Effects of domestication on growth physiology and endocrinology of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 1323-1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A Fleming ◽  
Thorleifur Agustsson ◽  
Bengt Finstad ◽  
Jörgen I Johnsson ◽  
Björn Thrandur Björnsson
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Growth Regulation ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Endocrine Regulation ◽  
Founder Population ◽  
Growth Physiology ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Igf I

Selection programs for fish frequently target growth rate as a breeding goal, yet surprisingly little is known about which mechanisms underlying the growth process are being targeted. The aim of this study was thus to examine whether the process of artificial selection of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that has resulted in higher growth rate resulted in underlying changes in the growth hormone (GH) – insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) axis of endocrine growth regulation. This was tested by comparing similarly reared seventh-generation farm salmon with wild salmon from the principal founder population of the farm strain at three life stages. Not unexpectedly, the domesticated fish outgrew their wild counterparts; this was most evident in salt water, where they averaged three times the weight by the end. Pituitary GH content was positively correlated with growth rate and correspondingly was significantly higher in the faster growing domesticated fish than in the wild fish. Plasma GH levels were also significantly higher in the domesticated fish, whereas IGF-I levels did not differ. These findings provide some of the first direct evidence indicating a link between domestication selection for growth and its endocrine regulation, whereby individuals with more active endocrine growth regulatory components are targeted.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) for Growth Rate and Age at Sexual Maturation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e0119730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro P. Gutierrez ◽  
José M. Yáñez ◽  
Steve Fukui ◽  
Bruce Swift ◽  
William S. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Association Study ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Genome Wide Association ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Genome Wide

Parr–Smolt Transformation of Yearling Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) at Several Rearing Temperatures

1981 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 1189-1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Johnston ◽  
R. L. Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Atpase Activity ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Salinity Tolerance ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Thermal Effluent ◽  
Thermal Regimes

Six different rearing conditions were used to study the effect of temperature on seasonal changes in growth, condition factor, body silvering, body moisture and lipid content, salinity tolerance, and gill Na–K-ATPase activities of laboratory and pond-reared yearling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Growth during the winter was greatest at the highest rearing temperature (16 °C) whereas those under simulated natural conditions grew slowest. Increasing temperatures in the spring stimulated growth more than constant temperature. Based on increased salinity tolerance, elevated ATPase activity, and growth in salt water, smolt development proceeded at all temperatures up to 16 °C. More smolts were produced in the high thermal regimes resulting in the best growth and the largest proportion of fish reaching smolt size. Unlike some Pacific salmonids, Atlantic salmon develop smolt status at temperatures as high as 16 °C. Yearling smolts can be produced at elevated temperatures and the use of thermal effluents for this purpose is promising.Key words: smoltification, smolt criteria, salinity tolerance, ATPase activity, rearing temperatures, elevated thermal regimes, thermal effluent, Salmo salar

Effects of Jaw Tagging on Growth and Scale Characteristics of Landlocked Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar

1971 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendall Warner
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Spawning Grounds ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Growth Increments ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Scale Characteristics

Recapture of 165 annual and biennial spawners of landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from 1239 fish tagged on the spawning grounds from 1953 to 1955 at the Fish River Lakes, Maine, showed that jaw-tagged females grew significantly slower than untagged female of identical ages and cycles. For most maturing male salmon, growth increments were not significantly reduced by jaw tagging. A tendency for decreased growth increments with increase in age was apparent for both tagged and untagged fish.Recognizable annuli were formed on the scales of 77–100% of 97 male salmon and of 74–97% of 187 female salmon between tagging and recapture. A significantly smaller percentage of females (74%) than males (100%) at large 1 year and recaptured on the spawning grounds had formed a recognizable annulus, but there was no significant difference between females (86%) and males (91%) recaptured by anglers. The significantly lower annulus recognition for annual female spawners was attributed to their demonstrated slower growth rate and possibly resorption of minimal marginal scale growth.Spawning checks were recognizable on the scales of 69–100% of 97 males and 49–78% of 187 females recaptured. Male salmon recaptured on the spawning grounds formed a significantly higher percentage of recognizable spawning checks than females (both annual and biennial spawners), but there were no significant differences between sexes for angler-recaptured fish. Lower reliability in spawning check recognition for females was attributed to less severe marginal resorption resulting in no spawning check being formed or obliteration of previous spawning checks by resorption of the small amount of marginal scale increment made by some annually spawning females, or both.

Winter temperature and food quality affect age at maturity: an experimental test with Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (11) ◽  
pp. 1817-1826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bror Jonsson ◽  
Anders G. Finstad ◽  
Nina Jonsson
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Direct Effect ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Condition Factor ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Winter Temperature ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar

Field studies have revealed that many ectotherms mature younger and smaller in warmer environments although they grow faster. This has puzzled ecologists because the direct effect of factors that accelerate growth is expected to be larger, not smaller size. We tested this experimentally for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at two winter temperatures and diets. Logistic regression revealed that the probability of maturation during the second year in sea water, relative to the probability of older maturation, increased with temperature and growth rate during the first winter. Also, large size and high condition factor 1 year prior to maturation stimulated maturation. In females, a high lipid diet increased the probability of maturation as one-sea-winter fish, and there were significant interactions between winter temperature and food quality and between body size and condition factor the first autumn in sea water. Thus, if the direct effect of temperature on growth rate is the main effect of warming, salmon are likely to attain maturity younger and smaller. Also, richer food decreased age at maturation in females. This finding has consequences for interpretations of climate change impacts on age at maturity in Atlantic salmon and may also hold for many other ectotherm species.

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