Identification of Sex and Female’s Reproductive Stage in Commercial Fish Species through the Quantification of Ribosomal Transcripts in Gonads

The estimation of maturity and sex of fish stocks in European waters is a requirement of the EU Data Collection Framework as part of the policy to improve fisheries management. On the other hand, research on fish biology is increasingly focused in molecular approaches, researchers needing correct identification of fish sex and reproductive stage without necessarily having in house the histological know-how necessary for the task. Taking advantage of the differential gene transcription occurring during fish sex differentiation and gametogenesis, the utility of 5S ribosomal RNA (5S rRNA) and General transcription factor IIIA (gtf3a) in the molecular identification of sex and gametogenic stage was tested in different economically-relevant fish species from the Bay of Biscay. Gonads of 9 fish species (, Atlantic, Atlantic-chub and horse mackerel, blue whiting, bogue, European anchovy, hake and pilchard and megrim), collected from local commercial fishing vessels were histologically sexed and 5S and 18S rRNA concentrations were quantified by capillary electrophoresis to calculate a 5S/18S rRNA index. Degenerate primers permitted cloning and sequencing of gtf3a fragments in 7 of the studied species. 5S rRNA and gtf3a transcript levels, together with 5S/18S rRNA index, distinguished clearly ovaries from testis in all of the studied species. The values were always higher in females than in males. 5S/18S rRNA index values in females were always highest when fish were captured in early phases of ovary development whilst, in later vitellogenic stages, the values decreased significantly. In megrim and European anchovy, where gonads in different oogenesis stages were obtained, the 5S/18S rRNA index identified clearly gametogenic stage. This approach, to the sexing and the quantitative non-subjective identification of the maturity stage of female fish, could have multiple applications in the study of fish stock dynamics, fish reproduction and fecundity and fish biology in general.

Níveis circulantes de Grelina, índices de adiposidade e fatores de risco cardiovascular e metabólico relacionados, em população multiétnica do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o comportamento dos níveis plasmáticos de grelina, em relação aos fatores de risco cardiometabólico, em uma população multiétnica de eutróficos e de obesos..A grelina é um peptídeo produzido predominantemente pelas células oxínticas gástricas, que desempenha importante papel na homeostase energética, promovendo estímulo do apetite e aumento do peso corporal, além de participar do controle do metabolismo lipídico e glicídico, interagindo diretamente com os fatores de risco cardiometabólico. Este é um estudo transversal. Duzentos indivíduos entre 18 e 60 anos com diferentes graus de índice de massa corporal (IMC) compuseram a amostra, assim dividida: cem eutróficos (IMC < 25 kg/m2) e 100 obesos (IMC ≥ 30 kg/m2). Todos foram avaliados para parâmetros antropométricos, determinação da pressão arterial (aferida por método oscilométrico através de monitor automático) e variáveis metabólicas (métodos usuais certificados). A grelina acilada foi mensurada pela técnica de sanduíche ELISA; a leptina, pelo método Milliplex MAP. O marcador inflamatório proteína C reativa ultrassensível(PCRUS)foi estimado por nefelometria ultrassensível. A insulina foi determinada por quimioluminescência e o HOMA-IR calculado pelo produto insulinemia (U/ml) X níveis de glicemia de jejum (mmol/L) / 22.5. Foram excluídos do estudo aqueles com história de comorbidades crônicas, doenças inflamatórias agudas, dependência de drogas e em uso de medicação nos dez dias anteriores à entrada no estudo. As concentrações de grelina acilada mostraram tendência de redução ao longo dos graus de adiposidade (P<0,001); a leptina se comportou de maneira oposta (P<0,001). Os níveis de grelina se correlacionaram negativamente com IMC (r = -.36; P<0,001), circunferência da cintura (CC) (r=-.34; P<0,001), relação cintura/quadril (RCQ) (r=-.22; P=0,001), diâmetro abdominal sagital (DAS) (r=-.28; P<0,001), pressão arterial sistólica (PAS) (r=-.21; P=0,001), insulina (r=-.27; P<0,001), HOMA-IR (r=-.24; P=0,001) e PCRUS (r=-.29; P<0,001); e positivamente com o HDL-colesterol (r=.30; P<0,001).A PCRUS acompanhou o grau de resistência insulínica e os níveis de grelina também mostraram tendência de redução ao longo dos tercis de resistência insulínica (P=0,001). Em modelo de regressão linear múltipla as principais associações independentes da grelina acilada foram sexo feminino (P=0,005) e HDL-colesterol (P=0,008), ambos com associação positiva e IMC (P<0,001) (associação negativa). Esses achados apontam para uma associação da grelina acilada com melhor perfil metabólico, já que seus níveis se correlacionaram positivamente com HDL-colesterol e negativamente com indicadores de resistência insulínica e atividade inflamatória.

