Fish eye optics

We report on small student (high school) project of the Czech Academy of Sciences dealing with animal (fish) eyes and possible application in science and technology. Albeit most fishes have refractive eyes, the recent discoveries confirm that some fishes have reflective eyes with strange arrangements as well

The Fishes of Chadron Creek, Dawes County, Nebraska

This first modern comprehensive survey of fishes collected from Chadron Creek, Dawes County, Nebraska, documents collections made with a small seine and backpack electrofisher during November 2007 and February and March 2008. Chadron Creek’s fish community is of low diversity. The total of 3 collections at each of 9 stations along the length of Chadron Creek resulted in 254 individual fishes, which represented only 7 species within 4 families. Water quality parameters, including dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, temperature and fecal coliform counts indicate that Chadron Creek is a healthy stream capable of supporting a greater diversity of fishes. Land management practices may be responsible for elevated fecal coliform levels at one locality on the creek. Comparisons of fishes collected herein are made with historical records of fish collected between 1893 and 2000, and show that there are 50% fewer species present than those known from historical accounts

A Review of the South Pacific Tuna Baitfisheries: Small Pelagic Fisheries Associated with Coral-Reefs

A review is given of current information concerning small pelagic fishes exploited for tuna bait in the South Pacific. These fishes are usually caught over or near coral reefs using light attraction and lift nets. The most common and widespread species are anchovies (Engraulidae), sprats (Clupeidae), silversides (Atherinidae), and herrings (Clupeidae). Recorded yields ranged from 0.5 to 2.6t/km2, and methods are described to estimate potential yields empirically in the absence of catch data. Environmental effects on small pelagic fish production are discussed, and evidence is presented to suggest that rainfall markedly affects stolephorid anchovy production. Some species of small pelagic fish, such as Selar spp., Decapterus spp., and Herklotsichthys sp., have been fished traditionally by artisanal fishermen, but anchovy and sprat stocks were probably unexploited prior to pole-and-line tuna fishing in the South Pacific

Field Guide to Nonindigenous Marine Fishes of Florida

The purpose of this field guide is to provide information on nonindigenous (i.e., non-native) fishes that have been observed in Florida’s marine waters. Introductions of non-native marine fishes into Florida’s waters could be intentional or unintentional, and are likely from a variety of sources, including aquarium releases, escape from aquaculture, loss due to extreme weather events (e.g., flooding from hurricanes), and possibly transfer with ballast water or hull-fouling. Presently the lionfishes (Pterois volitans and P. miles) are the only non-native marine fish species known to be established along the coast of Florida. All other marine fishes in this guide (except the euryhaline species, see below) have infrequent occurrences, occur singly or in small groups, and have not yet become self-sustaining populations. Aquarium releases are one of the major pathways whereby nonindigenous fishes gain access to new environments (Ruiz et al. 1997; Fuller et al. 1999). Most of the nonindigenous marine fishes found in Florida’s waters are thought to be aquarium fishes that either were illegally released into the ocean or escaped captivity (e.g., during severe storm/flooding events). Indeed, south Florida is a hotspot for nonindigenous marine aquarium fishes (Semmens et al. 2004). Increased public awareness of the problems caused by released or escaped aquarium fishes may aid in stemming the frequency of releases. For example, HabitattitudeTM (www.habitattitude.net) is a national public awareness and partnership campaign that encourages aquarists and water gardeners to prevent the release of unwanted aquarium plants, fish and other animals. It prompts hobbyists to adopt alternative actions when dealing with these aquatic plants and animals. (PDF file contains 133 pages.

Habitat connectivity in coastal environments: patterns and movements of Caribbean coral reef fishes with emphasis on Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus

Habitat connectivity within tropical marine seascapes may be greatly dependent on the movement of large organisms, particularly fishes. Using visual and trap sampling within two small bays in Virgin Islands National Park/Biosphere Reserve, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, we documented that large coral reef fishes, particularly large adult grunts, which shelter by day on coral reefs and make nocturnal feeding migrations into seagrass beds, accounted for the greatest biomass and abundance of fishes sampled in seagrass habitat. Using passive tags and sonic telemetry, we documented the nocturnal migration patterns of large adult grunts (bluestriped grunts, Haemulon sciurus), which are similar to the well-documented migration patterns of juvenile grunts. Large grunts showed high site fidelity to nocturnal foraging sites in seagrass beds. Sonictagged grunts demonstrated little movement in their diurnal shelter sites in the boulder-coral zone, with most individuals making nocturnal migrations into the adjacent seagrass bed. These results provide evidence for strong linkage among adjacent habitats at a small spatial scale and emphasize the importance of inclusion of a diversity of habitats in Marine Protected Areas

A histopathologic evaluation of gross lesions excised from commercially important North Altantic marine fishes

