Leanne M. Currey

Evidence of Melanoma in Wild Marine Fish Populations

The increase in reports of novel diseases in a wide range of ecosystems, both terrestrial and marine, has been linked to many factors including exposure to novel pathogens and changes in the global climate. Prevalence of skin cancer in particular has been found to be increasing in humans, but has not been reported in wild fish before. Here we report extensive melanosis and melanoma (skin cancer) in wild populations of an iconic, commercially-important marine fish, the coral trout Plectropomus leopardus. The syndrome reported here has strong similarities to previous studies associated with UV induced melanomas in the well-established laboratory fish model Xiphophorus. Relatively high prevalence rates of this syndrome (15%) were recorded at two offshore sites in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). In the absence of microbial pathogens and given the strong similarities to the UV-induced melanomas, we conclude that the likely cause was environmental exposure to UV radiation. Further studies are needed to establish the large scale distribution of the syndrome and confirm that the lesions reported here are the same as the melanoma in Xiphophorus, by assessing mutation of the EGFR gene, Xmrk. Furthermore, research on the potential links of this syndrome to increases in UV radiation from stratospheric ozone depletion needs to be completed.

Comparative biology of tropical Lethrinus species (Lethrinidae): challenges for multi‐species management

Life-history characteristics of six tropical Lethrinus species sampled from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area were compared. Two species groups were identified based on fork length (LF ): large species with maximum LF > 640 mm (longface emperor Lethrinus olivaceus, yellowlip emperor Lethrinus xanthochilus and spangled emperor Lethrinus nebulosus) and small species with maximum LF < 480 mm (Pacific yellowtail emperor Lethrinus atkinsoni, pink ear emperor Lethrinus lentjan and ornate emperor Lethrinus ornatus). Lifespan was not correlated with LF . Early growth for all species was rapid and similar during the first few years of life, but coefficients of the von Bertalanffy growth function varied considerably among species. Growth also differed between sexes for L. atkinsoni. Reproductive characteristics varied among species, with peak periods of spawning occurring in November to December for L. atkinsoni, July to August for L. nebulous, September to October for L. olivaceus and a protracted season for L. lentjan, although fewer samples were available for the last two species. Sex-specific LF and age distributions and gonad histology of L. lentjan were suggestive of a functional protogynous reproductive pattern, as observed in other lethrinids. Gonad histology indicated non-functional protogynous hermaphroditism for L. atkinsoni and L. nebulosus. The diversity of life histories among these closely related species emphasizes the difficulty in devising single management strategies appropriate for multi-species fisheries and illustrates the importance of understanding species-specific life histories to infer responses to exploitation.

Blood lactate loads of redthroat emperor Lethrinus miniatus associated with angling stress and exhaustive exercise

Baseline, post-angling and maximum attainable blood lactate concentrations were measured for the fishery species redthroat emperor Lethrinus miniatus to gain insight into the condition of fish released following c. 30 s angling and <45 s air exposure. Mean ± S.D. baseline blood lactate was 1·5 ± 0·6 mmol l⁻¹, which increased and plateaued around 6 mmol l⁻¹ at 15-30 min post-angling. These values were significantly lower than those obtained from fish maximally exhausted with a prolonged chase and air exposure protocol following capture (10·9 ± 1·8 mmol l⁻¹), suggesting that L. miniatus is not maximally exhausted during standard angling practices.

Accepting final counts from repeat readings of otoliths: should a common criterion apply to the age estimation of fish?

Multiple readings of otoliths are often carried out to assess the repeatability and reliability of increment counts for estimating fish age. Various criteria have been used to assign or discard age estimates from repeated counts when discrepancies occur although the reasons for doing so are usually not stated or justified. Trends in relative frequencies (percentage disagreement, PD) and magnitudes (inter-read discrepancy, IRD) of otolith-count discrepancies were explored for 15 species of fish collected from a range of locations around Australia to explore generality in the best explanatory model(s) for otolith-count discrepancies and, hence, the most appropriate criterion for accepting or rejecting age estimates from multiple-count data. Increasing discrepancies with increasing age, according to a constant per-increment probability of error, was the best-approximating model for 9 of the 15 species for PD data but for only two species for IRD data. Our results indicated disproportionately higher rates of rejection of estimates from older age groups if exact agreement between repeated counts was required for age acceptance. Results varied with the reader, region and the method of otolith reading, indicating that multiple criteria for accepting or rejecting counts from multiple readings may be required among or even within species.