Male body size predicts sperm number in the mandarinfish

Theory predicts that, in species with non-resource-based mating systems, female preference for male sexual traits might be selected to ensure higher levels of fertility. Accordingly, secondary sexual traits used by females to assess males are expected to covary with ejaculate size and/or quality transferred during copulation, and female fecundity should be directly linked to mating with more attractive males. To date, direct tests of this hypothesis have been performed on internal fertilizing species, where several factors, such as for instance sperm competition, cryptic female choice, male parasite load, may affect ejaculate characteristics and female fecundity. Here, we used as a model the mandarinfish Synchiropus splendidus a small pelagic spawner where males only provide females with ejaculates and sperm competition does not occur. Males are significantly larger than females and we experimentally demonstrated that females prefer larger males. In addition, by collecting gametes from 67 natural spawning events, we attained a measure of the number of eggs and sperm released in each spawning event and the fertilization rates. The mean number of gametes produced positively correlates with body size in both sexes. Males do not regulate sperm number according to egg number and/or female body size. Fertilization success is significantly related to the mean number of sperm released but not directly to male body size. These findings, despite not fully accomplishing theoretical expectation, suggest that larger and more fecund females may suffer sperm limitation in mating with smaller males. In addition, our results have possible implications for the aquarium fishery of this species, which targets large males. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 The Zoological Society of London.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

The influence of social factors on juvenile sexual differentiation in a diandric, protogynous grouper Epinephelus coioides

The influence of social factors on juvenile sexual differentiation was explored in a diandric, protogynous grouper Epinephelus coioides. Experimental social units were established as singles, pairs and quartets using sexually undifferentiated juveniles at an age of 22 weeks post-hatching (WPH); all gonads were examined histologically at 130 WPH, the age of first sexual maturation. The percentage of primary males was about 39% at the end of the experiment, higher than the <5% obtained under mariculture conditions or from wild stocks for similar age or body size. This study demonstrated for the first time that social factors can significantly influence juvenile sexual differentiation in E. coioides. © 2010 The Ichthyological Society of Japan.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Profile of a fishery collapse: Why mariculture failed to save the large yellow croaker

The large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), endemic to East Asia was once one of the three top commercial marine fishes of China PR. Heavily exploited since the 1950s, wild stocks were so severely depleted by the 1980s that most individuals subsequently sold originated from hatcheries. After peaking at about 200 000 tonnes in the mid-1970s, catches of the croaker in China PR declined by over 90% within just 2 decades; according to most decline criteria this would categorize the croaker as "threatened" and management measures, including restocking, were developed. The extensive government-sponsored mariculture program introduced to address food supply and overfishing in the 1980s, particularly of the croaker, was one of the earliest for marine finfish, not only in China PR, a nation with a rich and highly successful history in aquaculture, but globally. In this first, in-depth, profile of a key fishery and early mariculture development, we integrate ecological and biological information with the fishing, management, mariculture and economic history to trace the collapse of wild stocks and assess why management and mariculture did not result in wild stock recovery. Evidence strongly suggests that a combination of heavy exploitation of spawning and over-wintering aggregations, poor management and overfishing pressure were major factors in stock declines, with contributions from pollution, habitat degradation and marine ecosystem shift. Although the croaker proved a highly successful mariculture candidate, with approximately 70 000 tonnes produced in 2005, the highest of any marine fish cultured in China PR, mariculture and restocking have failed to restore croaker stocks and may have, inadvertently, led to biodiversity losses. The detailed history of the croaker is a sobering reminder that successful mariculture, albeit important for food production and livelihoods, is not necessarily a solution to overfishing, and moreover, may have compromised fishery recovery by competing for funds, attention, space, and maybe genetic resources. © 2008 The Authors.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Functional hermaphroditism in teleosts

