The sandfish Arctoscopus japonicus in the coastal waters off Akita Prefecture had been landed in amounts of more than 10 000 t continuously from 1963 to 1975. From 1976, however, it began to decrease sharply and fell to only 74 t in 1984. The fishery society of Akita Prefecture closed the fishing from 1 September 1992 to 30 September 1995. Since 1995, the total allowable catch (TAC) allocated in each year has increased. However, the mechanism behind the increment of catch has not been clearly demonstrated. The aim of this study is to elucidate the mechanism behind the increase of catch using catch forecasting models constructed with past water temperature and catch data. The results were as follows: (i) the effect of water temperature in the depth strata 200-300 m, September of year t-1, t-2 and t-3 of station 1 would be important for forecasting the catch in year t; (ii) coastal catch in year t-1 and t-2 would be important for forecasting the catch in year t; (iii) the effect of a fishery closure would be significantly related to the period of the closure and the environmental condition such as water temperature; and (iv) the TAC system would be important for the recovery of stock and to avoid the depletion of abundance.

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Behavioral experiments concerning a releaser pheromone in the urine of female rainbow trout were performed using immature fish administered orally with 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) during the non-spawning season. The urine was collected by catheter. The frequency of entries of test fish was recorded in each channel scented by test and control solutions in a Y-maze trough. The behavior of both MT-treated and control fish demonstrated that they could not discriminate the differences between distilled and environmental water as control solutions. There was also no difference between MT-treated and control fish when distilled and environmental water were introduced. The MT-treated immature fish were attracted to the channel scented by ovulated female urine. Neither coelomic fluid nor the immature female urine had any effect on the behavioral responses of MT-treated fish, while immature control fish had no preference for the urine of ovulated females. These results suggest in rainbow trout that ovulated female urine contains a releaser pheromone to attract mature males, and that androgens are involved in the sensory mechanisms detecting the releaser pheromone in fish.

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An 8-week feeding experiment was conducted to examine the influence of fat and carbohydrate levels in a 40% protein level diet on growth and body composition of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss under self-feeding conditions. Five fish meal-based diets were prepared to include gelatinized potato starch at four levels (9, 18, 27, and 36%) and dextrin (34%). Dietary fat levels were isoenergetically reduced from 18 to 7% by the digestible carbohydrates. Each diet was fed to four replicate groups (28 g/fish, 20-23 fish/group) using self-feeders. Specific growth rate, percentage weight gain and percentage protein retention did not differ between the treatments. Feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratios were higher in the 18% starch (s18) and s27 diet groups, and decreased in higher fat or carbohydrate diet groups. Although gross energy intake (kJ/kg BW per day) decreased as the starch level increased, levels of digestible energy intake did not differ between the treatments. Fat levels in the carcass, viscera and liver decreased as dietary carbohydrate level increased. These results suggest that a 40% protein diet with either 15% fat and 18% starch or 11% fat and 27% starch is appropriate for juvenile rainbow trout under self-feeding conditions.

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In bluefin tuna culture, a high mortality of juveniles is caused by bumping into the tank and net-pen walls at dawn. This bumping can possibly be attributed to visually disoriented behavior of the fish. To examine this possibility, the authors carried out retinomotor response experiments with juvenile bluefin tuna (50.7-96.8 mm total length, at which they were transferred from a indoor tank to a sea net-pen) and measured ambient light intensity at the culture site at dawn. The light intensity at which the transition from scotopic to photopic vision takes place was 7.52 lx and the time taken by the transition was 15 min. At dawn, the ambient light intensity rapidly increased from scotopic light intensity level and attained photopic light intensity level in 10 min. This incompatibility of the retinal adaptation with the change in the ambient light intensity could cause the visual disorientation of the fish. It is therefore possible that the visually disoriented juveniles cannot control their high power swimming and thus bump into the walls at dawn.

