Strengthening effectiveness of policy directives of the LVFO Council of Ministers on Lake Victoria, Uganda

Research was done to assess the dissemination and implementation by the Fisheries Department, Local Govemments and beach management units and the awareness, acceptance and compliance among fishers to the CoM Directives on management of Lake Victoria fisheries. Conducted by the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI), the research focused on the implementation and effectiveness of measures following the LYFO Council of Ministers (CoM) Directives for improved management of the fisheries of Lake Victoria, with particular reference to the 2009 CoM Directives as a case study, it was established that many of the Directives have not been implemented. In cases where the directives were implemented, their effectiveness remains questionable. While steps were taken to disseminate and implement the Directives, there were some challenges, including the unclear legal status of the directives, limited dissemination materials and poor methods of dissemination, language barriers and inadequate resources for enforcement.

The Nile perch fishery: traditional and emerging fisheries, overfishing and the use of illegal gears on Lake Albert

The fisheries of Lake Albert have come under increasing focus due to several driving forces that have synergistically evolved resulting into concerns from diverse stakeholders. The driving forces include: the commercialization of the fisheries with entry into the value chain of industrial fish processing, a decline in fish stocks especially of the large-size fishes and the emergency of the light - fishing targeting small pelagic fishes. In addition, the assumption by some opinion leaders that light-fishing (use of light) has destroyed the Nile perch fishery of Lake Albert, other factors such as cross-border fishing conflicts, the emergence of oil, an influx of traders in fish-related activities, and the limited regulatory and enforcement regimes for the diverse commercially exploited fish fauna of Lake Albert all require continuous information and action.

Brazil: for the common good

Faced with the difficult context of conflicts and over-bureaucratization, traditional fishing communities in Brazil have creatively built various strategies of confrontation and resistance.

Report of Lake Wamala fisheries frame survey 2012

Lake Wamala, a small lake (180 km2) located in Central Uganda and believed to have been part of the main Lake Victoria and only got separated about 4000 years ago, has already undergone different levels of fisheries evolution that warrant using it as a case study to inform changes in other systems. Using resources provided by the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP) II, under the Applied Research Facility, we evaluated the fishing inputs, socio-economic infrastructure and analyzed trends in fishery benefits to guide evolution of management advice. A frame survey was conducted on the entire lake (13th - 23rd March 2012) enumerating all fishing factors and enlisting available and accessible socio-economic infrastructure along the shores of the lake. The lake traverses districts (Gomba, Mityana, and Mubende) with its largest portion lying in Mityana. There are 26 established fish landing sites and about 600 fishers with a similar number of boats on the lake. The total number of boats on the lake is almost equal to the number of fishers; illustrating the common type (paracute) and size (Small, about 4 m) of boats and hence a fishing crew structure of one fisher per boat. Main fishing gears are Gillnets targeting the tilapia (Ngege) and long line hooks (Protperus, Mamba, and Clarias, Male). Almost equal number of boats used the two main gears on the lake (about 300 each). 97% of the gill nets on the lake are small (3.5” (8.9 cm – 4.5” – 11.4 cm) stretched mesh size while 98% of the hoots are large (< size 10). The implication is gill net fishers target small tilapia while long line fishers aim at the large mamba and male. Generally the lake has poor socio-economic infrastructure compared to other lakes of Uganda probably due to its geo-morphological setting. The lakes fishing factors have continued to expand with the ever increasing population. There may be need to check the continued entry into the fisheries especially if the increasing effort does not translate into increase in fishery yield.

Department of Fisheries Resources Annual Report 2010/2011

The Department of Fisheries Resources (DFR) under MAAIF and Directorate of Animal Resources is the technical Department mandated to promote, support and guide the Fisheries Sector in Uganda. The Department also retains the responsibility for setting and enforcing the standards and regulations for practices pertaining to fisheries. The Department compiles data and information for its own use and for dissemination to stakeholders. This publication is an annual product to support evidence-based decision making, planning and assessing progress in the formulation and implementation of policy to better manage the fisheries resource.