Sex-change rules, stock dynamics, and the performance of spawning-per-recruit measures in protogynous stocks

Predicting and under-standing the dynamics of a population requires knowledge of vital rates such as survival, growth, and reproduction. However, these variables are influenced by individual behavior, and when managing exploited populations, it is now generally realized that knowledge of a species’ behavior and life history strategies is required. However, predicting and understanding a response to novel conditions—such as increased fishing-induced mortality, changes in environmental conditions, or specific management strategies—also require knowing the endogenous or exogenous cues that induce phenotypic changes and knowing whether these behaviors and life history patterns are plastic. Although a wide variety of patterns of sex change have been observed in the wild, it is not known how the specific sex-change rule and cues that induce sex change affect stock dynamics. Using an individual based model, we examined the effect of the sex-change rule on the predicted stock dynamics, the effect of mating group size, and the performance of traditional spawning-per-recruit (SPR) measures in a protogynous stock. We considered four different patterns of sex change in which the probability of sex change is determined by 1) the absolute size of the individual, 2) the relative length of individuals at the mating site, 3) the frequency of smaller individuals at the mating site, and 4) expected reproductive success. All four pat-terns of sex change have distinct stock dynamics. Although each sex-change rule leads to the prediction that the stock will be sensitive to the size-selective fishing pattern and may crash if too many reproductive size classes are fished, the performance of traditional spawning-per-recruit measures, the fishing pattern that leads to the greatest yield, and the effect of mating group size all differ distinctly for the four sex-change rules. These results indicate that the management of individual species requires knowledge of whether sex change occurs, as well as an understanding of the endogenous or exogenous cues that induce sex change.

Sex-specific growth and mortality, spawning season, and female maturation of the stripey bass (Lutjanus carponotatus) on the Great Barrrier Reef

Sex-specific demography and reproductive biology of stripey bass (Lutjanus carponotatus) (also known as Spanish flag snapper, FAO) were examined at the Palm and Lizard island groups, Great Barrier Reef (GBR).Total mortality rates were similar between the sexes. Males had larger L∞ at both island groups and Lizard Island group fish had larger overall L∞. Female:male sex ratios were 1.3 and 1.1 at the Palm and Lizard island groups, respectively. The former is statistically different from 1, but is unlikely significantly different in a biological sense. Females matured on average at 2 years of age and 190 mm fork length at both locations. Female gonadal lipid body indices peaked from August through October, preceding peak gonadosomatic indices in October, November, and December that were twice as great as in any other month. However, ovarian staging revealed 50% or more ovaries were ripe from September through February, suggesting a more protracted spawning season and highlighting the different interpretations that can arise between gonad weight and gonad staging methods. Gonadosomatic index increases slightly with body size and larger fish have a longer average spawning season, which suggests that larger fish produce greater relative reproductive output. Lizard Island group females had ovaries nearly twice as large as Palm Island group females at a given body size. However, it is unclear whether this reflects spatial differences akin to those observed in growth or effects of sampling Lizard Island group fish closer to their date of spawning. These results support an existing 250 mm minimum size limit for L. carponotatus on the GBR, as well as the timing of a proposed October through December spawning closure for the fishery. The results also caution against assessing reef-fish stocks without reference to sex-, size-, and location-specific biological traits.

Seasonal growth of King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctata) estimated from length-at-age samples of the legal-size harvest

Samples of 11,000 King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctata) from the South Australian commercial and recreational catch, supplemented by research samples, were aged from otoliths. Samples were analyzed from three coastal regions and by sex. Most sampling was undertaken at fish processing plants, from which only fish longer than the legal minimum length were obtained. A left-truncated normal distribution of lengths at monthly age was therefore employed as model likelihood. Mean length-at-monthly-age was described by a generalized von Bertalanffy formula with sinusoidal seasonality. Likelihood standard deviation was modeled to vary allometrically with mean length. A range of related formulas (with 6 to 8 parameters) for seasonal mean length at age were compared. In addition to likelihood ratio tests of relative fit, model selection criteria were a minimum occurrence of high uncertainties (>20% SE), of high correlations (>0.9, >0.95, and >0.99) and of parameter estimates at their biological limits, and we sought a model with a minimum number of parameters. A generalized von Bertalanffy formula with t0 fixed at 0 was chosen. The truncated likelihood alleviated the overestimation bias of mean length at age that would otherwise accrue from catch samples being restricted to legal sizes.