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Thirty immature juvenile grouper Epinephelus coioides (19-168 g bodyweight, BW) were randomly stocked in four units 6 t tanks to determine if mibolerone can be used to induce sex inversion in groupers. After acclimatization and weaning to artificial feed, the feed given daily (4% BW/day) was supplemented with 0, 50, 100, and 200 μg mibolerone/kg feed for about 18 weeks. Thereafter, the hormone treatment was withdrawn and the experiment was terminated at Week 24. Ten fish were killed for gonad histology at stocking to serve as an initial control while about three to five fish were killed every 8 weeks. In general, ovaries of initial controls showed the presence of moderate stromal cells and gonia and few primary oocytes. At Weeks 8 and 16, ovaries of the control fish (0 μg/kg) were similar to that of the initial control except that primary oocytes increased at Week 24. Gonads of fish fed diets containing 100 and 200 μg/kg had none to moderate spermatocytes and few spermatids at Week 8 and 16, although spermatozoa were not observed, indicating that the fish were undergoing spermatogenesis. Spermatogenesis at 50 μg/kg was not as advanced since only few spermatocytes occurred at Weeks 8 followed by moderate gonia and no spermatocytes and spermatids at Week 16. However, the presence of few primary oocytes was observed when mibolerone was withdrawn suggesting that sex-inversed fish reverted back to a female condition. These results show that sex inversion in juvenile grouper can be induced by oral administration of mibolerone and may have possible application on mature females to produce functional males.

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Diel successive samplings of Japanese Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius larvae were conducted throughout 24 h both in the sea and in captivity in order to estimate their daily ration. Using the Elliott and Persson model, the instantaneous gastric evacuation rate was estimated from the depletion of stomach contents (% dry bodyweight) with time during the night for wild fish (3.0-11.5 mm standard length) and from starvation experiments for reared fish (8, 10, and 15 days after hatching (DAH)). Japanese Spanish mackerel is a daylight feeder and exhibited piscivorous habits from first feeding both in the sea and in captivity. Feeding activity peaked at dusk. The estimated daily ration for wild larvae were 111.1 and 127.2% in 1996 and 1997, respectively; and those for reared larvae ranged from 90.6 to 111.7% of dry bodyweight. Based on the estimated value of daily rations for reared fish, the total number of newly hatched red sea bream Pagrus major larvae preyed by a Japanese Spanish mackerel from first feeding (5 DAH) to beginning of juvenile stage (20 DAH) in captivity was calculated to be 1139-1404.

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To examine the population structure of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica, mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis was made for various samples of glass eels that might reflect genetic characteristics of spawning aggregates. The mitochondrial DNA from a total of 51 glass eels collected at Tanegashima Island, Kanagawa and Ibaraki in different periods within an inshore migrating season was sequenced for a 615 base-pair fragment from the tRNA^Thr gene to the central part of the control region. The DNA region was so variable that no individual was found to possess the same sequence, although average sequence differences within samples (1.07-1.63) were not large. Average sequence differences between samples (1.22-1.57) were comparable to those within samples, suggesting no genetic heterogeneity among samples. Tree analysis of the sequences showed neither a geographical nor temporal structure of population. Furthermore, although all DNA sequences from the present study were different from one another, two sequences were found to be the same with those reported from individuals collected in different localities in different years. Altogether, the present mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis of glass eels did not provide any evidence for genetic subdivision of the Japanese eel population.

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A new midwater sampling trawl was designed to collect pelagic larval and juvenile fish. It has a rigid square frame of 2.25 m², with a 12.5 m high strength polyethylene net. The cambered V-type depressor with a camber ratio of 15%, aspect ratio of 6.0, and dihedral angle of 20° was hung to the bottom of the frame with four slings based on the principle of the parallelogram. A 1/5 scale model net of the prototype was made to examine the towing performances in a circulating water tank. The depth of the net and the attack angle of the depressor were measured at various flow velocities ranging from 30 to 100 cm/s with warp lengths of 260, 310, 360, 410 cm. The depressor held the setting angle closely, and the fluctuating range of the net depth was only 2% for the longest warp length over a wide range of flow velocities. This sampling trawl could maintain near constant depth under various flow velocities by the results of model experiment.