Hybridization between Tilapia zillii (Gervais) and Tilapia andersonii (Casteinau) at the Freshwater Fisheries Institute, at Nyegezi, Tanzania

As a part of an overall project on fishculture development techniques in Tanzania, hybridization between Tilapia zillii and Tilapia andersonii was carried out at the Freshwater Fisheries Institute, Nyegezi, Tanzania. T. andersonii, a plankton feeder, is not indigenous to Tanzania but was introduced in 1968 from Zambia for certain specific purpose. T. zillii, a macrovegetation feeder, is present locally and is common. In the present studies T. zillii (245.0 mm/260.0 g) female was hybridized with T. andersonii (288.0 mm/350.0 g) male. Under cement cistern conditions it was only after about four months of acclimatization that hybridization between the two occurred. About 1,637 interspecific hybrid fry were produced in a single brood. Eggs were adhesive and parental care shown by the female, the male being driven away. Growth under cistern conditions was slow, attaining a size of 134.8 mm/44.3 g in 10 months. But this growth rate need not be taken as ideal. In body shape, colouration and other morphometric characters the hybrids had inherited from both parents. The number of gill rakers among the hybrids was eighteen which was intermediate between T. zillii (12) and T. andersonii (27). Among one hundred and seventy two specimens (106.0 mm - 168.0 mm) cut and examined the sex ration was hundred per cent males and all of them were between II and IV stages of maturity. This is the first report of fish hybridization from Tanzania and possibly the first report on hybridization between T. zillii and T. andersonii. The full significanoe of the findings and its role in African fishculture is discussed.

A one-year investigation of the relationship between serum GH levels and the growth of F-4 transgenic and non-transgenic common carp Cyprinus carpio

It has been demonstrated that growth hormone (GH) transgenic fish often posses a trait for fast growth. Here, we investigated the growth of F-4 'all-fish' GH transgenic carp Cyprinus carpio and their serum GH levels for a year. The results showed that F-4 all-fish GH transgenic carp were significantly larger in body mass (c. two-fold, P < 0 center dot 001) and body length (c. 1 center dot 3 fold, P < 0 center dot 001), compared with the non-transgenic group. The discrepancy of serum GH levels between the transgenic carp group and control group is 54 fold, when the water temperature was 12-34 degrees C. When the water temperature decreased to 3 center dot 5 degrees C in January, the discrepancy was 256 fold. The serum GH level of the transgenic group was relatively constant, while that of control varied greatly based on month and water temperature. The changes of growth rates between the transgenic group and the control group were similar for a year. Taken together, the results indicated that F-4 all-fish GH transgenic carp had not only higher and constant serum GH levels but also a significant fast-growing effect, compared with the control. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a one-year investigation of growth trait and serum growth hormone level in F-4 all-fish GH transgenic carp.

Elevated ability to compete for limited food resources by 'all-fish' growth hormone transgenic common carp Cyprinus carpio

Food consumption, number of movements and feeding hierarchy of juvenile transgenic common carp Cyprinus carpio and their size-matched non-transgenic conspecifics were measured under conditions of limited food supply. Transgenic fish exhibited 73 center dot 3% more movements as well as a higher feeding order, and consumed 1 center dot 86 times as many food pellets as their non-transgenic counterparts. After the 10 day experiment, transgenic C. carpio had still not realized their higher growth potential, which may be partly explained by the higher frequency of movements of transgenics and the 'sneaky' feeding strategy used by the non-transgenics. The results indicate that these transgenic fish possess an elevated ability to compete for limited food resources, which could be advantageous after an escape into the wild. It may be that other factors in the natural environment (i.e. predation risk and food distribution), however, would offset this advantage. Thus, these results need to be assessed with caution.

Structure, organization and expression of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) NKEF-B gene

