Food effects on statolith composition of the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)

The concentration of trace elements within cephalopod statoliths can provide a record of the environmental characteristics at the time of calcification. To reconstruct accurately the environmental characteristics at the time of calcification, it is important to understand the influence of as many factors as possible. To test the hypothesis that the elemental composition of cuttlefish statoliths could be influenced by diet, juvenile Sepia officinalis were fed either shrimp Crangon sp. or fish Clupea harengus under equal temperature and salinity regimes in laboratory experiments. Element concentrations in different regions of the statoliths (core–lateral dome–rostrum) were determined using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA- ICPMS). The ratios of Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca and Y/Ca in the statolith’s lateral dome of shrimp-fed cuttlefish were significantly higher than in the statolith’s lateral dome of fish-fed cuttlefish. Moreover, significant differences between statolith regions were found for all analysed elements. The fact that diet adds a considerable variation especially to Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca must be taken into account in future micro-chemical statolith studies targeting cephalopod’s life history

The effects of ageing biases on stock assessment and management advice: a case study on Namibian horse mackerel

We explore the influence of age-estimation errors on the results of the age-structured production model (ASPM) used for horse mackerel stock assessment in Namibia for the period 1961–2003. The analysis considered age data from eight readers collected during an otolithreading workshop. Four scenarios of age-estimation errors were assumed: Case 1 — a reference age computed as the modal age of estimates obtained by the four most experienced readers; Case 2 — age readings from a precise and experienced (Namibian) reader of horse mackerel otoliths; Case 3 — age estimates from a reader that displayed positive bias compared with the reference ages; and Case 4 — age estimates from a reader that displayed negative bias compared with the reference ages. The age–length key of each case was applied to length distributions of survey, pelagic fleet and midwater fleet landings (1991–2003) to obtain catch-at-age data. These data were then used in the ASPM. Results obtained from Case 3 differed most significantly from the others and appeared to be unrealistic in terms of the state of the stock and negative log-likelihood estimates. The conclusion is that more resources need to be directed towards age determination, because management recommendations are highly sensitive to errors in ageing. Most effort should be placed into age estimation of age groups 3–5 (20–30 cm total length), but significant effort needs to be devoted to age estimation of midwater commercial samples. Finally, the extent of sampling and the raising strategy of length frequencies should be improved.Keywords: age-structured production model; ageing error; ageing precision; sampling effort; Trachurus capensisAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2008, 30(2): 255–26

Life history of the steentjie Spondyliosoma emarginatum (Cuvier 1830) in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa

Morphometric measurements and fin spine and ray counts, external colouration, macroscopic gonad stage and diet were recorded for steentjie Spondyliosoma emarginatum (Pisces: Sparidae) collected from Langebaan Lagoon between August 2004 and September 2005. Sagittal otoliths were removed, and age estimates were obtained from whole and sectioned material to estimate growth and mortality parameters. In all, 369 steentjies (fork length, FL, 136–312mm) were sampled, of which 296 (80%) were female, 74 (20%) were male and 4 (>0.1%) were hermaphroditic. The absence of small males in the sample suggests that steentjies are protogynous hermaphrodites. Macroscopic examination of gonads and monthly gonadosomatic indices suggest spring spawning. Males develop an intense blue and yellow pattern on the head then, and the colouration is strongly correlated with gonad development. The length-at-50% maturity for females was 235mm FL. The size-at-50% sex change was estimated to be 249mm FL. Foregut contents showed steentjies to be opportunistic omnivores, changing from herbivory to carnivory as they grow. Age estimates from sectioned otoliths were used for fitting a two-stage growth model that allowed for accelerated growth after sex change. The species is short-lived compared with other sparids; the oldest one sampled was eight years old. Keywords age; growth; protogyny; reproducing; South Africa; sparidae; Spondyliosoma emarginatumAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2007, 29(1): 79–9

Biological characteristics of sardine caught by the beach-seine fishery during the KwaZulu-Natal sardine run