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This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of astaxanthin supplemented steam-dry pellets on the spawning of striped jack Pseudocaranx dentex. Five months before spawning, 7-year-old fish were divided into three groups, each consisting of five females and five males. The control group was fed a raw fish mix (RF) and the test diets consisted of steam-dry pellets (DP) and steam-dry pellets supplemented with 10 p.p.m. astaxanthin (a-DP). Feeding was carried out once per day, three times a week in floating net cages. The RF and the a-DP groups produced more than three times the amount of eggs produced by the DP group. The buoyancy, fertilization, and hatching rates were higher and similar for the RF and the DP groups. Total lipid contents of the diets, eggs, and larvae were similar among the groups. Highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 HUFA) and polar and non-polar lipids in eggs and larvae were also related to their dietary availability. These results indicate that astaxanthin, due to its various physiological functions, improved the condition of the broodstock and enhanced total egg production but not egg quality as striped jack do not incorporate carotenoids into their eggs. Therefore we confirm that the nutritional quality of diets given to striped jack prior to spawning plays a fundamental role in egg production, quality and egg composition.

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This study was carried out to investigate the effects of dietary squid meal or a combination of squid meal and krill meal as part of the protein source in dry pellets on the spawning of striped jack Pseudocaranx dentex. Five months prior to spawning, 7-year-old fish were divided into three groups of 10 fish each (male : female ratio, 5 : 5). The control group was fed a raw fish mix (RF) and the other two groups were fed either steam-dry pellets with squid meal replacing 50% of their fish meal (fs-DP) or steam-dry pellets containing equal proportions of fish, squid and krill meals (fsk-DP). Feeding was carried out once every other day in 5 × 5 × 5 m floating net cages and the fish were transferred to 65 m³ indoor tanks for spawning. Eggs and yolksac larvae produced were evaluated for their quality and those obtained during the first 2 weeks of spawning were sampled for chemical analysis. The fish had an average bodyweight of 3.5 ± 0.4 kg at spawning. Although egg production of the RF group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of the dry pellet groups, the fs-DP group produced the best quality eggs with higher fertilization and hatching rates. The fsk-DP group had the lowest egg production and quality. Lipid classes and fatty acid compositions of eggs and yolksac larvae were dependent on the broodstock diets. These results show that the combination of fish meal and squid meal in dry pellets for striped jack improved egg quality but not production whereas the combination of fish meal, squid meal and krill meal was not effective.

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Common carp Cyprinus carpio were administered intraperitoneally with 10 μmol epinephrine per 100 g bodyweight, and enzyme activities and metabolic intermediate concentrations were determined in the hepatopancreas and muscle. Glycogen phosphorylase a (GPase a) activity together with cyclic AMP (cAMP) concentration was increased, and glycogen content was decreased in the hepatopancreas and muscle at 2 h after the administration. The epinephrine administration also increased hepatopancreatic glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1, 6-biphosphatase activities as well as serum glucose, lactate, and free amino acid concentrations. Furthermore, its administration increased phosphofructokinase activity together with lactate, fructose-6-phosphate, adenosine-5'-monophosphate, and adenosine-5'-diphosphate concentrations and decreased citrate concentration in the muscle. Thereafter, almost all parameter concentrations in the hepatopancreas and muscle recovered to the pre-administered levels during 24 h after the administration. These results suggest that epinephrine administration enhanced glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in the hepatopancreas, and released glucose into the bloodstream to supply it to the muscle. The blood glucose together with muscle glycogen seems to be metabolized through enhanced glycolysis in the muscle.