Histopathologic studies of lesions found in commercially important North Atlantic marine fishes are uncommon. As part of a comprehensive Northeast Fisheries Center program ("Ocean Pulse") to evaluate environmental and resource health on the U.S. Continental Shelf from Cape Hatteras to Nova Scotia, grossly visible lesions of the gills, integument, muscle, and viscera of primarily bottom-dwelling fishes were excised and examined using light microscopy. Several gadid and pleuronectid fishes accounted for most of the lesions observed. Most pathological examinations were incidental to samples taken for age and growth determination and evaluation of predator/prey relationships. Several gadids, with either gill, heart, or spleen lesions, were sampled more intensively. Gill lesions principally affected gadids and were caused by either microsporidans or an unidentified oocyte-like cell. The majority of gastrointestinal lesions consisted of encapsulated or encysted larval worms or microsporidan-induced cysts. Few heart lesions were found. Integumental lesioos included ulcers, lymphocystis, and trematode metacercariae. Liver lesions almost always consisted of encapsulated or encysted larval helminths. Necrotic granulomata were seen in muscle and microsporidan-induced granulomata in spleen. Although not numerous, histologically interesting lesions were noted in integument, heart, liver, spleen, and muscle of several fish species. Histologic study of tissues excised from a variety of demersal and pelagic fishes from the eastern North Atlantic (France, Germany, Spain) revealed assorted integumental, renal, hepatic, and splenic lesions. Small sample size and non-random sampling precluded obtaining a meaningful quantitative estimate of the prevalence of the observed lesions in the population at risk; however, a useful census has been made of the types of lesions present in commercially important marine fishes. (PDF file contains 20 pages.

Benthic invertebrates that form habitat on deep banks off southern California, with special reference to deep sea coral

There is increasing interest in the potential impacts that fishing activities have on megafaunal benthic invertebrates occurring in continental shelf and slope ecosystems. We examined how the structure, size, and high-density aggregations of invertebrates provided structural relief for fishes in continental shelf and slope ecosystems off southern California. We made 112 dives in a submersible at 32−320 m water depth, surveying a variety of habitats from high-relief rock to flat sand and mud. Using quantitative video transect methods, we made 12,360 observations of 15 structure-form-ing invertebrate taxa and 521,898 individuals. We estimated size and incidence of epizoic animals on 9105 sponges, black corals, and gorgonians. Size variation among structure-form-ing invertebrates was significant and 90% of the individuals were <0.5 m high. Less than 1% of the observations of organisms actually sheltering in or located on invertebrates involved fishes. From the analysis of spatial associations between fishes and large invertebrates, six of 108 fish species were found more often adjacent to invertebrate colonies than the number of fish predicted by the fish-density data from transects. This finding indicates that there may be spatial associations that do not necessarily include physical contact with the sponges and corals. However, the median distances between these six fish species and the invertebrates were not particularly small (1.0−5.5 m). Thus, it is likely that these fishes and invertebrates are present together in the same habitats but that there is not necessarily a functional relationship between these groups of organisms. Regardless of their associations with fishes, these invertebrates provide structure and diversity for continental shelf ecosystems off southern California and certainly deserve the attention of scientists undertaking future conservation efforts

Fishes of the Caddo River, Arkansas, After Impoundment of DeGray Lake

Fifty-five collections of fishes were made with small-mesh seines and electrofishing gear in the Caddo River and four of its tributaries during 1974-75. Eighty-two species representing 17 families were collected; 14 of the species had not previously been reported from the Caddo River

Spatial distribution and abundance of small fishes in Xiaosihai Lake, a shallow lake along the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, China

Spatial distribution and abundance of small fishes were studied in autumn 2007 in the Xiaosihai Lake, a shallow lake along the middle reach of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River. Based on the plant cover, the lake was divided into three major habitats: Myriophyllum spicatum habitat (MS habitat), Trapa bispinosa habitat (TB habitat), and non-vegetation habitat (NV habitat). A modified pop-net was used for quantitative sampling of small fishes in the three habitats, and the Zippin's removal method was used for estimating densities of the small fishes. A total of 13 species belonging to 5 families were collected, with 11 species in MS habitat, 7 species in TB habitat, and 5 species in NV habitat. Habitat type had significant effect on the spatial distribution of small fishes. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index in the MS, TB and NV habitats were 1.28, 0.56 and 0.54, respectively. The total density and biomass of small fishes were significantly higher in the MS habitat (13.68 ind/m(2) and 4.44 g/m(2)) than in the TB habitat (1.41 ind/m(2) and 0.54 g/m(2)) and the NV habitat (1.08 ind/m(2) and 0.40 g/m(2)), and were not significantly different between the TB habitat and the NV habitat. Water depth had no significant effect on spatial distribution of the small fishes. It was suggested that vegetation type played an important role in habitat selectivity of small fishes, and the presence of submersed vegetation should be of significance in the conservation of small fish diversity

Population parameters of small pelagic fishes caught off Tawi-Tawi, Philippines

Growth and mortality parameters, exploitation rates and annual recruitment patterns were estimated from monthly length-frequency samples for Sardinella longiceps, S. fimbriata, S. Albella, Decapterus macrosoma, Dipterygonatus balteatus, Rastrelliger faughni and Encrasicolina heteroloba. These results provide the first sets of stock parameter estimates for these species off Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. The growth parameters derived were found comparable with previous estimates available for the same species from other localities. Recruitment was noted to be year-round and bimodal. Estimates of fishing mortality and exploitation rate were found to be presently above appropriate levels