Ecotoxicological Assessment of Antifouling Biocides in the Sediments of Cochin Estuarine System

The pollutants discharged into the estuaries are originate from two main sources-industrial and sewage. The former may be toxic which includes heavy metals, residues from antifouling paint particles and pesticides, while large discharges of sewage will contain pathogenic microorganisms. The contamination is enough to destroy the amenities of the waterfront, and the toxic substances may completely destroy the marine life and damage to birds, fishes and other marine organisms. Antifouling biocides are a type of chemical used in marine structure to prevent biofouling. These antifouling biocides gradually leach from the ships and other marine structures into water and finally settled in sediments. Once a saturation adsorption is reached they desorbed into overlying water and causes threat to marine organisms. Previous reports explained the imposex and shell thickening in bivalves owing to the effect of biocides. So bivalves are used as indicator organisms to understand the status of pollution. The nervous system is one of the best body part to understand the effect of toxicant. Acetylcholine esterase enzyme which is the main neurotransmitter in nervous was used to understand the effect of pollutants. Present study uses Acetylcholine esterase enzyme as pollution monitoring indicator

Studies On The Reproduction Of Indian Whiting Sill/160 5'/Ham/1 (Forskal) (Percoidei, Sillaginidae)

From the point of view of rational exploitation and proper management of the fishery resources as well as for the development of intensive aquaculture of fishes through selective breeding, brood stock development, domestication and genetic improvement, a sound knowledge of reproductive biology and physiology of the candidate species is of great importance. In recent times, a wealth of information on maturity, spawning habits, spawning periodicity, spawning season, size at maturity and fecundity of commercially important fishes has been generated. Gametogenesis involves the transformation of Primordial germ cells in the gonads into specialised cells or gametes, namely ova in the female and sperms in male, through a series of complex morphological and cytological events. The formation of male gamete is known as spermatogenesis. In the female, the primary growth phase involving the formation of primary oocyte from oogonia is known as oogenesis, which would be followed by the secondary growth phase, in which considerable increase in the size of the oocyte occurs, due mainly to accumulation of yolk. This process is known as vitellogenesis, which would be followed by final maturation and ovulation of the ova. In the present work, basic aspects of maturation and spawning, salient features of gametogenesis and associated biochemical changes occurring during these processes in an important cultivable fish, Sillago sihama belonging to the family Sillaginidae have been investigated.

Prevalence of Salmonella in fish and crustaceans from markets in Coimbatore, South India

Seven hundred and thirty fishes and 276 crustaceans collected from various fish markets of Coimbatore, South India, over a period of 2 years (September 1990 to August 1992) were analysed for the prevalence of Salmonella. Fishes (14·25%) and 17·39% of crustaceans were found to be contaminated with Salmonella. Of the different fishes analysed, the highest incidence of Salmonella was seen in Scopelidae (28%) followed by Trachnidae (26·9%). Among crustaceans Portunus pelagicus (33·33%) showed the highest incidence followed by Scylla serrata (28·57%). A well-marked seasonal variation in the incidence pattern was observed in both fishes and crustaceans with a higher incidence during monsoon season followed by post-monsoon and pre-monsoon. The region of the body that showed frequent isolation was the alimentary canal in fishes (41·33%) and gills (35·06%) in crustaceans. Serotyping of the isolates revealed prevalence of Salmonella weltevreden, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi B, Salmonella mgulani and Salmonella typhimurium in both fishes and crustaceans. Salmonella senftenberg was isolated only from crustaceans

Prevalence of Aeromonas hydrophila in fish and prawns from the seafood market of Coimbatore, South India

Five hundred and thirty six samples offishes and 278 prawn samples from the major fish market ofCoimbatore, South India, were analysed for the prevalence of Aeromonas hydrophila over a period of2 years (June 1997–May 1999). The prevalence level of A. hydrophila varied from 17.62% in prawns to 33.58% in fishes. More than 30% of the popular table fishes such as Sardinella longiceps, Rastrelliger kanagurta, Mugil cephalus and Caranx sexfasciatus were tested positive for this organism. Among the different species of the prawns analysed, Penaeus semisulcatus showed higher incidence (23.52%). Seasonal variation in the prevalence levels of A. hydrophila in fish and prawns revealed a higher prevalence during the monsoon season during 1997–98 and 1998–99. Of the different body parts of the fishes analysed for A. hydrophila, the intestinal samples showed higher prevalence (38.43%), followed by body surface (32.46%) and gill (29.10%). Considering the psychrotrophic nature and role of A. hydrophila as a pathogen ofemerging importance, the considerably high levels ofthis organism in a popular food item such as fish and prawn raises serious concern

