate of the population during 2009-2013. Results showed the risk of extinction was high in approximately the half of breeds, intermediate in 12.4% and very high in 36.1%. The highest levels of extinction risk corresponded to breed with recent official recognition and spread in small areas, with reduced population and herds of small size. Scientific literature on genetics has been significantly higher in breeds at greatest risk of extinction, while productive issues and products have been significantly studied most intensively in breeds with less risk of extinction. The disclosure literature on zootechnical issues and production systems has been significantly higher in breeds at lower risk of extinction. Therefore, it is recommended conservation policies focus, in a first stage, on genetic aspects and breed features, and secondly on productive issues and production systems.Fil: Perea, José. Universidad de Córdoba (España)Fil: Barba, Cecilio. Universidad de Córdoba (España)Fil: Luque, Manuel. Federación Española de Asociaciones de Ganado SelectoFil: González, Ana. Universidad de Córdoba (España)Fil: Angón, Elena. Universidad de Córdoba (España)Fil: García, Antón. Universidad de Córdoba (España

Bibliometric study of seafood quality literature

This study investigates characteristics of seafood quality literature through application of bibliometric techniques. No previous studies that examined this field of science. The objectives are to examine seafood literature’s growth, document types, place/language of publishing, and author productivity patterns (analysed using Lotka’s law). A total of 2267 records were retrieved (up to 11 May 2016) from Web of Science and Scopus.  Literature grew exponentially from 2000 to 2013 following the development of this field. Values obtained were c = 1.038, g = 1.118 and R2 = 0.946. Annual growth rate was 11.8%. The bibliography duplicates every 6.2 years. The most common publications were journal articles (64%), as expected. Per country, the U.S.A. made most major contributions, and English was the most-used language. A total of 5,583 authors, including co-authors, were retrieved; every paper’s author was given one credit to measure productivity. The majority (75%; 4175 authors) contributed only one article. These data do not fit Lotka’s law

Serum amyloid A is a positive acute phase protein in Russian sturgeon challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila

The immune system of sturgeons, one of the most ancient and economically valuable fsh worldwide, is poorly understood. The lack of molecular tools and data about infection biomarkers hinders the possibility to monitor sturgeon health during farming and detect infection outbreaks. To tackle this issue, we mined publicly available transcriptomic datasets and identifed putative positive acute-phase proteins (APPs) of Russian sturgeons that could be induced by a bacterial infection and monitored using non-invasive methods. Teleost literature compelled us to focus on fve promising candidates: hepcidin, a warm acclimation associated hemopexin, intelectin, serum amyloid A protein (SAA) and serotransferrin. Among them, SAA was the most upregulated protein at the mRNA level in the liver of sturgeons challenged with heat-inactivated or live Aeromonas hydrophila. To assess whether this upregulation yielded increasing SAA levels in circulation, we developed an in-house ELISA to quantify SAA levels in sturgeon serum. Circulating SAA rose upon bacterial challenge and positively correlated with hepatic saa expression. This is the frst time serum SAA has been quantifed in an Actinopterygii fsh. Since APPs vary across diferent fsh species, our work sheds light on sturgeon acute-phase response, revealing that SAA is a positive APP with potential value as infection biomarker

Conocimiento científico y políticas de conservación: interrelaciones en las razas ganaderas autóctonas españolas en peligro de extinción

