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Ontogeny of swim bladder inflation and caudal fin aspect ratio with reference to vertical distribution in Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis larvae

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  • Aquaculture
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Abstract

It is necessary to understand the processes involved in sinking death in Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis aquaculture in order to develop methods to prevent or minimize this problem. We observed the nighttime vertical distribution of Pacific bluefin tuna in the water column on 2–9 DAH and the morphological characteristics of the larvae, in order to clarify the processes involved in sinking death. A cuboid tank (height 300 cm) was used to measure vertical distribution. The number of larvae was counted in each of 4 regions in the observation tank: upper layer (water depth 0–100 cm), middle layer (100–200 cm), lower layer (200–300 cm), and bottom area. The distribution of larvae in these regions at 4 days after hatching was polarized to the upper layer and bottom area. Individuals with inflated swim bladders were observed in the upper layer 3 days after hatching. No larvae with inflated swim bladders were observed in the bottom area on any day after hatching. Total body length and caudal fin aspect ratio of larvae with both inflated and un-inflated swim bladders were greater in the upper layer than those of larvae in the bottom area. Larvae with un-inflated swim bladders that failed to develop sufficiently for swimming sank to the tank bottom and died. Swim bladder development and caudal fin swimming ability are strongly related to sinking death.

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Abbreviations

PBT:

Pacific bluefin tuna

DAH:

Days after hatching

UL:

Upper layer of an observation tank

BA:

Bottom area of an observation tank

UIS:

Larvae in the upper layer of an observation tank with inflated swim bladders

UUS:

Larvae in the upper layer of an observation tank with un-inflated swim bladders

TL:

Total length

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Acknowledgments

The present study was partly supported by the Global COE Program (International Education and Research Center for Aquaculture Science of Bluefin Tuna and Other Cultured Fish) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, Sports and Technology of Japan, and by the Research and Development Projects for Application in Promoting New Policy of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (1905) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. The authors also thank the Fisheries Laboratory staff of Kinki-Daigaku University for their assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kinki-Daigaku University, Nara, 631-8505, Japan

    Yoshiaki Ina, Shinsuke Torisawa & Tsutomu Takagi

  2. Fisheries Laboratory, Kinki-Daigaku University, Shirahama, Wakayama, 649-2211, Japan

    Wataru Sakamoto & Shigeru Miyashita

  3. National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, Shimizu, 424-8633, Japan

    Hiromu Fukuda

Authors
  1. Yoshiaki Ina
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  2. Wataru Sakamoto
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  3. Shigeru Miyashita
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  4. Hiromu Fukuda
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  5. Shinsuke Torisawa
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  6. Tsutomu Takagi
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Correspondence to Tsutomu Takagi.

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Ina, Y., Sakamoto, W., Miyashita, S. et al. Ontogeny of swim bladder inflation and caudal fin aspect ratio with reference to vertical distribution in Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis larvae. Fish Sci 80, 1293–1299 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-014-0809-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-014-0809-8

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