Terrestrial fatty acids from feed oil in feed for farmed salmonids are transferred to the liver, gonads, and muscle of wild Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

Wild fish attracted to salmon farms feed on waste feed that presently contain high levels of fatty acids of terrestrial origin. This study examines whether mature Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) caught at spawning grounds has eaten salmon waste feed. Cod were caught at four spawning grounds around Smøla (Norway), an area with multiple salmon farms, during the spawning season in 2018 (n = 327) and 2019 (n = 488). The fatty acid (FA) profile of their livers, gonads (ovary and testis), and muscles (2019) were determined. Multivariate k-mean cluster analysis of liver FA profiles revealed three main clusters, which could be allocated to trophic niches using known fatty acid trophic markers (FATMs). Of the sampled cod in 2018 and 2019, 13 % and 20 % respectively had high liver concentrations of terrestrial FATMs (18:1n-9, 18:2n-6, and 18:3n-3), indicating waste feed feeding. The remaining cod could be assigned to either the pelagic or benthic food chain. The cod identified as feeding on waste feed had large, fatty livers. The terrestrial FAs were also transferred to the muscle and gonad lipids. It is postulated that the latter may result in gametes with sub-optimal lipid composition, potentially impacting fitness, which warrants further investigation.Terrestrial fatty acids from feed oil in feed for farmed salmonids are transferred to the liver, gonads, and muscle of wild Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)publishedVersio

Attraction of cod Gadus morhua from coastal spawning grounds to salmon farms

Wild fish aggregate at aquaculture net-pens, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study examined how salmon farms attract coastal Atlantic cod Gadus morhua from their inshore spawning grounds. Acoustic receivers were deployed at 5 known cod spawning grounds and 6 salmon Salmo salar farms located at varying distances from these grounds in a mid-Norway study site. Cod were caught at each spawning ground annually from 2017-2019, fitted with acoustic transmitters and released (n = 535). A total of 289 tagged cod (54%) were detected at the salmon farms, with more cod detected at farms closest to the focal spawning grounds and at operational farms. The latter result is likely linked to the availability of feeding opportunities at farm locations. Those cod that were detected by the receivers spent less time at farms farther from their release locations. For the farm-associated cod, 70% were detected for 1 mo close to the farms, with 1 individual staying 720 d underneath the farm. A total of 135 cod visited 2 or more farms, with farms in proximity more connected in terms of inter-farm movement. Some of the cod utilizing these local spawning grounds likely have considerable dietary input from salmon feed.publishedVersio

Attraction of cod Gadus morhua from coastal spawning grounds to salmon farms

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Attraction of cod Gadus morhua from coastal spawning grounds to salmon farms

Wild fish aggregate at aquaculture net-pens, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study examined how salmon farms attract coastal Atlantic cod Gadus morhua from their inshore spawning grounds. Acoustic receivers were deployed at 5 known cod spawning grounds and 6 salmon Salmo salar farms located at varying distances from these grounds in a mid-Norway study site. Cod were caught at each spawning ground annually from 2017-2019, fitted with acoustic transmitters and released (n = 535). A total of 289 tagged cod (54%) were detected at the salmon farms, with more cod detected at farms closest to the focal spawning grounds and at operational farms. The latter result is likely linked to the availability of feeding opportunities at farm locations. Those cod that were detected by the receivers spent less time at farms farther from their release locations. For the farm-associated cod, 70% were detected for 1 mo close to the farms, with 1 individual staying 720 d underneath the farm. A total of 135 cod visited 2 or more farms, with farms in proximity more connected in terms of inter-farm movement. Some of the cod utilizing these local spawning grounds likely have considerable dietary input from salmon feed.publishedVersionpublishedVersio

Crude oil exposure of early life stages of Atlantic haddock suggests threshold levels for developmental toxicity as low as 0.1 μg total polyaromatic hydrocarbon (TPAH)/L

Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) embryos bind dispersed crude oil droplets to the eggshell and are consequently highly susceptible to toxicity from spilled oil. We established thresholds for developmental toxicity and identified any potential long-term or latent adverse effects that could impair the growth and survival of individuals. Embryos were exposed to oil for eight days (10, 80 and 300 μg oil/L, equivalent to 0.1, 0.8 and 3.0 μg TPAH/L). Acute and delayed mortality were observed at embryonic, larval, and juvenile stages with IC50 = 2.2, 0.39, and 0.27 μg TPAH/L, respectively. Exposure to 0.1 μg TPAH/L had no negative effect on growth or survival. However, yolk sac larvae showed significant reduction in the outgrowth (ballooning) of the cardiac ventricle in the absence of other extracardiac morphological defects. Due to this propensity for latent sublethal developmental toxicity, we recommend an effect threshold of 0.1 μg TPAH/L for risk assessment models.publishedVersio

Study on the representativeness o the social partner organisations in the professional football players sector

A portada: Université catholique de Louvain. Institut des sciences du travailResearch project conducted on behalf of the Employment and Social Affairs DG of the European CommissionThe aim of the report is to produce a study that sets out both brief descriptions of the way that social dialogue functions in the countries concerned, and descriptions of the various workers' and employers' organisations involved in social dialogue at sector level. This study may be seen as a tool to help understand these quantitative and qualitative factors. It will also make it possible to understand the various systems of industrial relations in different countries, and to introduce the actors involved in social dialogue

Sluttrapport fra ICOD-prosjektet - Arbeidspakke 2: Egg- og yngelundersøkelser på gyte- og oppvekstområder på Smøla og i Aure i forbindelse med etablering av oppdrettsanlegg nær lokale gyteområder for kysttorsk

ICOD-prosjektet ble etablert for å undersøke mulige interaksjoner mellom oppdrettsanlegg og nærliggende gyteområder for kysttorsk. Rapporten presenterer resultater fra ICOD som omfatter egg- og yngelundersøkelser foretatt i forbindelse med etablering av et oppdrettsanlegg for laks på lokaliteten Nørholmen på Smøla. Også resultater fra biokjemiske undersøkelser av fettsyrer i torsk fanget gjennom gytesesongen på utvalgte gyteområder ved Smøla presenteres. I tillegg til gyteområdene på Smøla omfattet egg- og yngelundersøkelsene tre referanseområder i Aure kommune uten umiddelbar nærhet til oppdrettsanlegg.publishedVersio

Ecological interactions between farmed Atlantic salmon and wild Atlantic cod populations in Norway: A review of risk sources and knowledge gaps

Aquaculture provides an important and expanding source of protein rich and healthy food to the world. However, to minimize environmental harm from aquaculture, interactions with wild fish communities need to be thoroughly assessed. Here, we characterize the existing knowledge pertaining to such interactions, exemplified with Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farming in open net pens along the Norwegian coast and potential consequences for wild Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) populations. Importantly, the wild cod fishery also provides a protein rich, high quality food source with high economic value. We identify seven risk sources that may affect behaviour, physiology, and survival in wild cod. Of particular importance is the large amount of waste feed that causes wild fish to aggregate around farms, thereby altering a multitude of ecological interactions including predation and disease transmission. Moreover, altered food quality in pellets may alter physiological processes and cause mortality to vulnerable life-stages in wild cod. More research is needed on mechanisms and thresholds for harm. As the most important cod fisheries are found in northern Norway, where climate change also is rapid, we expect stronger and potentially more harmful interactions between fish farming and wild cod fisheries as aquaculture continues to expand. We hope that our analysis will inspire further research, on farmed salmon and wild cod interactions, but also on aquaculture and wild fish interactions in general. Such research is fundamental for the development of management systems that can reduce the impact of aquaculture on fisheries and the environment.The article was written with support from NRC grant no. 294631: SALCOD—Impacts of salmon farming on Atlantic cod stocks, and by the Fram Research Program CLEAN

Tardigrada from the Husvik area, South Georgia, sub-Antarctic

Eleven species of tardigrades in South Georgia, of which two are new to science, were found in samples collected at fifteen localities. The highest number of species was found in moss from a scree field. Twenty species of tardigrades are presently known from South Georgia, but the island remains insufficiently investigated. The species composition is similar to that of southern South America. The high number of cosmopolitan species makes the geographical distribution pattern of the South Georgian tardigrades more similar to that of macrolichens than to that of insects and vascular plants