Virulence Potential And Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern Of Motile Aeromonads Associated With Freshwater Ornamental Fish Culture Systems: A Possible Threat To public Health

Aeromonas spp. are ubiquitous aquatic organisms, associated with multitude of diseases in several species of animals, including fishes and humans. In the present study, water samples from two ornamental fish culture systems were analyzed for the presence of Aeromonas. Nutrient agar was used for Aeromonas isolation, and colonies (60 No) were identified through biochemical characterization. Seven clusters could be generated based on phenotypic characters, analyzed by the programme NTSYSpc, Version 2.02i, and identified as: Aeromonas caviae (33.3%), A. jandaei (38.3%) and A. veronii biovar sobria (28.3%). The strains isolated produced highly active hydrolytic enzymes, haemolytic activity and slime formation in varying proportions. The isolates were also tested for the enterotoxin genes (act, alt and ast), haemolytic toxins (hlyA and aerA), involved in type 3 secretion system (TTSS: ascV, aexT, aopP, aopO, ascF–ascG, and aopH), and glycerophospholipid-cholesterol acyltransferase (gcat). All isolates were found to be associated with at least one virulent gene. Moreover, they were resistant to frequently used antibiotics for human infections. The study demonstrates the pathogenic potential of Aeromonas, associated with ornamental fish culture systems suggesting the emerging threat to public health

Characterization of Histone H2A Derived Antimicrobial Peptides, Harriottins, from Sicklefin Chimaera Neoharriotta pinnata (Schnakenbeck, 1931) and Its Evolutionary Divergence with respect to CO1 and Histone H2A

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are humoral innate immune components of fishes that provide protection against pathogenic infections. Histone derived antimicrobial peptides are reported to actively participate in the immune defenses of fishes. Present study deals with identification of putative antimicrobial sequences from the histone H2A of sicklefin chimaera, Neoharriotta pinnata. A 52 amino acid residue termed Harriottin-1, a 40 amino acid Harriottin-2, and a 21 mer Harriottin-3 were identified to possess antimicrobial sequence motif. Physicochemical properties andmolecular structure ofHarriottins are in agreement with the characteristic features of antimicrobial peptides, indicating its potential role in innate immunity of sicklefin chimaera. The histone H2A sequence of sicklefin chimera was found to differ from previously reported histone H2A sequences. Phylogenetic analysis based on histone H2A and cytochrome oxidase subunit-1 (CO1) gene revealed N. pinnata to occupy an intermediate position with respect to invertebrates and vertebrates

A Novel Isoform of the Hepatic Antimicrobial Peptide, Hepcidin (Hepc-CB1), from a Deep-Sea Fish, the Spinyjaw Greeneye Chlorophthalmus bicornis (Norman, 1939): Molecular Characterisation and Phylogeny

Hepcidin is cysteine-rich short peptide of innate immune system of fishes, equipped to perform prevention and proliferation of invading pathogens like bacteria and viruses by limiting iron availability and activating intracellular cascades. Hepcidins are diverse in teleost fishes, due to the varied aquatic environments including exposure to pathogens, oxygenation and iron concentration. In the present study, we report a 87-amino acid (aa) preprohepcidin (Hepc-CB1) with a signal peptide of 24 aa, a prodomain of 39 aa and a bioactive mature peptide of 24 aa from the gill mRNA transcripts of the deep-sea fish spinyjaw greeneye, Chlorophthalmus bicornis. Molecular characterisation and phylogenetic analysis categorised the peptide to HAMP2-like group with a mature peptide of 2.53 kDa; a net positive charge (?3) and capacity to form b-hairpin-like structure configured by 8 conserved cysteines. The present work provides new insight into the mass gene duplication events and adaptive evolution of hepcidin isoforms with respect to environmental influences and positive Darwinian selection. This work reports a novel hepcidin isoform under the group HAMP2 from a nonacanthopterygian deep-sea fish, C. bicornis

