Contributions to the biology of the engraulid Anchoa naso (Gilbert and Pierson, 1898) from Ecuadorian waters

ENGLISH: One phase of the duties of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission is the gathering and interpretation of data concerning the life history of the commercially important bait species throughout the Eastern Pacific Ocean. During 1958 the Commission established a laboratory in Manta, Ecuador to study tuna. It was subsequently found that this fishery was dependent upon one species of anchovy, Anchoa naso, which was locally referred to as "colorado." During the calendar year 1959 approximately 380,000 scoops of bait were taken by the Manta tuna fleet (Schaefer, 1960), which at that time numbered about 23 vessels. Since then the fleet has increased by about 25 per cent and it is probable that the bait catch has increased also. Virtually nothing has been reported concerning the life history of this species. Hildebrand (1943) reviewed its taxonomy and reported standard lengths ranging from 32 to 135 mm. Peterson (1956) examined specimens from Central America and found them to range from 27 to 66 mm. He also indicated that the species spawned over a long period of time. The present report describes some aspects of the life history of Anchoa naso in Ecuadorian waters. The findings are based on 121 collections taken during the period March 1959 through June 1961. SPANISH: Una fase de las obligaciones de La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical es la obtensión e interpretación de los datos concernientes a la historia natural de las especies de carnada comercialmente importantes en todo el Océano Pacifico Oriental. En el año de 1958 la Comisión estableció un laboratorio en Manta, Ecuador, para estudiar el atún. Se encontró subsecuentemente que esta pesquería dependía de una especie de anchoa, Anchoa naso, conocida localmente con el nombre de colorado. Durante el año calendario de 1959, la flota atunera de Manta, que en ese tiempo alcanzaba a unos 23 barcos, obtuvo aproximadamente 380,000 copas (scoops) de carnada (Schaefer, 1960). Desde entonces la flota ha aumentado en un 25 por ciento, y es probable que la captura de peces-cebo haya aumentado también. Nada se ha informado virtualmente sobre la historia natural de esta especie. Hildebrand (1943) revisó su taxonomia e informó sobre su longitud estándar, que varia entre los 32 y 135 mm. Peterson (1956) examinó especímenes de la América Central, y encontró que variaban entre los 27 y 66 mm. También indicó que la especie desova durante un largo periodo de tiempo. El presente informe describe algunos aspectos de la historia natural de la Anchoa naso en aguas ecuatorianas. Los hallazgos están basados en 121 recolecciones hechas durante el periodo de marzo de 1959 a junio de 1961. (PDF contains 30 pages.)

Spawning pattern of the Nematopalaemon hastatus (Crustacea: Palaemonidae) (Aurivilius, 1898), exploited in the artisanal shrimp fishery in the outer Cross River estuary

Some aspects of the reproduction of Nematopalaemon hastatus in the artisanal shrimp fishery in the outer Cross River estuary (Nigeria) was investigated. 2 kg samples were taken from the daily catch of the N. hastatus fishery on a twice-weekly basis. The N. hastatus in the sample were then observed for gravidity, using a hand lens, and their post-orbital carapace length (POCL) taken. This was done over a 12-month period. The eggs in formalin-fixed samples showed colour changes from light orange to dark brown with maturation. Gravid females with eggs in different stages of maturation, from light orange to dark brown were observed in the samples. The reproduction occurs all year-round. The proportion of gravid females observed in samples had two distinct peaks in June and November, and two distinct troughs in May and October. The lowest length at which gravidity was observed was 6.0 mm POCL. There were no Penaeus notialis in the samples

Gerard Corley Smith

Obituary reprinted with permission from The Times, London.

Species of the rougheye rockfish complex: resurrection of Sebastes melanostictus (Matsubara, 1934) and a redescription of Sebastes aleutianus (Jordan and Evermann, 1898)(Teleostei: Scorpaeniformes)

The widespread and commercially important rougheye rockfish, Sebastes aleutianus (Jordan and Evermann, 1898), has been considered a single variable species, with light- and dark-colored forms, found on the outer continental shelf and upper slope of the North Pacific Ocean. Genetic analysis of 124 specimens verified the presence of two species in new specimens collected from Alaska to Oregon, and the two species were analyzed for distinguishing color patterns and morphological characters. Characters distinguishing the two were extended to an analysis of 215 additional formalin-fixed specimens representing their geographic ranges. Sebastes aleutianus is pale, often has dark mottling on the dorsum in diffuse bands, and does not have distinct dark spots on the spinous dorsal fin; it ranges from the eastern Aleutian Islands and southeastern Bering Sea to California. Sebastes melanostictus (Matsubara, 1934), the blackspotted rockfish, ranges from central Japan, through the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, to southern California. It is darker overall and spotting is nearly always present on the spinous dorsal fin. Sebastes swifti (Evermann and Goldsborough, 1907) is a synonym of S. aleutianus; S. kawaradae (Matsubara, 1934) is a synonym of S. melanostictus. The subgenus Zalopyr is restricted to S. aleutianus and S. melanostictus. Nomenclatural synonymies, diagnoses, descriptions, and distributions are provided for each species.

