Loic Quemener

Effects of hypoxia on growth and metabolism of juvenile turbot.

The effects of hypoxia on growth, feed efficiency, nitrogen excretion, oxygen consumption and metabolism of juvenile turbot (120 g) were studied in a 45-day experiment carried out in sea water at 17.0±0.5°C and 34.5 ppt salinity. Fish were fed to satiation at O2-concentrations of 3.5±0.3, 5.0±0.3 mg l−1 (hypoxia) and 7.2±0.3 mg l−1 (normoxia). Both feed intake (FI) and growth were significantly lower under hypoxia than under normoxia, with no significant differences being observed between 3.5 and 5.0 mg O2 l−1. During the first 2 weeks of the experiment, FI was halved under hypoxic conditions, and there were large differences among treatments in feed conversion ratio (FCR), i.e., it was 3.2, 1.5, and 0.9 in turbot exposed to 3.5, 5.0, and 7.2 mg O2 l−1, respectively. Thereafter, FCR was not significantly affected by O2-concentration. Nitrogen excretion and oxygen consumption of feeding fish were significantly higher under normoxia than under hypoxia, but following 7 days of feed deprivation oxygen consumption was similar under normoxia and hypoxia. Plasma osmolarity, ionic balance, and acid-base status were not affected by the two hypoxic conditions tested. Overall, our results indicate that turbot have some capacity to adapt to relatively low ambient O2-concentrations.

Cryopreservation of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) spermatozoa.

The aim of this study was to develop a method for cryopreserving turbot semen and to compare sperm motility characteristics, metabolic status and fertilization capacity of frozenthawed and fresh semen. The best results were obtained when spermatozoa were diluted at a 1:2 ratio with a modified Mounib extender, supplemented with 10% BSA and 10% DMSO. For freezing sperm samples, straws were placed at 6.5 cm above the surface of liquid nitrogen (LN) and plunged in LN. The straws were thawed in water bath at 30 degrees C for 5 sec. Use of this simple method resulted in a 60 to 80% reactivation rate of the thawed spermatozoa. Although the percentage of motile spermatozoa in the frozen-thawed semen samples was significantly lower than in fresh semen, spermatozoa velocity and respiratory rate remained unchanged. The process of cryopreservation significantly decreased intracellular ATP content. The fertilization rate of frozen-thawed spermatozoa was significantly lower than that of fresh spermatozoa, but it increased with sperm concentration.

Comparative acute ammonia toxicity in marine fish and plasma ammonia response

Abstract Using a continuous-flow method a total of 14 acute toxicity bioassays were conducted using seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ), seabream ( Spams aurata ) and turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus ) juveniles weighing from 6 to 163 g (wet weight). Median LC50s of un-ionized ammonia-nitrogen (UIA-N) and median LT50s (plus their confidence intervals) were calculated for 6, 12, 24, 48 and 96-h exposures for each trial. Under optimal environmental conditions (17–18 °C, 34%. S, 8.15 pH and oxygen over 75% saturation), median 96-h LC50s averaged 1.7 mg 1 −1 UIA-N (40 mg 1 −1 TAN, total ammonia nitrogen) in seabass compared with 2.5–2.6 mg 1 −1 UIA-N (57–59 mg 1 −1 TAN) in seabream and turbot. Median LC50s did not change significantly from 24 to 96-h exposure and were not related to fish size. Significant variations in fish sensitivity were observed from one group to another and seabass juveniles appeared to be more susceptible to ammonia than seabream and turbot. In all species, mortality occurred over a relatively narrow range of ammonia concentrations. Lethal threshold concentrations (LTC) were estimated to be over 90% of 96-h LC50s. In starved fish, blood plasma levels of ammonia, which were positively correlated with ambient ammonia, can be used to estimate the extent of ammonia toxicity. The same increase in plasma TAN vs. ambient ammonia level was observed in seabass, seabream and turbot. A mortality of 50% was observed after a 4-day exposure when the increase in TAN was 4 times the initial level in seabass and more than 10 times the normal level in seabream and turbot. These results show, for the first time, that seabass unlike seabream and turbot have lower thresholds of physiological disturbances, which explains why they are more sensitive to ammonia.

Selection method of new candidates for finfish aquaculture: the case of the French Atlantic, the Channel and the North Sea coasts

At present, European marine fish farming is based on sea bream and sea bass. A trend for diversification is sustained by the diversity of environmental conditions, by the availability of new production techniques such as recirculating systems, by an increase in rearing yields, by new market trends and by the possibilities to reduce risks of disease outbreak. Already reared fish species were chosen considering a limited number of criteria such as a high selling price and the availability of juveniles or breeders in the wild. This paper proposes a new selection method of fish species as candidates for aquaculture development on the French Atlantic, the Channel and the North Sea coasts. Using a three-phase procedure, candidates were selected among 20 000 fish species. Final classification was carried out using a panel of 22 criteria, taking into account inquiries conducted in France with aquaculturists but also with the main actors of distribution and transformation channels and with consumers. Cod (Gadus morhua) was selected by the present work as the first candidate for aquaculture development on the western coasts of France. This work also highlights the high interest of Gadoids for aquaculture development in this area.

