Effect of starvation on condition and growth of juvenile plaice Pleuronectes platessa: nursery habitat quality assessment during the settlement period.

International audienceIn order to assess the effect of feeding deprivation on growth and condition of field-caught newly settled juvenile plaice Pleuronectes platessa, a 3 week starvation experiment was conducted and changes in RNA/DNA ratio, Fulton's K condition index and recent otolith growth were measured. Fed ad libitum and starved fish were analysed after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 14, 16 and 22 days of starvation. In parallel, field newly settled juvenile plaice were collected weekly over the settlement period (between April and May 2005) in the adjacent intertidal zone of the Canche estuary (eastern English Channel, France) and fish performances were estimated. After starvation day 4, Fulton's K condition index and RNA/DNA ratio of juvenile plaice significantly differed between treatments while recent otolith growth differed between treatments after day 9 of the experiment procedure. Results indicate that the three biological parameters are sensitive indices and can be used to accurately assess nutritional condition of wild juvenile fish. Values of 0.32 for RNA/DNA, 0.83 mg. mm−3 for Fulton's K index, and 3.99 µm for recent otolith daily growth were defined as critical threshold values below which juvenile plaice can be classified as 'starving'. When comparing these experimental values with those from field-caught newly settled juvenile plaice, less than 1% of wild individuals can be classified as 'starving' whatever the index. Our results suggest that feeding conditions throughout the settlement period on the Canche intertidal nursery ground are favourable to juvenile plaice development and survival, and hence to the recruitment success

Comparison of macrobenthic assemblages of three fish estuarine nurseries and their importance as foraging grounds

International audienceMacrobenthic assemblages were examined in three fish estuarine nurseries and related to environmental variables, as well as fish and macrocrustaceans, in order to assess and compare the potential foraging ground value of these systems. Macrobenthos was sampled in spring 2007 in the Canche, Authie and Somme estuaries (eastern English Channel, France). A total of 17, 28 and 23 macrobenthic taxa, with a clear dominance of amphipods (mainly Bathyporeia sarsi), polychaetes and bivalves, were recorded in the three estuaries respectively. Although predators (fish and macrocrustaceans) were abundant, relatively high densities of macrobenthos were observed: 876.2 ± 389.1, 595.4 ± 197.2 and 854.3 ± 281.2 ind. m-2 in the Canche, Authie and Somme, respectively. No significant difference in species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity and density (total and dominant groups) of macrobenthos was observed between the three estuaries. Although the analysis of similarity and similarity percentages analyses indicated that macrobenthic assemblage was variable between Authie and Somme, results showed that macrobenthos resource was relatively high and similar in the three estuaries. Taking into account these considerations, the present study indicated a similar relative importance of the Canche, Authie and Somme estuaries as foraging grounds for fish and macrocrustaceans during spring. Multivariate analysis showed that macrobenthic assemblages were mainly driven by salinity and sediment characteristics in the Canche and Authie estuaries while in the Somme estuary sediment characteristics were the most influencing parameters

Seasonal and interannual variations of biological performances of newly settled juvenile plaice Pleuronectes platessa during the spring period on an intertidal sandy beach

Habitat quality of an intertidal nursery ground in the eastern Channel for 0-group plaice Pleuronectes platessa was investigated by following settlement, condition and growth during seven years (2005 to 2007 and 2010 to 2013) between March to June. Plaice settlement period extended from mid-March to late May and both date of pic of settlement and plaice densities varied between years. Fulton K, RNA:DNA and recent otolith growth indices were above the established baseline value for nutritional stress, indicating that newly settled plaice were in relatively high condition and that food was not a limiting factor. We did not observe density-dependent growth at our study site, and the relatively high growth rates observed each year suggest minimal competition for food. Our study indicate that the Sainte Cécile nursery areas provide suitable conditions for growth and survival of early juvenile stages

Hydroacoustics as a relevant tool to monitor fish dynamics in large estuaries

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]QUASAREInternational audienceAs areas where salt and fresh water meet, estuarine ecosystems are complex and highly dynamic natural environments. Because of this, assessing fish densities in such areas is challenging. Hydroacoustics is rarely used to analyze fish populations in large estuaries, even though such approaches have in the past proven effective in providing information on fish distribution, abundance and size-structure in other aquatic systems. In this study, we compare densities detected acoustically with those obtained using traditional fish sampling methods in the Gironde estuary (France), where regular monitoring surveys using fishing gear have been carried out since 1979 to track ecological changes. With the aim of complementing traditional fish sampling, our study used vertical beam mobile acoustic surveys at 70 and 120 kHz between May 2010 and June 2012. There was a highly significant correlation between fish densities obtained with traditional fish sampling and those obtained using hydroacoustics. Both inter-annual variations and the timing of peak densities were similar for the two methods. This shows that the less labor-intensive acoustic method can be used to monitor estuarine fish populations. However, there is a need to develop internationally-accepted standards for collection and analysis of these data in order to ensure comparability of results across systems

Temporal variations of perfluoroalkyl substances partitioning between surface water, suspended sediment, and biota in a macrotidal estuary

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Correction: Environmental Control on Fish and Macrocrustacean Spring Community-Structure, on an Intertidal Sandy Beach.

International audienceThe inter-annual variability of the fish and macrocrustacean spring community on an intertidal sandy beach near the Canche estuary (North of France) was studied from 2000 to 2013 based on weekly spring sampling over an 11-year period. Twenty-eight species representing 21 families were collected during the course of the study. The community was dominated by a few abundant species accounting for > 99% of the total species densities. Most individuals caught were young-of-the-year indicating the importance of this ecosystem for juvenile fishes and macrocrustaceans. Although standard qualitative community ecology metrics (species composition, richness, diversity, evenness and similarity) indicated notable stability over the study period, community structure showed a clear change since 2009. Densities of P. platessa, P. microps and A. tobianus decreased significantly since 2009, whereas over the period 2010-2013, the contribution of S. sprattus to total species density increased 4-fold. Co-inertia and generalised linear model analyses identified winter NAO index, water temperature, salinity and suspended particular matter as the major environmental factors explaining these changes. Although the recurrent and dense spring blooms of the Prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis globosa is one of the main potential threats in shallow waters of the eastern English Channel, no negative impact of its temporal change was detected on the fish and macrocrustacean spring community structure

Evidence for the Trophic Transfer of Perfluoroalkylated Substances in a Temperate Macrotidal Estuary

International audienceThe present survey examines the trophodynamics of a suite of 19 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a temperate macrotidal estuary (Gironde, SW France). Across the 147 biota samples (18 taxa) collected, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), and C8−C14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) were the mostrecurrent analytes. ΣPFASs ranged between 0.66−45 ng per g of wet weight of the whole body. Benthic organisms had relatively high ΣPFASs compared to demersal organisms and displayed specific composition profiles with higher relative abundances of C8 and C9 PFCAs. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) were determined through the use of linear mixed effect models including censored data, thereby considering data below detection limits as well as the interspecific variability of δ15N and PFAS levels (random effects). TMFs were almost consistently >1 in the benthic food web as well as when considering all data pooled together, providing evidence for the biomagnification of several PFASs in estuarine environments. In addition, in contrast with previous observations, TMFs determined in the estuarine benthic web were found to significantly decrease with increasing chain length for C8−C14 PFCAs and C6−C8 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates. This suggests that PFAS chemical structure might not be necessarily predictive of TMFs, which are also influenced by the trophic web characteristics