The Great Albatross Philippine Expedition and Its Fishes

The Philippine Expedition of 1907-10 was the longest and most extensive assignment of the Albatross's 39-year career. It came about because the United States had acquired the Philippines following the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the bloody Philippine Insurection of 1899-1902. The purpose of the expedition was to surbey and assess the aquatic resources of the Philippine Islands. Dr. Hugh M. Smith, the Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, was the Director of the Expedition. Other scientific participants were Frederick M. Chamberlain, Lewis Radcliffe, Paul Bartsch, Harry C. Fasset, Clarence Wells, Albert Burrows, Alvin Seale, and Roy Chapman Andrews. The expedition consisted of a series of cruises, each beginning and ending in Manila and exploring a different part of the island group. In addition to the Philippines proper, the ship also explored parts of the Dutch East Indies and areas around Hong Kong and Taiwan. The expedition returned great quantities of fish and invertebrate speciments as well as hydrographic and fisheries data; most of the material was eventually deposited in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The fisehs were formally accessioned into the museum in 1922 and fell under the car of Barton A. Bean, Assistant Curator of Fishes, who then recruited Henry W. Fowler to work up the material. Fowler completed his studies of the entire collection, but only part of it was ever published, due in part to the economic constraints caused by the Depression. The material from the Philippine Expedition constituted the largest single accession of fishes ever received by the museum. These speciments are in good condition today and are still being used in scientific research.

Population genetics of Cobia (Rachycentron canadum): implications for fishery management along the coast of the southeastern United States

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is a pelagic, migratory species with a transoceanic distribution in tropical and subtropical waters. Recreational fishing pressure on Cobia in the United States has increased substantially during the last decade, especially in areas of its annual inshore aggregations, making this species potentially susceptible to overfishing. Although Cobia along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the southeastern United States are currently managed as a single fishery, the genetic composition of Cobias in these areas is unclear. On the basis of a robust microsatellite data set from collections along the U.S. Atlantic coast (2008–09), offshore groups were genetically homogenous. However, the 2 sampled inshore aggregations (South Carolina and Virginia) were genetically distinct from each other, as well as from the offshore group. The recapture of stocked fish within their release estuary 2 years after release indicates that some degree of estuarine fidelity occurs within these inshore aggregations and supports the detection of their unique genetic structure at the population level. These results complement the observed high site fidelity of Cobias in South Carolina and support a recent study that confirms that Cobia spawn in the inshore aggregations. Our increased understanding of Cobia life history will be beneficial for determining the appropriate scale of fishery management for Cobia.

Swimming crab Callinectes amnicola (Decapoda-Portunidae) capture analysis of a lagoon with high continental influence (Aby Lagoon, Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa)

The study describes the main causes of captures and productions decreasing of swimming crab Callinectes amnicola (Decapoda Portunidae) in Aby lagoon complex. For that, docks of two Sub Prefectures of Adiaké and Assini-Mafia respectively including the villages of Adiaké, Anga, Assomlan, Epleman, Aby and Man-Man, M'Bratty, Assini-Ngouankro and Assini-Mafia were studied from 2006 to 2009 and completed with previous results obtained from 1988 to 2005. Field investigators were identified by site/village and they recorded daily activities of fishermen (number of effective fishermen, number of gears and area of fishing, duration of fishing, types and quantity of bait) and landing of swimming crabs. During recent period of the study, total production decreased from 3742 tons in 2006 to 1500 tons in 2009. Matrix correlations and correlation analysis indicated that this downward trend was due to the increase of the number of fishermen, number of fishing gear, the decrease in female crabs capture and degradation of the environment related to gradual closure of the Assini-Mafia channel. Despite this decline, total production in Aby lagoon remained high compared to the productions of some lagoons of the country and the region. Given the importance of fishing swimming crabs in Aby lagoon, since it concerns many young people and it is a source of income, stringent measures for sustainable and responsible management must be taken and implemented as part of a co-management plan involving all stakeholders to sustainably manage the resource