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The thermal stress responses of a sterile mutant of the marine alga Ulva pertusa were investigated at 20°C and 30°C. The amounts of the photosynthetic pigments, β-carotene, chlorophylls a and b, lutein, neoxanthin, and violaxanthin, were 1.4-2.4 times higher in the 30°C-cultivated alga than in the 20°C-cultivated alga. The free amino acids, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, and serine, were abundant in the 20°C-cultivated alga, and increased 1.9-10.5-fold in response to thermal stress (30°C). Total carbon and nitrogen contents also increased in the 30°C-cultivated alga. Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns of total proteins extracted from both temperature-treated algae showed the increases of 20, 25, and 90 kDa proteins in the 30°C-cultivated alga. Isozyme assays for 20 enzymes showed a different banding pattern only in the case of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). Although it was observed that both temperature-treated algae possessed NAD⁺- and NADP⁺-specific GDH, the 30°C-cultivated alga had an additional NADP⁺-specific GDH (NADP-GDH). These results suggest that NADP-GDH compensates for the thermally induced decreases in nitrogen assimilation efficiency and thereby regulates nitrogen metabolism under conditions of temperature stress.

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The mineral (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and Zn) contents in the holdfast of three brown algae of the genus Laminaria were determined to compare with those in frond and stipe. The wild and cultivated kelps of Laminaria japonica, L. ochotensis, and L. diabolica were used as samples. The K content was markedly high (11.76-14.91 g/100 g dry weight) in the holdfast of cultivated L. japonica; the K/Na ratio (3.88-5.18) of the holdfast was greater than those of frond and stipe as well as the reported values of frond (1.0-2.2). The content of Ca in the holdfasts of these three species was also higher than those in frond and stipe. The content of Mn showed the same tendency. This is the first report showing that the holdfast of L. japonica and L. diabolica is rich in minerals, especially K.

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Cultured cells of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense were fed to four species of bivalves and an ascidian to examine the interspecific differences in the ability to accumulate paralytic shellfish toxins. The specimens of each species were reared in the same tank. All the species ingested almost all the cells fed and became toxic. Marked individual differences in toxin accumulation was observed in all the species. However, the average amounts of accumulated toxins increased during feeding. When the animals were fed on the same amount of cells, they accumulated almost the same amounts of toxins, indicating that interspecific differences in toxin accumulation observed in nature is due to the difference in ingestion behavior of the animals under natural conditions.

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The study on K value change at low temperature storage had been carried out down to a temperature of -40°C, however, there was no evidence about this reaction rate if the temperature were lowered below the storage temperature normally used especially for tuna meat (-60°C). The rate of K value change (k_f) of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) meat was determined during storage at a wide temperature range (20°C to -84°C). The logarithm of K'(= 100 -K value) was used in this study and its plot against storage time yielded a straight line, which indicated an apparent first-order reaction for all temperature storage. Furthermore, physicochemical characterization of water in tuna muscle was carried out using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) at very low temperature. The temperature dependence of this reaction was analyzed by an Arrhenius's plot that resulted in two break points. The first break point occurring at freezing point might be due to the freeze effect. The second break point was at -10°C. The reaction rate change steeply declined at the temperature range of -70°C to -84°C, and was thought to be related to glass transition which may occur in the fish sample.

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In a study of the relationship between structural changes and rheological parameters of raw and cooked abalone meat, abalone Haliotis discus was cooked in boiling water for 3 h, then cut up and separated into cross- and vertical sections. Structural change was observed using a light microscope and scanning electron micrography. The rheological parameters were obtained by stress-relaxation experiments. Microscopic photography revealed that structural change between muscle fibers in both sections of the cooked meat was greater than that in the raw meat. The elastic modulus and rupture strength in both sections of cooked meat showed no difference between the cross- and vertical sections, and were smaller than those for the raw meat. The relaxation time for the cooked meat was also greater than for the raw meat. These results were mainly because of collagen being gelatinized during heating. These changes were also observed by staining collagen and differential scanning calorimetry.

