Feeding habits of striped piggy, Pomadasys stridens (Forsskal, 1775) (Haemulidae) in northern part of the Persian Gulf

Feeding habits of Pomadasys stridens were studied in northern part of the Persian Gulf. A total of 591 specimens were collected from the coastal water of Bushehr Province using trawl boats from May 2012 to April 2013 and diet composition, feeding intensity and season changes in diet composition were investigated. Vacuity Index was 81% during the study. RGL was 0.98±0.03 classifying this species as carnivorous to omnivorous fish. Pomadasys stridens had consumed 48 different food categories in 7 taxonomic classes. Crustacean, Mollusca, foraminifera, nematodes, Echinodermata, Annelida and miscellaneous were the main observed food items. There was no significant difference between males and females regarding diet composition in different months

Evaluation of Nutritional Composition of Pure Filamentous Fungal Biomass as a Novel Ingredient for Fish Feed

The rapid growth of aquaculture and the lack of fish meal demand new sustainable ingredients. Although fungal biomass is found to be a promising sustainable fish feed supplementation candidate, the characteristics of this protein-rich source are closely influenced by the quality of the applied growth medium. In this work, the nutritional properties of pure filamentous fungal biomass provided from the cultivation of Aspergillus oryzae, Neurospora intermedia and Rhzopus oryzae were evaluated to assess their potential as alternative novel protein sources in fish feed. In this regard, fungal biomass yields of up to 0.19 ± 0.005 (g dry biomass/g substrate glucose) were obtained during submerged cultivation of fungal strains. The pure fungal biomass acquired could contain significant amounts of protein up to 62.2 ± 1.2% (w/w). The obtained protein had a high quality with notable inclusion of essential amino acids such as lysine, arginine, methionine and threonine with comparable concentrations to those of fish meal. Fungal biomass is mainly considered as protein source, however, entitlement of 6.9 ± 0.5, 4.0 ± 0.7 and 17.2 ± 1.1% (w/w) of lipids and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to saturated fatty acids (SFA) of 1.37:1, 1.74:1 and 1.47:1 in A. oryzae, N. intermedia and R. oryzae, respectively, signal health benefits for the fish. Considering the results, protein-rich pure fungal biomass with amino acid composition is greatly compatible with fish meal, and contains essential nutrients such as fatty acids and minerals. This pure biomass constitutes a promising sustainable alternative supplement to be introduced in fish feed industry

Use of Organic Wastes and Industrial By-Products to Produce Filamentous Fungi with Potential as Aqua-Feed Ingredients

Organic-rich waste and industrial by-product streams, generated in enormous amounts on a daily basis, contain substantial amounts of nutrients that are worthy of recovery. Biological conversion of organic-waste streams using filamentous fungi is a promising approach to convert nutrients into value-added bioproducts, such as fungal biomass. High-protein fungal biomass contains different kinds and levels of amino acids, fatty acids, immunostimulants, antioxidants, pigments, etc., which make it a potential choice for application in animal feed supplementation. Considering the challenges long faced by the aquaculture industry in fishmeal production due to the increasing prices and environmental concerns, the aquaculture industry is forced to provide alternative protein-rich sources to replace conventional fishmeal. In this review, the possibilities of utilization of filamentous fungi biomass cultivated on organic-rich waste streams, as an alternative nutrient source in fish feed, were thoroughly reviewed

Compensatory growth, plasma hormones and metabolites in juvenile Siberian sturgeon ( Acipenser baerii , Brandt 1869) subjected to fasting and re‐feeding

none7sirestrictedAshouri, Ghasem; Mahboobi‐Soofiani, Nasrollah; Hoseinifar, Seyed Hossein; Torfi‐Mozanzadeh, Mansour; Mani, Amir; Khosravi, Arash; Carnevali, OlianaAshouri, Ghasem; Mahboobi‐soofiani, Nasrollah; Hoseinifar, SEYED HOSSEIN; Torfi‐mozanzadeh, Mansour; Mani, Amir; Khosravi, Arash; Carnevali, Olian

Vitellogenin expression in wild cyprinid Petroleuciscus esfahani as a biomarker of endocrine disruption along the Zayandeh Roud River, Iran

Aquatic environments are the ultimate sink for most of anthropogenic pollutants. The Zayandeh Roud River is the most important river in the central Iranian Plateau, supplying water to a large population. In order to determine the potential occurrence and in vivo effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) with estrogenic or anti-androgenic properties we analyzed the wild populations of an extensively distributed endemic fish species, Petroleuciscus esfahani. For this purpose, specimens were caught from two sites upstream and two sites downstream of the expected major anthropogenic pollution sources. P. esfahani full-length cDNAs for vitellogenin (vtg), with 4177 base pairs (bp) encoding a 1339 amino acids (aa), and for β-actin (actb), with 1776 bp encoding a 375 aa, were amplified and cloned. Hepatic vtg mRNA expression levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Condition factor, gonadosomatic index and sex ratio were calculated and compared with vtg expression. Gonad histology was performed to study the possible presence of intersex condition. Detection of vtg transcripts in male individuals from the two downstream sampling sites supports the hypothesis of exposure to EDCs in these regions. Higher vtg expression in male individuals, together with reduced gonad size and condition factor, in specimens from the site located downstream of the major steel mill plant suggest a major endocrine disruption in this area.The present work has been partially financed by the Center for International Scientific Studies & Collaboration (CISSC), Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran on January 2011, with project contract number 894/1.Peer reviewe