Model selection for fish growth patterns based on a Bayesian approach: A case study of five freshwater fish species

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Kui Zhang ◽  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Jiajun Li ◽  
Baochao Liao

Selecting an appropriate growth pattern for individual fish is a meaningful but complex topic in fishery research. We model four growth functions − the commonly used von Bertalanffy growth model (VBGM), and the Gompertz growth model (GGM), Schnute–Richards growth model (SRGM), and generalized VBGM (G-VBGM) − to examine possible growth patterns. Mean total length-at-age fish datasets for five commercial fish species (yellow perch Perca flavescens, walleye Sander vitreus, northern pike Esox lucius, largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and lake herring Coregonus artedi) from North American freshwater ecosystems, were analyzed. Using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, we structured four models combining informative priors of model parameters. It is the first time that deviance information criterion (DIC) and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) were combined to select the best growth model. During the model-selection process, the smooth LOOCV error successfully followed the trend of the LOOCV error, although there were difference in the curve shapes. Values of scale reduction factor (SRF) for all four models indicated convergence, ranging 1.02–1.06, below the 1.2 threshold. The GGM was selected for C. artedi, and the G-VBGM for the other four species. Our approach provided a robust process in model-selection uncertainty analysis, with the G-VBGM having the best prediction ability among our datasets.

Author(s):  
Vasco Menconi ◽  
Maria Vittoria Riina ◽  
Paolo Pastorino ◽  
Davide Mugetti ◽  
Serena Canola ◽  
...  

The genus Eustrongylides includes nematodes that infect fish species and fish-eating birds inhabiting freshwater ecosystems. Nematodes belonging to the genus Eustrongylides are potentially pathogenic for humans; infection occurs after the consumption of raw or undercooked fish. In the two-year period 2019–2020, a total of 292 fish belonging to eight species were examined for the occurrence of Eustrongylides spp. from Lake San Michele, a small subalpine lake in northwest Italy. The prevalence of infestation was 18.3% in Lepomis gibbosus, 16.7% in Micropterus salmoides, and 10% in Perca fluviatilis. The other five fish species (Ameiurus melas, Ictalurus punctatus, Squalius cephalus, Carassius carassius, and Scardinius erythrophthalmus) were all negative for parasite presence. There were no significant differences in prevalence between the three fish species (Fisher’s exact test; p = 0.744). The mean intensity of infestation ranged from 1 (M. salmoides and P. fluviatilis) to 1.15 (L. gibbosus), and the mean abundance ranged from 0.1 (P. fluviatilis) to 0.28 (L. gibbosus). There were significant differences in the infestation site between the four muscle quadrants (anterior ventral, anterior dorsal, posterior ventral, and posterior dorsal) and the visceral cavity (Kruskal–Wallis test; p = 0.0008). The study findings advance our knowledge about the distribution and host range of this parasite in Italy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuliya V. Bespalaya ◽  
Olga Aksenova ◽  
Natalia Zubriy

The molluscan fauna of the Syoyakha (Zelenaya) River remain poorly explored even though the Syoyakha is one of the biggest rivers on the Yamal Peninsula. The Syoyakha River is remarkable for its high fish stocking capacity and it plays an important role in the seasonal distribution and migration of commercial fish species. Freshwater mollusks are known to be a major component of freshwater ecosystems and they make up a part of the diet of many commercially important fish species. The species composition of the mollusks inhabiting the lower reaches of the Syoyakha River has been studied. Five bivalve species of the family Sphaeriidae were found, namelySphaeriumcorneum(Linnaeus, 1758),Pisidiumcasertanum(Poli, 1791),P.globulare(Clessin in Westerlund, 1873),P.lilljeborgi(Clessin in Esmark et Hoyer, 1886) andP.dilatatum(Westerlund, 1897). In general, the molluscan fauna of the lower reaches of the Syoyakha River are taxonomically poor, which can be considered typical of freshwater invertebrate communities living at high latitudes. Another reason for the decline in species diversity may lie in the absence of any large transit watercourse in the basin in question allowing northward dispersion of the mollusks. The average density of mollusks in the watercourse stretch under study varied from 98.9 ind./m2to 620.5 ind./m2.P.globularesettlements had the highest recorded density of 1,442.9 ind./m2. The mollusks are confined to clayey, silty and sandy substrates with remnants of vegetation. The fauna is basically formed by widespread Palearctic and Holarctic mollusk species that have adapted to the extreme conditions of the Arctic. The findings may be used for hydrobiological and fishery characterization of the watercourse given that the recorded species ofS.corneum,P.globulare,P.lilljeborgi, andP.dilatatumare a major food item for important fish species, such as cisco, vendace, char, muksun, etc.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Mazumder ◽  
M. De ◽  
A. G. Mazlan ◽  
C. C. Zaidi ◽  
S. M. Rahim ◽  
...  

Global climate change is impacting and will continue to impact on marine and estuarine fish and fisheries. Data trends show climate change effects ranging from fish growth, digestion physiology and performance in marine and freshwater ecosystems. The present study was designed to develop a concept for a cause and effect understanding with respect to climate-induced temperature and salinity changes and to explain ecological findings based on physiological processes. The concept is based on a wide comparison of fish species. The preliminary conclusion can be drawn that warming will cause a shift of distribution limits for fish species with a change in growth performance, gastric evacuation performance and physiology, or even extinction of the species in the world. In association with the elevated seawater temperature growth performance will also be changed with water quality parameters, for example, salinity. Our interpretations of evidence include many uncertainties about the future of affected fish species. Therefore, it is essential to conduct research on the physiology and ecology of marine, estuarine and freshwater fishes, particularly in the tropics where comparatively little research has been conducted and where temperature fluctuation is comparatively lower. As a broader and deeper information base accumulates, researchers will be able to make more accurate predictions and forge relevant solutions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Cline ◽  
Brian C. Weidel ◽  
James F. Kitchell ◽  
James R. Hodgson