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The effect of Japanese catfish Silurus asotus lipid intake on the lipid metabolism of male adult mice was determined by measuring the total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, phospholipid, and fatty acid content of plasma and liver. Mice were fed diets containing 5% lard, 5% Thai catfish oil, 5% Japanese catfish lipids, or 5% sardine lipids for 4 weeks. The arachidonic acid (20 : 4n-6) content was highest in the livers of mice fed the Japanese catfish lipid diet and docosahexaenoic acid (22 : 6n-3) content was higher in livers of the Japanese catfish lipid and sardine lipid diet groups than those of the lard and Thai catfish diet groups. However, no significant differences were observed in the 22 : 6n-3 levels in either plasma or liver between the Japanese catfish lipid and sardine lipid diet groups. Although the Japanese catfish lipid diet contains, by far, the highest cholesterol content (143 mg/100 g), there was no significant difference in the plasma cholesterol levels between the lard, Thai catfish oil and Japanese catfish lipid diet groups. However, the liver cholesterol levels of mice fed the Japanese catfish lipid diet were lower than those of mice fed the Thai catfish oil diet, and were similar to those of animals fed a sardine lipid diet. These results suggest that Japanese catfish lipids are suitable components of the diet for ingestion of 20 : 4n-6 and 22 : 6n-3, and for decreasing the cholesterol content of liver.

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When long-chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were incubated with crude enzyme of marine green alga Ulva pertusa, the corresponding (R)-2-hydroperoxy acids were found to have high enantiomeric excess (> 99%). In a similar administration experiment, the (R)-2-hydroperoxy acid was obtained from the incubation of palmitic acid with crude enzymes of a variety of marine algae. Thus, we found that not only green algae but also brown and red algae are capable of enantioselective 2-hydroperoxylation of palmitic acid.

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Environmental stress-induced apoptosis in zebrafish Danio rerio embryos was characterized by assaying caspase-3-like activity and whole-mount terminal deoxynucleotidyl nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Severe stress conditions, such as heat shock at 39°C for 1 h, ultraviolet light at 10-100 mJ/cm² and γ-ray irradiation at 5-20 Gy induced extensive apoptosis in embryos. Apoptotic cells were observed after the bud and 1-somite stages in normal embryos by TUNEL staining, and after stress treatment many TUNEL-positive cells were found in the enveloping and deep cell layers and the larval fin. The caspase-3-like activity increased severalfold during stress-induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. These findings indicate that apoptotic pathways, mediated by caspase-3-like activity, play a major role in zebrafish embryogenesis under stress conditions.

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A novel bitter amino acid, pulcherrimine was analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using a linear gradient elution consisting of methanol/aqueous/acetic acid and methanol/acetic acid mixture, after being labeled with dimethylaminoazobenzenesulfonyl chloride (Dabs-Cl). Linearity of the calibration curve for pulcherrimine was high (r=0.994) in the tested range from 0 to 4 μg/mL. By this method, the pulcherrimine content in the ovary and testis of the green sea urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, collected in the sea off Iwaki in November 1998, was analyzed. The mean pulcherrimine content in the ovary was 1.37 mg/100 g. In contrast, no pulcherrimine was detected in all testes examined. Correlation between the bitterness and the pulcherrimine content was statistically significant. These results strongly support that pulcherrimine is a bitter principle in the green sea urchin ovaries.

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The effects of type and concentration of plasticizers on the mechanical properties and water vapor permeability (WVP) of edible films from fish water-soluble proteins (FWSP) were investigated. Among plasticizers investigated in the present study, glycerol and polyethylene glycol (PEG) gave the films flexible structure. As the concentration of glycerol increased, tensile strength (TS) decreased with concomitant increase of elongation at break (EAB) and WVP. In contrast, PEG showed more marked influence on TS than on EAB. The FWSP films containing a glycerol : PEG ratio of 2 : 1 exhibited the maximum EAB value, while the increased ratio of glycerol to PEG reduced the water vapor barrier properties of FWSP films. It was revealed that the mechanical properties as well as WVP of edible films prepared from FWSP can be modified by the combination of glycerol and PEG.

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