Teleost fishes are characterized by a diversity of sexual patterns. Hermaphroditism, the expression of both male and female reproductive function in a single individual, generates the most curiosity and controversy. Yet diagnosis of this form of sexuality continues to challenge workers, in particular the distinction between functional and non-functional hermaphroditism. This distinction, reflected as it is in the relationships between gonad form and function, is important if we wish to improve our understanding of the origin of hermaphroditism in the teleosts and of its highly sporadic expression today. Although structure can indicate phylogenetic affinities, it does not always reflect reproductive function, and function is important for understanding adaptation. With resurgent interest in hermaphroditism comes the recognition that understanding sexual pattern is not only important for better knowledge of reproductive biology and ecology but may also elucidate phylogenetic relationships. On the basis of a conservative and clearly defined set of diagnostic criteria, which incorporate new accounts of hermaphroditic species, and by applying an improved understanding of gonadal ontogeny, a comprehensive review and careful re-examination of all primary literature was conducted. This overview documents the incidence of hermaphroditism in teleosts and explores its phylogenetic distribution, possible origin and range of expression. The review confirms functional hermaphroditism in 27 teleost families in seven orders, predominantly among tropical, marine perciforms in which its diversity of expression is greatest. In families with functional hermaphrodites, the sexual pattern is widespread and often highly variable in expression, even within a single genus or between populations. Based on our understanding of gonadal ontogeny in teleosts and on known phylogenetic interrelationships, the origin of functional hermaphroditism is most parsimoniously explained by a proto-hermaphroditic condition in teleosts and cyclostomes, constituting a hermaphroditic potential for these groups. Exploitation and expression of this potential appear to be a response to a suite of environmental and biological factors, opportunities and constraints that result in the independent appearance of the hermaphroditic option in many different fish lineages. © 2008 The Authors.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Shrinking baseline: The growth in juvenile fisheries, with the Hong Kong grouper fishery as a case study

Historic and current information on the grouper fishery from Hong Kong and adjacent waters reveals significant changes in species composition and fish sizes over the past 50 years in this important Asian centre for seafood consumption. Once dominant, large groupers are now rare and small species and sizes prevail in the present-day fishery. Juveniles comprise over 80% of marketed fish by number among the most commonly retailed groupers, and reproductive-sized fish are absent among larger species. Current fishery practices and the lack of management in Hong Kong and adjacent waters pose a significant threat to large species with limited geographic distribution such as Epinephelus akaara and Epinephelus bruneus, both now listed as threatened by the IUCN. The heavy reliance on juveniles, not only for groupers, but for an increasing diversity of desired fishes within Asia, potentially reduces stock spawning potential. The 'shrinking baseline' in terms of a progressive reduction in fish sizes being marketed in the region can seriously undermine fishery sustainability and recoverability of depleted fish stocks. Fishing pressure on groupers and other valuable food fishes within the Asia-Pacific is intensifying, the declining long-term trend of grouper landings in Hong Kong and the increasing focus on juveniles for immediate sale or for mariculture 'grow-out' signal a worrying direction for regional fisheries. Moreover, the common appearance of small groupers for sale will influence public perception regarding what are 'normal-sized' fish. Management attention is needed if these fisheries are to remain viable. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Gonad development during sexual differentiation in hatchery-produced orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) and humpback grouper (Cromileptes altivelis) (Pisces: Serranidae, Epinephelinae)

Juvenile sexual differentiation of two commercially important epinephelines, orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) and humpback grouper (Cromileptes altivelis) (Serranidae, Epinephelinae), produced in hatcheries, was studied until first sexual maturation using gonadal histology. Diandric, protogynous hermaphroditism is confirmed for E. coioides with evidence of primary male differentiation directly from the juvenile phase as well as of secondary male development through the sex-change of functional females. All juveniles developed first an ovarian-phase then entered a bisexual-phase gonad. Sexual differentiation occurred in bisexual gonads at around 105 weeks after hatching (wah), with the growth of oocytes beyond the primary-growth stage for females, and the appearance of sperm sinuses and proliferation of spermatogenic cysts in primary males. The minimum size and age of first sexual maturation for females were 355 mm standard length (SL) and 113 wah. No mature males were found by 141 wah, suggesting that first maturation in males takes longer than in females, at least under mariculture conditions. For C. altivelis, all juveniles developed an ovarian-phase gonad. Minimum body size and age of first sexual maturation for females were 155 mm SL and 83 wah. In contrast to E. coioides, there was no sign of spermatogenic cysts in juvenile gonads and any indication of primary male differentiation in C. altivelis. This study reveals the variation in early gonad development in the epinephelines and highlights the importance of studying juvenile sexual differentiation for fully understanding sexual pattern in this fish subfamily. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Gonadal development in a giant threatened reef fish, the humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus, and its relationship to international trade