The aim of this study was to analyse the progress and current status of endangered autochthonous Spanish breeds exploring relationships between the main factors that determine the degree of endangered and the scientific and technical production related to the breed. The status of each breed was determined from official data published by Ministry of Agriculture during 2009-2013. The scientific and disclosure production related to each breed was collected from Web of Science and Google for 1950-2012. Each breed was classified according to its risk of extinction, based on demographic criteria and the annual growth rate of the population during 2009-2013. Results showed the risk of extinction was high in approximately the half of breeds, intermediate in 12.4% and very high in 36.1%. The highest levels of extinction risk corresponded to breed with recent official recognition and spread in small areas, with reduced population and herds of small size. Scientific literature on genetics has been significantly higher in breeds at greatest risk of extinction, while productive issues and products have been significantly studied most intensively in breeds with less risk of extinction. The disclosure literature on zootechnical issues and production systems has been significantly higher in breeds at lower risk of extinction. Therefore, it is recommended conservation policies focus, in a first stage, on genetic aspects and breed features, and secondly on productive issues and production systems.El objetivo del estudio fue analizar las relaciones entre el conocimiento científico y los principales factores que determinan el grado de amenaza de las razas autóctonas españolas en peligro de extinción. Se utilizaron los datos oficiales del conjunto de razas españolas en peligro de extinción durante el período 2009-2013, y la producción científica y divulgativa de cada raza, recopilada a partir de Web of Science y Google para el período 1950-2012. Las razas fueron clasificadas según su riesgo de extinción con base en criterios demográficos durante el período 2009-2013. Los resultados han mostrado que el riesgo de extinción es elevado en más de la mitad de las razas, moderado en el 12,4% y crítico en el 36,1%. Los mayores niveles de riesgo correspondieron a razas concentradas en pequeñas áreas, con poblaciones y rebaños de menor tamaño, y reconocimiento oficial más reciente. La producción científica en el área de genética ha sido significativamente superior en las razas con mayor riesgo de extinción, mientras que los aspectos productivos y productos han sido más estudiados en las razas con menor riesgo de extinción. La divulgación de aspectos zootécnicos y sistemas de producción, producciones y productos ha sido significativamente mayor en las situaciones de menor riesgo de extinción. Por todo ello, se recomienda que las políticas de conservación concentren sus apoyos en una fase inicial relativa al estudio y caracterización racial basada en aspectos genéticos y una segunda fase centrada en el incremento del conocimiento y divulgación de las características productivas y de los sistemas de producción

Research Tools to Investigate Movements, Migrations, and Life History of Sturgeons (Acipenseridae), with an Emphasis on Marine-Oriented Populations

Worldwide, sturgeons (Acipenseridae) are among the most endangered fishes due to habitat degradation, overfishing, and inherent life history characteristics (long life span, late maturation, and infrequent spawning). As most sturgeons are anadromous, a considerable portion of their life history occurs in estuarine and marine environments where they may encounter unique threats (e.g., interception in non-target fisheries). Of the 16 marine-oriented species, 12 are designated as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and these include species commercially harvested. We review important research tools and techniques (tagging, electronic tagging, genetics, microchemistry, observatory) and discuss the comparative utility of these techniques to investigate movements, migrations, and life-history characteristics of sturgeons. Examples are provided regarding what the applications have revealed regarding movement and migration and how this information can be used for conservation and management. Through studies that include Gulf (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) and Green Sturgeon (A. medirostris), we illustrate what is known about well-studied species and then explore lesser-studied species. A more complete picture of migration is available for North American sturgeon species, while European and Asian species, which are among the most endangered sturgeons, are less understood. We put forth recommendations that encourage the support of stewardship initiatives to build awareness and provide key information for population assessment and monitoring

SUBLETHAL EFFECTS OF DIETARY SELENOMETHIONINE ON JUVENILE WHITE STURGEON (ACIPENSER TRANSMONTANUS)