Effect of some repetitive factors on turbot stress response

The stress response of the turbot, Scopthalmus maximus (L.), to repetitive factors including netting, air exposure, blood sampling and hand-stripping, were tested using two different tank sizes as well as two blood sampling techniques. Exposure of juvenile fish to air for 1-4 min had no immediate effect on plasma cortisol concentrations or haematocrit values. Similarly, the serial netting of immature fish from tanks did not significantly modify plasma cortisol concentrations, haematocrit or osmolarity values. Hand-stripping of mature males was more disturbing than air exposure. The cumulative effect on plasma cortisol levels and osmolarity of stress factors such as netting, air exposure, blood sampling and stripping applied simultaneously to mature males in a 16 m3 tank and repeated twice daily for several days was recorded. The level of cortisol increased from 5 ng ml-1 to 300 ng ml-1 after 10 days of treatment, while an osmoregulatory imbalance and fish death were observed. Moreover, adaptation of fish to smaller tanks seemed to improve the increased plasma cortisol levels and death rate. Reduction in the number of stress factors applied greatly decreased both the range of physiological responses and the death rate. In order to avoid a cumulative stress response, handling of fish should therefore be reduced to a minimum.

Effects of repeated hypoxic shocks on growth and metabolism of turbot juveniles

Turbot juveniles (45 g) were exposed for 41 d (17 °C, 34‰ salinity) to constant normoxic (100–100% air saturation, 100–100) or moderate hypoxic (75–75% air saturation, 75–75) conditions and to repeated hypoxic shocks (20% saturation for 1 h, 5 d per week) from normoxic (100–20% air saturation, 100–20) or moderate hypoxic (75–20% air saturation, 75–20) conditions. A normoxic group was feed restricted (100-FR). Mass increase of 100–100 and 75–75 groups fed to satiation was not significantly different. In comparison, it was significantly lower in the 100–20 and 75–20 groups (NS between the two hypoxic shocks groups). Intermediate results were obtained in the 100–100-FR group. The lowest mass increase under hypoxic shocks was explained by a significant decrease in both feed intake and food conversion efficiency (FCE). FCE was lower in the two hypoxic groups, but only the 75–20 group was significantly different from all the other groups. There was no sign of stress and no change in the physiological status of fish in any group. When challenged, pre-conditioning of turbot to regular hypoxic shocks extended survival time, slightly but significantly, for 50% of the population. It wa s 8 h longer in starved than in fed fish. When reared for 1 year in normoxic water, the growth rate of post-challenged survivors was dependent on pre-conditioning: day 0–375 specific growth rate was significantly higher in the two groups acclimated to repeated hypoxic shocks. In the second experiment, it was shown that exposure to 20% air saturation for 12 h led to major physiological changes within 4 h: a significant decrease in plasma total CO 2 and increase in plasma lactate contributing in maintaining blood pH stable, and a significant increase in osmolarity and chloride concentration. When returned to normoxic water, the recovery capacity of the fish was high: plasma osmolarity and total CO 2 returned to pre-exposure levels within 1 h. The results are discussed in terms of turbot capacity to cope with repeated hypoxic shocks and to acclimate.

Effect of temperature, volume of ova batches, and addition of a diluent, an antibiotic, oxygen and a protein inhibitor on short-term storage capacities of turbot, Psetta maxima, ova

The effect of different parameters on short-term storage capacity of turbot ova was assessed over a 45-h period after ova collection for fertilization rates and over a 9-h period after ova collection for hatching rates. Increasing the volume of ova sampling from 0.5 to 2.5 mL, as weil as adding an antibiotic-antimicotic solution or oxygen did not significantly change the storage capacity of ova. Regarding the hatching rates, a higher storage ability was recorded at 8 and 13 oC, compared to 3 oc. The mean composition of the ovarian fluid was determined (n = 57 spawns). Use of a diluent mimicking the ovarian fluid significantly decreased the storage ability as assessed by the fertilization rates but did not modify the hatching rates. Diluting ova in an artificial ovarian fluid deprived of calcium significantly decreased the fertilization and hatching rates during the storage period. Furthermore, addition or not of soybean trypsin inhibitor (Sigma T 9003) to the artificial ovarian fluid deprived of calcium did not significantly change the results. Storage capacity of control batches of ova was low: at 13 oC, without any diluent and when ova were fertilized 3 h after stripping, the hatching rate was lowered to 62.4 ± 29.4 % (mean ± SD) of the initial value.

New instruments to monitor coastal sea water masses according to European Water Framework Directive, Trophimatique project

The automated monitoring of physico-chemical parameters in the coastal zone has been using large buoys and fixed infrastructures. A better understanding of many estuaries is needed in order to fulfil the agenda and requirements of the European Water Framework Directive. In order to address the fluxes of nutrients as well as algal blooms and low oxygen events, the “TROPHIMATIQUE” project has developed a new generation of instruments able to be deployed in sea waters. The smaller size of the new instruments is intended to facilitate the maintenance.