An opportunity arose to obtain humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus specimens between 2006 and 2009 from Indonesia, the major source and exporting country of this species, making study on its early gonad development possible for the first time. Protogynous hermaphroditism, previously proposed for this species, was confirmed in this study. Based on histological examination of 178 specimens, mainly <500 mm total length (L T) and ranging from 208 to 1290 mm L T (119·1 g to 43·0 kg whole body mass), the minimum body sizes for female and male sexual maturation were determined to be 650 and 845 mm L T, respectively. Primary male development through juvenile sexual differentiation was not detected. A unique blind pouch, with a possible sperm storage function and associated with the testis, was reported for the first time in the Labridae. In Hong Kong retail markets, the global trading centre for this valuable species, live C. undulatus on sale for food were dominated by body sizes <500 mm L T between 1995 and 2009, reflecting an international trade largely focused on juveniles. In consideration of these findings, and given the threatened status of this species, management for C. undulatus capture and trade nationally and internationally are discussed with recommendations for ensuring sufficient spawning biomass in exploited populations and for sustainable trade. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

A global baseline for spawning aggregations of reef fishes

Species that periodically and predictably congregate on land or in the sea can be extremely vulnerable to overexploitation. Many coral reef fishes form spawning aggregations that are increasingly the target of fishing. Although serious declines are well known for a few species, the extent of this behavior among fishes and the impacts of aggregation fishing are not appreciated widely. To profile aggregating species globally, establish a baseline for future work, and strengthen the case for protection, we (as members of the Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations) developed a global database on the occurrence, history, and management of spawning aggregations. We complemented the database with information from interviews with over 300 fishers in Asia and the western Pacific. Sixty-seven species, mainly commercial, in 9 families aggregate to spawn in the 29 countries or territories considered in the database. Ninety percent of aggregation records were from reef pass channels, promontories, and outer reef-slope drop-offs. Multispecies aggregation sites were common, and spawning seasons of most species typically lasted <3 months. The best-documented species in the database, the Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus), has undergone substantial declines in aggregations throughout its range and is now considered threatened. Our findings have important conservation and management implications for aggregating species given that exploitation pressures on them are increasing, there is little effective management, and 79% of those aggregations sufficiently well documented were reported to be in decline. Nonetheless, a few success stories demonstrate the benefits of aggregation management. A major shift in perspective on spawning aggregations of reef fish, from being seen as opportunities for exploitation to acknowledging them as important life-history phenomena in need of management, is urgently needed. © 2008 Society for Conservation Biology.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Oceanographic and behavioural assumptions in models of the fate of coral and coral reef fish larvae

A predictive model of the fate of coral reef fish larvae in a reef system is proposed that combines the oceanographic processes of advection and turbulent diffusion with the biological process of horizontal swimming controlled by olfactory and auditory cues within the timescales of larval development. In the model, auditory cues resulted in swimming towards the reefs when within hearing distance of the reef, whereas olfactory cues resulted in the larvae swimming towards the natal reef in open waters by swimming against the concentration gradients in the smell plume emanating from the natal reef. The model suggested that the self-seeding rate may be quite large, at least 20% for the larvae of rapidly developing reef fish species, which contrasted with a self-seeding rate less than 2% for non-swimming coral larvae. The predicted self-recruitment rate of reefs was sensitive to a number of parameters, such as the time at which the fish larvae reach post-flexion, the pelagic larval duration of the larvae, the horizontal turbulent diffusion coefficient in reefal waters and the horizontal swimming behaviour of the fish larvae in response to auditory and olfactory cues, for which better field data are needed. Thus, the model suggested that high self-seeding rates for reef fish are possible, even in areas where the 'sticky water' effect is minimal and in the absence of long-term trapping in oceanic fronts and/or large-scale oceanic eddies or filaments that are often argued to facilitate the return of the larvae after long periods of drifting at sea