Moving with the beat: heart rate and visceral temperature of free-swimming and feeding bluefin tuna

Owing to the inherent difficulties of studying bluefin tuna, nothing is known of the cardiovascular function of free-swimming fish. Here, we surgically implanted newly designed data loggers into the visceral cavity of juvenile southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) to measure changes in the heart rate (fH) and visceral temperature (TV) during a two-week feeding regime in sea pens at Port Lincoln, Australia. Fish ranged in body mass from 10 to 21 kg, and water temperature remained at 18–19°C. Pre-feeding fH typically ranged from 20 to 50 beats min−1. Each feeding bout (meal sizes 2–7% of tuna body mass) was characterized by increased levels of activity and fH (up to 130 beats min−1), and a decrease in TV from approximately 20 to 18°C as cold sardines were consumed. The feeding bout was promptly followed by a rapid increase in TV, which signified the beginning of the heat increment of feeding (HIF). The time interval between meal consumption and the completion of HIF ranged from 10 to 24 hours and was strongly correlated with ration size. Although fH generally decreased after its peak during the feeding bout, it remained elevated during the digestive period and returned to routine levels on a similar, but slightly earlier, temporal scale to TV. These data imply a large contribution of fH to the increase in circulatory oxygen transport that is required for digestion. Furthermore, these data oppose the contention that maximum fH is exceptional in bluefin tuna compared with other fishes, and so it is likely that enhanced cardiac stroke volume and blood oxygen carrying capacity are the principal factors allowing superior rates of circulatory oxygen transport in tuna

Dissolved nutrient release from solid wastes of southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii Castelnau) aquaculture

© 2008 IngentaFinfish pens are point sources of dissolved nutrients released from fish metabolism or degradation of solid wastes. Nutrients leaching from uneaten feed and faeces are not usually quantified in mass budgets for these systems, leading to an overestimation of fish retention or deposition to the seabed. In this study, we investigated nutrient leaching from pellets and baitfish feed as well as faeces of southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) into seawater. Faeces were nitrogen depleted (51-54mg N g−1 dw) and phosphorus enriched (62-72 mg P g−1 dw) compared with feeds (83-111 mg N g−1 dw and 17-21 mg P g−1 dw). Less phosphorus was available for leaching from pellets and faeces of pellet-fed tuna (5-6%) than from baitfish and faeces of baitfish-fed tuna (17-21%). The proportion of soluble nitrogen in pellets (15%) was also lower than in baitfish and faeces (35-43%). Leaching loads for a feed conversion ratio of 5 were estimated as 22 and 26 kg N tonne−1 growth when baitfish or pellets were used as feed respectively. Phosphorus loads were estimated as 15 and 4 kg P tonne−1 growth respectively. More than 90% of nitrogen loads, and approximately 50% of phosphorus, are likely to be released into seawater before solid wastes reach the seafloor