Natural killer (NK) cell enhancing factor (NKEF) belongs to the newly defined peroxiredoxin (Prx) family. Its functions are to enhance NK cell cytotoxicity and to protect DNA and proteins from oxidative damage. In this study, a partial cDNA sequence of carp NKEF-B was isolated from thymus cDNA library. Subsequently, the full-length cDNA of carp NKEF-B was obtained by means of 3' and 5' RACE, respectively. The full-length cDNA of carp NKEF-B was 1022 bp, consisting of a 73 bp 5'-terminal untranslated region (UTR), a 355 bp T-terminal UTR, and a 594 bp open reading frame coding for a protein of 197 amino acids. Carp NKEF-B contained two consensus Val-Cys-Pro (VCP) motifs and three consensus cysteine (Cys-51, Cys-70 and Cys-172) residues. Sequence comparison showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of carp NKEF-B had an overall similarity of 74-96% to that of other species homologues. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that carp NKEF-B forms a cluster with other known teleost NKEF-Bs. Then, by PCR we obtained a 5.1 -k long genomic DNA of carp NKEF-B containing six exons and five introns. Realtime RT-PCR results showed that carp NKEF-B gene was predominantly detected in kidney and head kidney under un-infected conditions. Whereas under SVCV-infection condition, the expression of NKEF-B gene was significantly increased in blood cells, gill, intestine and spleen, but maintained in liver, and decreased significantly in kidney and head kidney. Finally, the rNKEF-B was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. By using an antibody against carp rNKEF-B, immunohistochemical study further indicated that NKEF-B positive cells are mainly some RBCs and a few epithelial cells in gill and intestine, and that under SVCV-infection condition, these positive cells or positive products in their cytoplasm were mainly increased in gill and spleen sections of carp. The results obtained in the present study will help to understand the function of NKEF-B in teleost innate immunity. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reduced swimming abilities in fast-growing transgenic common carp Cyprinus carpio associated with their morphological variations

Critical swimming speeds (U-crit) and morphological characters were compared between the F-4 generation of GH-transgenic common carp Cyprinus carpio and the non-transgenic controls. Transgenic fish displayed a mean absolute U-crit value 22.3% lower than the controls. Principal component analysis identified variations in body shape, with transgenic fish having significantly deeper head, longer caudal length of the dorsal region, longer standard length (L-S) and shallower body and caudal region, and shorter caudal length of the ventral region. Swimming speeds were related to the combination of deeper body and caudal region, longer caudal length of the ventral region, shallower head depth, shorter caudal length of dorsal region and L-S. These findings suggest that morphological variations which are poorly suited to produce maximum thrust and minimum drag in GH-transgenic C. carpio may be responsible for their lower swimming abilities in comparison with non-transgenic controls.

Metabolism traits of 'all-fish' growth hormone transgenic common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Transgenic animals with improved qualities have the potential to upset the ecological balance of a natural environment. We investigated metabolic rates of 'all-fish' growth hormone (GH) transgenic common carp under routine conditions and during starvation periods to determine whether energy stores in transgenic fish would deplete faster than controls during natural periods of starvation. Before the oxygen uptake was measured, the mean daily feed intake of transgenic carp was 2.12 times greater than control fish during 4 days of feeding. The average oxygen uptake of GH transgenic fish was 1.32 times greater than control fish within 96 h of starvation, but was not significantly different from controls between 96 and 144 h of starvation. At the same time, GH transgenic fish did not deplete energy reserves at a faster rate than did the controls, as the carcass energy contents of the two groups following a 60-d starvation period were not significantly different. Consequently, we suggest that increased routine oxygen uptake in GH transgenic common carp over that of control fish may be mainly due to the effects of feeding, and not to an increase in basal metabolism. GH transgenic fish are similar to controls in the regulation of metabolism to normally distribute energy reserves during starvation. (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Determination of the surface area of common carp, Cyprinus carpio L.

A wrap method adaptation combined with AutoCAD2005 and Scion Image for Windows were used to determine the surface area of a fish. Compared with the corresponding r(2) and F of many models, the most accurate formula: S = 752.15W(0.675) (r(2) = 0.999, F = 18362.94, P < 0.0001) for estimating the surface area of common carp was obtained. Similarly, the fin formula: S = 1834.12W(0.708) (r(2) = 0.992, F = 2690.47, P < 0.0001) was also obtained for the same purpose. It was proven that these two formulae gave good estimates of surface and fin areas of four strains of common carp: Yellow-river carp, fancy carp, mirror carp and Xingguo red carp.