Sturgeon are an ancient family of fish comprised of 26 known species, most of which are threatened or endangered. Populations of white sturgeon (WS; Acipenser transmontanus), which are endemic to western North America, have been declining since the 1800’s due to overharvesting, habitat alteration and increased contaminant loads from industrial and agricultural activities. The longevity, benthic lifestyle and late sexual maturation might make WS particularly susceptible to bioaccumulative toxicants, such as selenium (Se). Although Se is an essential micronutrient, it can be toxic to aquatic organisms at low concentrations and it is prevalent in surface waters due to various sources, including natural weathering of rocks and soil, agricultural runoff, discharge from mining and milling operations, and fossil fuel combustion. One organic form of Se, selenomethionine (SeMet), is a particular environmental concern due to its ability to persist and bioaccumulate through the food chain. Selenomethionine is known to persist in some WS habitats and it has been detected in their tissues and prey at concentrations above dietary and tissue toxicity thresholds. Selenomethionine can adversely affect a range of physiological processes in fish, including the physiological stress response; however, studies assessing the sensitivity of WS to SeMet are limited and the effects of SeMet on their physiological stress response are unknown. While oxidative stress has been hypothesized as one of the primary mechanisms of SeMet toxicity in teleosts, the mechanisms leading to adverse effects in WS are poorly understood. Therefore, the goal of this research was to expand the understanding of WS sensitivity to SeMet by assessing sublethal effects of dietary SeMet exposure, including effects on their ability to mount a stress response. As well as to provide insight into potential pathways of SeMet toxicity in WS, by linking molecular responses to adverse whole organism effects observed in a parallel study. Juvenile WS were fed either a control diet containing 1.4 μg Se/g dry mass (dm), or a spiked diet containing 5.6, 22.4 and 104.4 μg Se/g dm, for 72 d. Effects of SeMet on the cortisol stress response were evaluated by subjecting fish to a 2 min handling stressor on the final exposure day, followed by quantifying concentrations of cortisol, glucose and lactate in blood plasma, and glycogen levels in muscle and liver tissue. Furthermore, abundances of transcripts of genes along the hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis were analyzed using qPCR. RNA- seq analysis was conducted on liver samples from control and medium dosed fish, collected on day 10 of the exposure, to assess transcriptional responses and identify physiological processes that might be adversely impacted by SeMet. Exposure to dietary SeMet for 72 d did not impact the ability of WS to mount a cortisol response to an acute handling stressor; however, this response could only be assessed in the low and medium dose fish due to high mortalities in the high dose group. There was some indication that the medium dose of SeMet altered the ability of WS to utilize muscle glycogen for energy, following exposure to the acute handling stressor. Basal levels of plasma cortisol, glucose, lactate, and liver glycogen were significantly altered in the high dose fish. RNA-seq analysis identified 178 and 147 transcripts that were significantly down- and up- regulated, respectively. Biological pathways associated with the differentially expressed transcripts were analyzed through ClueGO, a Cytoscape plug-in. Selenomethionine altered several physiological processes, but the majority were involved with the regulation of energy, cholesterol/lipid and protein metabolism. Alterations in these pathways appeared to be associated with reduced hepatic energy stores and growth, as well as increased edema and mortality observed in WS by the end of the exposure. Overall, the results of this research indicate that WS are sensitive to dietary SeMet at concentrations greater than or equal to 22.4 μg/g dm based on the biochemical and molecular endpoints assessed in this research. Effects on energy, cholesterol/lipid and protein metabolism likely play an important role in the development of SeMet toxicity in WS and should be investigated in future studies. WS also appear to respond differently to SeMet from other fishes, as seen by the lack of effects on their stress response at lower concentrations, the lower magnitude cortisol response, and the development of edema at low concentrations. These differences highlight that cross-species extrapolations in regard to the toxicity of SeMet in fishes, cannot always be made, and this should be considered in future environmental risk assessments for Se

Adverse Health Effects of Dietary Selenomethionine on Juvenile White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)

Sturgeon are an ancient family of fish which have remained essentially unchanged for 200 million years, rendering them physiologically distinct from the more modern teleosts. Of the 26 known species of sturgeons all are likely endangered. North American populations have been declining steadily since the 1800s due to factors such as overharvesting, habitat alterations and increasing pollution. White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), endemic to Western North America, are the largest freshwater fish on the continent. Protecting white sturgeon is of interest because nearly all Canadian populations are endangered and they are culturally and economically important. Factors such as great size, longevity, position in the food chain and benthic life style render white sturgeon particularly susceptible to bioaccumulation of toxicants. They are known to be among the most sensitive species to pollutants such as metal ions, dioxin-like compounds and endocrine disrupters. However, little is known about their susceptibility to other priority contaminants such as selenium (Se). Selenium, in its organic form selenomethionine (SeMet) has become a contaminant of particular concern as it is a known toxicant that efficiently bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in the food chain. It is also of interest as Se is an essential micronutrient that becomes toxic at only marginally greater than optimal doses. Current elevated concentrations of SeMet in white sturgeon prey, with predicted increases in anthropogenic releases, have made it a contaminant of concern for this species. It is hypothesized that increased releases of Se to aquatic environments have contributed in part to sturgeon declines; however, to date little is known about its specific effects on this species. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the sensitivity of three year old white sturgeon to dietary SeMet and to link physiological effects to key molecular events of toxicity and to elucidate the mechanism of toxicity. Specifically, this thesis focused on oxidative stress in liver tissue as a hypothesized primary mechanism of toxicity. For 72 days sturgeon were given either a control diet of 1.4 µg Se/g feed or a diet spiked with SeMet (5.6, 22.4 or 104.4 µg Se/g feed dry mass). These doses corresponded to an uptake necessary for proper health, two environmentally relevant exposures, and a worst-case scenario for industrial Se release, respectively. A subsample of fish was taken at day 10 to investigate molecular endpoints. Within 10 days of exposure, pathological effects were observed in fish given the high dose. Occurrence of severe edema causing exophthalmos developed within 15, 23 and 52 days in high, medium and low dose group fish, respectively. There was a 54% and 22% occurrence of lethal effects in the high and medium dose groups, respectively. Se accumulated in a dose dependent manner and reached equilibrium in high dose fish after approximately 40 days. Growth, liver weight and hepatosomatic index were all significantly lower in the high dose group. Histology of 72 day liver samples showed a significant and dose dependent increase in melanomacrophage aggregates and decrease of energy stores and cell size. Food avoidance was also observed in sturgeon exposed to the high dose. To investigate oxidative stress, 10 day liver samples were tested for changes in gene expression coding for glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, apoptosis inducing factor and caspase 3, using real-time PCR. Only GPx was significantly induced. Day 72 liver samples were tested for the presence of lipid hydroperoxides but there were no significant differences between dose groups and controls, which shed doubt on oxidative stress being the main driver of toxicity. Taken together the data makes a strong case for the sensitivity of white sturgeon to Se accumulation and indicates a general suppression of health due to toxic levels of exposure. However, in contrast to other fish species exposed to Se, oxidative stress is not likely the main mechanism of toxicity in white sturgeon. Findings from the present study could be used for the risk assessment of sturgeon to anthropogenic Se in aquatic ecosystems