Catch-and-release angling is gaining popularity worldwide and plays an increasingly important role in both fisheries management and conservation. Mortality from catch-and-release angling is well documented across species, but the sublethal effects have not been evaluated in a natural setting. Laboratory studies have yielded mixed results regarding catch-and-release impacts on fish growth. These studies do not adequately capture the scales of stress and variability of a natural system. We used a 27-year mark–recapture study of 1050 individually tagged largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to determine the effects of catch-and-release angling on the growth in a natural setting. Individual bass were angled one to six times per season. Recapture intervals ranged from 1 to 98 days. Largemouth bass exhibited a post-release period (~6 days) of weight loss. Following this weight loss, we observed a subsequent period of compensatory growth facilitating recovery to normal weight. We found that catch-and-release angling had little impact on the overall seasonal growth patterns of largemouth bass and therefore should have limited adverse effects on growth-dependent ecological functions.


Author(s):  
Edward Vladimirovich Nikitin

Shallow coastal waters of the Volga river is a flooded feeding area for fish juveniles of nonmigratory fish species. There takes place annual downstream migration of fluvial anadromous fish species from spawning grounds of the Volga river to the Northern Caspian Sea. The most important factors determining the number and qualitative characteristics of fry fishes are the level of the Caspian Sea (currently having a tendency to the lowering), hydrological and thermal regimes of the Volga river. Researches were carried out in definite periods of time. In the summer-autumn period of 2012 fry fishes were presented by 19 species (13 of them were commercial species), which belonged to 9 families. The article gives data on all the commercial fish species. In the first decade of July the maximum number of fry fish was registered in the western part of the Volga outfall offshore - in box 247 (19.86 mln specimens/km2), in the eastern part - in box 142 (20.4 mln specimens/km2). The most populous were roach, red-eye, silver bream and bream; size-weight characteristics were better in the areas remoted from the Volga delta. In the third decade of July the quantitative indicators of fry fish on these areas decreased, size-weight characteristics greatly increased. In the second decade of October in the western part of the seaside there were registered increased pre-wintering concentrations of fish juveniles, their qualitative indicators increased, which is evidence to favorable feeding conditions in 2012.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2486
Author(s):  
Jong-Yun Choi ◽  
Seong-Ki Kim

Empirical studies suggest that changes in the density of top predators, such as carnivorous fish, in freshwater food webs, strongly affect not only fish communities but also various primary and secondary consumers. Based on these findings, we explored how differences in the utilization of carnivorous fish (i.e., Northern Snakehead, Channa argus) by humans affected the fish and cladoceran community structure as well as the settlement of exotic fish species (i.e., Lepomis macrochirus and Micropterus salmoides) in 30 wetlands located in the upper and lower reaches of the Nakdong River. Our results show that in the mid–lower reaches of the Nakdong River, the density of C. argus was low, while high densities of L. macrochirus and M. salmoides were observed. Exotic fish species are frequently consumed by C. argus, leading to a low density of L. macrochirus and M. salmoides in the upper reaches, which supported a high density of C. argus. However, in the mid–lower reaches, the density of L. macrochirus was high because of the frequent collection of C. argus by fishing activities. The dominance of L. macrochirus significantly changed the structure of cladoceran communities. L. macrochirus mainly feeds on pelagic species, increasing the density of epiphytic species in the mid–lower reaches. The continued utilization of C. argus by humans induced a stable settlement of exotic fish species and strongly affected the community structures of primary consumers in the 30 wetlands. The frequency of C. argus collection has to be reduced to secure biodiversity in the mid–lower reaches of the Nakdong River, which will reduce the proportion of exotic fish species and increase the conservation of native fish.


1951 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 810-811

A joint meeting of the Research Committee on Agriculture, Fish, Wildlife and Forestry and the Preparatory Fisheries Committee was held in Trinidad on July 9, 1951. The meeting, under the chairmanship of the United Kingdom representative (Frampton), discussed proposals regarding commercial trawl fishing in the Gulf of Paria and the organization of the Fisheries Conference. The committee felt that a survey of commercial trawl fishing should be undertaken at an estimated expense of $2,000. The committee also recommended that the Fisheries Conference, to be held in March 1952 for five days, should meet in Trinidad and have an agenda as follows: occurrence and distribution of commercial fish species in the Caribbean, techniques used in the Caribbean for fish capture, types of fishing craft used, marketing, storing, distribution, conserving methods, and cultivation of fish in ponds.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 1951-1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Jagoe ◽  
Dave A. Welter

Chromosome number and genomic DNA content vary widely among fish species, and ploidy can vary within species. This suggests that the size, shape, and morphological features of cell nuclei may also vary. Nucleated erythrocytes of fish are an easily sampled homogeneous population of differentiated cells ideal for inter- and intra-species comparisons. We collected blood samples from largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), chain pickerel (Esox niger), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), redeye bass (Micropterus coosae), and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and removed cytoplasm and nuclear membranes from blood cells. Individual nuclei were examined and measured using scanning electron microscopy and a computerized image analysis system, and inter- and intra-species differences evaluated by nested analysis of variance. Nuclear size and shape varied significantly among species. Isolated nuclei had conspicuous apertures or holes, and the number and size of these holes also varied significantly among species. Variations in nuclear size and structure within species were small compared with interspecies differences. Little is known of the ultrastructure of erythrocyte nuclei in lower vertebrates, but their structure differs considerably from that of other vertebrate non-erythroid cells, suggesting that the organization of their DNA and associated proteins may be different.


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