Molecular Characterisation and Phylogenetic Analysis of a Novel Isoform of Hepatic Antimicrobial Peptide, Hepcidin (Zc-hepc1), from the Coral Fish Moorish idol, Zanclus cornutus (Linnaeus,1758)

Hepcidin is a family of short cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) participating in various physiological functions with inevitable role in host immune responses. Present study deals with identification and characterisation of a novel hepcidin isoform from coral fish Zanclus cornutus. The 81 amino acid (aa) preprohepcidin obtained from Z. cornutus consists of a hydrophobic aa rich 22 mer signal peptide, a highly variable proregion of 35 aa and a bioactive mature peptide with 8 conserved cysteine residues which contribute to the disulphide back bone. The mature hepcidin, Zc-hepc1 has a theoretical isoelectric point of 7.46, a predicted molecular weight of 2.43 kDa and a net positive charge of ?1. Phylogenetic analysis grouped Z. cornutus hepcidin with HAMP2 group hepcidins confirming the divergent evolution of hepcidin-like peptide in fishes. Zc-hepc1 can attain a b-hairpin-like structure with two antiparallel b-sheets. This is the first report of an AMP from the coral fish Z. cornutus.

Ecolabeling and Green Certification for Effective Fisheries Management – An Analysis

Nowadays there is a growing environmental concern and the business communities have slowly started recognising environmental protection and sustainable utilization of natural resources into their marketing strategies. This paper discusses the various Ecolabeling and Certification Systems developed world over to regulate and introduce Fair Trade in Ornamental Fish Industry. Ecolabeling and green certification are considered as part of these strategies implemented partly out of compulsion from the National and International Regulatory Bodies and Environmental Movements. All the major markets of ornamental fishes like European Union, USA and Japan have started putting restrictions on the trade to impose ecolabeling as a non tariff barrier like the one imposed on seafood and aqua cultured products. A review was done on the available Ecolabeling and Green Certification Schemes available at local, national and international levels for fisheries including aquaculture and ornamental fish trade and to examine the success and constraints faced by these schemes during its implementation. The primary downside of certification is the multiplicity of ecolabels and cost incurred by applicants for certification, costs which may in turn be passed on to consumers. The studies reveal serious inadequacies in a number of ecolabels and cast doubt on their overall contribution to effective fisheries management and sustainability. The paper also discusses the inititive taken in India to develop guidelines for Green Certification of Fresh water ornamental fishes.

Marketing Channels in Ornamental Fish Trade in West Bengal

A lucrative export market and high domestic demand has made ornamental fish industry in West Bengal a potential source for income generation. The study aimed to identify: (i) the commercially important size groups of main ornamental fish varieties available in the state; (ii) the existing supply chain; (iii) major constraints for development of the industry; (iv) and to anlayse price spread of commercially important varieties; and (v) to evaluate the profitability of operation at different stakeholder levels in the marketing chain. Export market of ornamental fishes in the state followed a single supply channel while three different distribution channels existed in the domestic market. High electricity charges was the major problem faced by breeders (producers/rearers) whereas lack of technical knowledge regarding transportation was the major constraint for wholesalers. Lack of knowledge on proper health management inhibited the growth of retail industry. The fresh water catfish, angel, molly, arowana, gold fish, tetras, and gouramis showed comparatively higher breeders’ share in consumers’ rupee. Wholesalers were earning comparatively higher annual profit than the other stakeholders due to moderate initial investment and also due to the comparatively lower risk involved.

Fish traps in inland waters of north kerala

Result of the study on traditional traps in the inland waters of three northern districts viz, Kasargod, Kannur and Kozhikode in Kerala state during 2003-2004 is presented. Mainly six types of traps are found in operation. Chempally koode is a rectangular bamboo trap with" D" shape in cross section operated without bait in some rivers of Kannur and Kasargod. Bamboo screen barriers are almost completely replaced with durable HDPE net screen to make handling easy. Thottil vala is a unique aerial trap operated from the dam in Pazhassi reservoir during monsoon to catch big fishes jumping against flowing water.