Farming different species in RAS in Nordic countries: Current status and future perspectives

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) have gained increasing interest in recent years as a means to intensify fish production while at the same time minimize the environmental impact. Considerable hands-on experience has accumulated within the Nordic countries over the last 20-30 years in designing, building, and operating intensive land-based RAS for different species. This study compiles and assesses published literature along with un-published hands-on experiences with rearing different species in RAS in the Nordic countries, including Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), European eel (Anguilla anguilla), pike perch (Stizostedion lucioperca), Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), sturgeon (order Acipenseriformes), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and European lobster (Homarus gammarus). High capital costs are one of the biggest challenges to sustainable RAS calling for large scale intensive productions to reduce investment -and operation costs. Consistent with this, production of Atlantic salmon smolts in indoor RAS and rainbow trout in outdoor Model-Trout-Farms (MTFs) have been the commercially most successful productions so far. Aside from end-of-pipe treatment including sludge handling and efficient nitrogen removal, much of the RAS technology applied is well known and is, as such, more or less ready to apply for culturing a variety of species. Successful production of “new” species in RAS therefore largely comes down to identifying the biological requirements of that specific species, and designing the RAS to fulfill and support the specific requirements. Well established brood-stocks and continuous supply of offspring is furthermore a prerequisite for successful RAS production of most species. Successful operations of less intensive RAS such as aquaponic systems appear to be feasible primarily when culturing more exotic species targeted for selected customer

Fate of hatchery-reared juvenile Nechako white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus): Assessment of predation by river otters (Lontra canadensis)

Predation of fish raised and released as part of conservation aquaculture programs can pose a threat to the recovery of endangered populations. Therefore, understanding the impact of specific predators is important to inform these programs. In central British Columbia, a conservation aquaculture program exists for the endangered Nechako white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). In Chapter 1, I provide evidence that river otters (Lontra canadensis) are a notable predator of these released sturgeon through the collection of over 500 sturgeon PIT tags from river otter latrine sites and finding sturgeon radio tags in suspected otter feeding sites. In Chapter 2, I used the collection of additional PIT tags to estimate the extent of predation and to identify spatial and temporal patterns in the predation. My results suggest a confirmed minimum of 3.9% of released sturgeon were consumed by otters, however, I also identify several factors that suggest this number is much higher. Predation hotspots were identified and varied depending on release year and location, and predation evidently decreased with a shift to low release numbers and fewer sturgeon being present in the river. In Chapter 3, I present the results of laboratory experiments I performed that revealed an inability of naïve juvenile white sturgeon to be conditioned to recognize otters as a threat using conspecific alarm cues. However, spatial avoidance was identified as an important anti-predator response and suggestions are provided to improve future experiments. My findings specifically inform the recovery of the Nechako white sturgeon, however, may also be informative where other populations of sturgeon and otters coexist. Additionally, as this predator-prey interaction was previously unstudied, my results contribute to a growing knowledge of sturgeon predators