Spawning cycles and habitats for ballyhoo (Hemiramphus brasiliensis) and balao (H. balao) in south Florida

Two halfbeak species, ballyhoo (Hemiramphus brasiliensis) and balao (H. balao), are harvested as bait in south Florida waters, and recent changes in fishing effort and regulations prompted this investigation of the overlap of halfbeak fishing grounds and spawning grounds. Halfbeaks were sampled aboard commercial fishing vessels, and during fishery-independent trips, to determine spatial and temporal spawning patterns of both species. Cyclic patterns of gonadosomatic indices (GSIs) indicated that both species spawned during spring and summer months. Histological analysis demonstrated that specific stages of oocyte development can be predicted from GSI values; for example, female ballyhoo with GSIs >6.0 had hydrated oocytes that were 2.0−3.5 mm diameter. Diel changes in oocyte diameters and histological criteria demonstrated that final oocyte maturation occurred over a 30- to 36-hour period and that ballyhoo spawned at dusk. Hydration of oocytes began in the morning, and ovulation occurred at sunset of that same day; therefore females with hydrated oocytes were ready to spawn within hours. We compared maps of all locations where fish were collected to maps of locations where spawning females (i.e. females with GSIs >6.0) were collected to determine the degree of overlap of halfbeak fishing and spawning grounds. We also used geographic information system (GIS) data to describe the depth and bottom type of halfbeak spawning grounds. Ballyhoo spawned all along the coral reef tract of the Atlantic Ocean, inshore of the reef tract, and in association with bank habitats within Florida Bay. In the Atlantic Ocean, balao spawned along the reef tract and in deeper, more offshore waters than did ballyhoo; balao were not found inshore of the coral reef tract or in Florida Bay. Both halfbeak species, considered together, spawned throughout the fishing grounds of south Florida.

A Review of the parasitic copepods of fish recorded from Ceylon with description of additional forms

The beginning of our knowledge of the copepods parasitic on fish from Ceylon is due to Bassett-Smith (1898 a) who, in a paper on "Further New Parasitic Copepods found on Fish in the Indo-Tropical Region", included seven species collected at Trincomalee and Colombo. Later in the same year, in a paper on "Some New or Rare Parasitic Copepods from the Indo-Tropical Region", he (Bassett-Smith, 1898 b) included three more species from Ceylon. Soon after, more of these parasites were obtained from Ceylon during Herdmann's investigation of the Pearl Banks. From this collection, one lot consisting of eleven species was described by Thompson and Scott (1903) and a second lot consisting of seven species was described by Wilson (1906). At that stage the number of species recorded from Ceylon made up to a total of twenty-eight and there the matter rested for another quarter of a century until, quite by chance, while collecting marine animals on a reef, Mr Kirtisinghe came across a newly dead half-beak with a learned parasite projecting from its body. Since then, in a number of occasional papers (Kirtisinghe, 1932-35, 1937, 1950, 1956, 1960) he has described thirty-eight more species of parasitic copepods from Ceylon. However, his collection included many more species which were put aside for later attention. In the present paper, while dealing with those forms in his collection which he has not recorded or described earlier, he has put together all the known forms of parasitic copepods of fish from Ceylon. A list of the host fishes with their respective parasitic copepods is also provided, types of new species, at present in the author's private collection, will be deposited in the Fisheries Department, Colombo, Ceylon.

On the little known species of threadfin breams Nemipterus mesoprion (Bleeker) and Nemipterus delagoae (Smith)

Among the fish species of the family Nemipteridae, the two little known species, namely, Nemipterus mesoprion (Bleeker) and Nemipterus delagoae (Smith) are recorded from the Cochin waters. Nemipterus mesoprion is a new distributional record from the west coast of India. N. delagoae is described with adequate numbers of specimen for the first time from Indian waters. Moreover, the results of the present study show that the colour of the viscera, the number of pyloric caeca and the gill rakers can also be used for the diagnosis of the species of the genus Nemipterus. The affinity of the above species with other related species of the genus Nemipterus and their geographical distribution are presented.

Copepods of the genus Hermilius (Caligidae) parasitic on marine catfish of Kuwait, with a key to the species of Hermilius

Three species of caligid copepods (Siphonostomatoida) belonging to genus Hermilius Heller, 1865 were recovered from the giant marine catfish, Arius thalassinus Ruppell, taken from the Persian Gulf. They are H. pyriventris Heller, 1865; H. longicaudus n. sp.; and H. longicornis Bassett-Smith, 1898. H helleri Pillai, 1963 is proposed to be relegated to the synonym of H pyriventris. A key to the eight species of Hermilius is provided.