Catches of sardine Sardinops sagax made by the beach-seine fishery off the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coast during the annual winter sardine run have been sampled intermittently since 1951, and a substantial amount of data on various biological characteristics of sardine caught off KZN now exists. Information on length frequency distributions, mean caudal length (CL), length–mass relationships, condition factor (CF), age distributions, sex ratio, gonad maturity and diet have been collated and are presented in this paper. Sardine caught off the KZN coast during the past six decades had a mean CL of 17.4 cm (SD 2.0) and have shown a significant increasing trend in mean CL through time; had substantially lower mass-at-length compared to fish that did not participate in the sardine run; have shown two distinct periods of decrease in CF between 1979 and 2005; ranged in age from 1 to 7 years but were numerically dominated by younger fish (1-, 2- or 3-year-olds); had a 1:1 sex ratio and gonads that were predominantly actively developing and undergoing maturation and vitellogenesis; and had a diet dominated by zooplankton, primarily calanoid and harpactacoid copepods and fish eggs. These characteristics, together with some  information on meristic and morphological characteristics of sardine caught off KZN, are compared to characteristics of sardine from  elsewhere off South Africa’s coast to assess the possibility that the former may be a distinct stock or a functionally discrete adult assemblage. Significant differences in characteristics such as CF, vertebral count and body shape were found, supporting the hypothesis that KZN sardine represent a distinct stock or a functionally discrete adult assemblage. However, small sample sizes and plausible alternative explanations for these differences weaken, but do not invalidate, this hypothesis, and further work is needed to answer this question.Keywords: beach-seine, biological characteristics, sardine run, Sardinops sagax, stock structureAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2010, 32(2): 309–33

The 2005 KwaZulu-Natal sardine run survey sheds new light on the ecology of small pelagic fish off the east coast of South Africa

Despite much public awareness surrounding the annual migration of sardine Sardinops sagax northward along the east coast of South Africa in winter each year, relatively little research effort has been expended to improve understanding of the ‘sardine run’. For this reason, a  dedicated multidisciplinary survey, timed to coincide with the annual sardine run, was conducted off the East Coast in June and July of 2005. The major objective of the survey was to estimate the biomass of sardine off the East Coast during the run, and to compare this with biomass estimates collected during previous surveys conducted in this area during the late 1980s when the South African sardine population  was at a considerably smaller size. We also collected data on the distribution of sardine and other small pelagic fish species and their eggs, the biological characteristics of sardine during the run, and data on the hydrography (temperature and currents) and lower trophic levels (phytoplankton and zooplankton) of the region. Results suggest that the biomass of sardine off the East Coast in winter remains relatively small and consistent, regardless of overall sardine population size. The narrow continental shelf to the east of Port Alfred, which is  dominated offshore by the fast-flowing warm Agulhas Current, constrains the amount of suitable habitat for sardine and other clupeoids such as anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, West Coast round herring Etrumeus whiteheadi and East Coast round herring Etrumeus teres, and hence precludes these species from attaining a high biomass in this region. Additionally, primary and secondary productivity levels are much lower than elsewhere on the western and eastern Agulhas Bank off the south coast of South Africa, suggesting that the sardine run is not a feeding migration. A previous hypothesis that the run is mainly a result of an expansion of the distributional range of these fish as conditions become favourable in winter due to sporadic cooling off the East Coast is also not entirely supported by results from the survey. It is suggested that a migration for the purposes of spawning off this coast when conditions become favourable is a more likely incentive for sardine to undertake this arduous journey, despite increased predation and poor feeding conditions. Keywords: anchovy, hydroacoustic survey, round herring, sardine run, spawning migrationAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2010, 32(2): 337–36

Geostatistical modelling of the spatial life history of post-larval deepwater hake <i>Merluccius paradoxus</i> in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem

<p>Optimal and sustainable management of fish resources cannot be ensured without a thorough understanding of the migration patterns and population (demographic stock) structure. Recent studies suggest that these aspects of the economically and ecologically important deepwater hake <i>Merluccius paradoxus</i> are not reflected in the current assessment and management practices for the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem. In this study, we compiled data from multiple demersal trawl surveys from the entire distribution area and applied state-of-the-art geostatistical population modelling (GeoPop) to estimate growth rate, mortality, and spatial and temporal distribution patterns of <i>M. paradoxus</i>. The data and the model enabled us to follow temporal and spatial changes in the distribution and infer movements from the recruitment/nursery areas, through the juvenile phase and the adults’ migration to the spawning areas outside/upstream of the nursery areas. The results indicated one primary recruitment/nursery area on the west coast of South Africa and a secondary less-productive recruitment/nursery area on the south coast near Port Elizabeth. Juveniles initially migrated away from the main recruitment area, followed by natal homing by larger individuals. This pattern was highly consistent through the time-series of the study. This perception of a, primarily, panmictic population that performs transboundary migrations between Namibia and South Africa corresponds largely to the hypothesis and data plots given in recent studies. We recommend that fisheries assessment, advice and management take into consideration these aspects of the distribution and population (stock) structure of <i>M. paradoxus</i>.</p