Structure, organization and expression of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) SLP-76 gene

SLP-76 is an important member of the SLP-76 family of adapters, and it plays a key role in TCR signaling and T cell function. Partial cDNA sequence of SLP-76 of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) was isolated from thymus cDNA Library by the method of suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Subsequently, the full length cDNA of carp SLP-76 was obtained by means of 3' RACE and 5' RACE, respectively. The full Length cDNA of carp SLP-76 was 2007 bp, consisting of a T-terminal untranslated region (UTR) of 285 bp, a T-terminal. UTR of 240 bp, and an open reading frame of 1482 bp. Sequence comparison showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of carp SLP-76 had an overall similarity of 34-73% to that of other species homotogues, and it was composed of an NH2-terminal domain, a central proline-rich domain, and a C-terminal SH2 domain. Amino acid sequence analysis indicated the existence of a Gads binding site R-X-X-K, a 10-aa-long sequence which binds to the SH3 domain of LCK in vitro, and three conserved tyrosine-containing sequence in the NH2-terminal domain. Then we used PCR to obtain a genomic DNA which covers the entire coding region of carp SLP-76. In the 9.2 k-long genomic sequence, twenty one exons and twenty introns were identified. RT-PCR results showed that carp SLP-76 was expressed predominantly in hematopoietic tissues, and was upregulated in thymus tissue of four-month carp compared to one-year old carp. RT-PCR and virtual northern hybridization results showed that carp SLP-76 was also upregulated in thymus tissue of GH transgenic carp at the age of four-months. These results suggest that the expression level of SLP-76 gene may be related to thymocyte development in teleosts. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Molecular cloning and characterization of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) TCR gamma and CD3 gamma/delta chains

Partial cDNA sequences of TCR gamma and CD3 gamma/delta were isolated from the thymus of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) by the method of suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Subsequently the full length cDNAs of carp TCR gamma and CD3 gamma/delta were obtained by means of 3' RACE and 5' RACE, respectively. The full length of carp TCR gamma chain is 1368 bp and encodes 326 amino acids including a signal peptide region of 19 amino acids and a transmembrane region of 23 amino acids at the C-terminal region from aa 291 to 313. The V region of carp TCR gamma contains 109 amino acids, the core motif FGXG in J segment was also found in carp TCR gamma. The C region of carp TCR gamma contains the characteristic CX6PX6WX45C motif. The CP region of carp TCR C gamma contains 37 amino acids. The full length of carp CD3 gamma/delta is 790 bp and encodes 175 amino acids including a signal peptide region of 17 amino acids and a transmembrane region of 23 amino acids from aa 93 to 115. Similar to other known CD3 gamma/delta s, four cysteine residues in the extracellular domain and an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif ITAM (YxxL/Ix6-8YxxL/I) in the intracellular domain are also included in carp CD3 gamma/delta. Differing from other known CD3 gamma/delta s, carp CD3 gamma/delta tacks the CXXCXE motif in the extracellular domain. RTPCR analysis demonstrated that the expression of TCR gamma gene was mainly in the thymus and gill of 6-month carp, but in 18-month carp, TCR gamma gene was detected in all the examined tissues. The expression of CD3 gamma/delta gene was detected in all examined tissues of 6 and 18-month carp; among them, the highest expression level was in the thymus of 6-month carp. In situ hybridization showed that CD3 gamma/delta-expressing cells were widely distributed in the head kidney, spleen and kidney of carp, whereas in the thymus, they were densely distributed in the lymphoid outer zone and scattered in the epithelioid inner zone. (c) 2007 Published by Etsevier Ltd.

Fast-growing transgenic common carp mounfing compensatory growth

Compensatory growth is a phase of accelerated growth apparent when favourable conditions are restored after a period of growth depression. To investigate if F-2 common 'all-fish' growth hormone gene transgenic common carp (Cyprinus carpio) could mount compensatory growth, a 9 week study at 29 degrees C was performed. The control group was fed to satiation twice a day throughout the experiment. The other two groups were deprived of feed for 1 or 2 weeks, respectively, and then fed to satiation during the re-feeding period. At the end of the experiment, the live masses of fish in the deprived groups were still significantly lower than those of the controls. During the re-feeding period, size-adjusted mean specific growth rates and mean feed intakes were significantly higher in the deprived fish than in the controls, indicating a partial compensatory growth response in these fish. No significant differences were found in food conversion efficiency between the deprived and control fish during re-feeding, suggesting that hyperphagia was the mechanism responsible for increased growth rates. The proximate composition of the deprived fish at the end of the experiment was similar to that of the control fish. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to report that fast-growing transgenic fish can achieve partial compensation of growth following starvation. (c) 2007 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2007 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.