Danio Fraseri Hora And Mukerji (Pisces: Cyprinidae): A New Report To Kerala And Southern Western Ghats

While conducting surveys for potential ornamental fishes in the fresh water bodies of the river Periyar, three specimens of Danio fraseri Hora and Mukerji, were collected from a stream joining to the river Periyar, at Desom, near Alwaye on 6 October 2001. It is the only species so far known under the genus Danio with a hypertrophied lower lip forming a loose flap along the lower jaw. This is a new locality record for Kerala and southern Western Ghats.

Length-weight relationship, relative condition factor (Kn) and morphometry of Arius subrostratus (Valenciennes, 1840) from a coastal wetland in Kerala

The length – weight relationship and relative condition factor of the shovel nose catfish, Arius subrostratus (Valenciennes, 1840) from Champakkara backwater were studied by examination of 392 specimens collected during June to September 2008. These fishes ranged from 6 to 29 cm in total length and 5.6 to 218 g in weight. The relation between the total length and weight of Arius subrostratus is described as Log W = -1.530+2.6224 log L for males, Log W = - 2.131 + 3.0914 log L for females and Log W = - 1.742 + 2.8067 log L for sexes combined. The mean relative condition factor (Kn) values ranged from 0.75 to 1.07 for males, 0.944 to 1.407 for females and 0.96 to 1.196 for combined sexes. The length-weight relationship and relative condition factor showed that the well-being of A. subrostratus is good. The morphometric measurements of various body parts and meristic counts were recorded. The morphometric measurements were found to be non-linear and there is no significant difference observed between the two sexes. From the present investigation, the fin formula can be written as D: I, 7; P: I, 12; A: 17 – 20; C: 26 – 32. There is no change in meristic counts with the increase in body length.

Age and growth of Gerres filamentosus (Cuvier, 1829) from Kodungallur, Azhikode Estuary, Kerala

The age and growth, length – weight relationship and relative condition factor of Gerres filamentosus (Cuvier, 1829) from Kodungallur, Azhikode Estuary were studied by examination of 396 specimens collected between May 2008 to October 2008. Here, length frequency method was used to study age and growth in fishes. L∞, K and t 0 obtained from seasonal and non - seasonal growth curves. Gerres filamentosus showed a low mortality rate (Z) 3.702 y-1. G. filamentosus has moderately low K value and long life span. The relation between the total length and weight of G. filamentosus was described as Log W = 1.321+2.5868 log L for males, Log W = 1.467 + 2.7227 log L for females and Log W = 1.481 + 2.7316 log L for sexes combined. The mean relative condition factor (Kn) values ranged from 0.9 to 1.14 for males, 0.89 to 1.11 for females and 0.73 to 1.08 for sexes combined. The length weight relationship and relative condition factor showed that the wellbeing of G. filamentosus were good. The morphometric measurements of various body parts were recorded. The morphometric measurements were found to be nonlinear and there is no significant difference observed between the two sexes.

Species diversity and community structure of ichthyofauna in the seagrass ecosystem of Minicoy Atoll, Lakshadweep, India

Present study consists the species diversity, abundance and community structure of ichthyofauna in the seagrass meadow of Minicoy Atoll, Lakshadweep Islands. Two hundred and three species of fishes were recorded during the study, from four stations in the Atoll. They belonged to 2 classes, 11orders, 43 families and 93 genera. Six species belonged to the class Chondreichthyes and 197 species to Osteichthyes. Family Pomacentridae showed maximum abundance of species (22%). Station I, having close proximity to the coral reefs, observed the maximum number of families (37) and species (129) and that with minimum number was in station II (23 families and 52 species). Bray-Curtis similarity plot showed a similarity range of 22 to 52%, seasonally. Station I showed highest Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H’log2) (4.22) during August and the lowest (2.91) during June. Stations I and III showed comparatively higher abundance and diversity of fishes. Variability in seagrass habitat structure and the interaction with coral reefs influenced the species composition and diversity of fishes in Minicoy Atoll. The findings of the present investigation can be used as baseline information for the fishery resource management of the region