Abstract
Bonefish are members of one of the oldest extant teleost superorders, Elopomorpha, which also includes eels, tarpons, and ladyfish. All share a common larval stage called the leptocephalus or “glass eel” stage. Though bonefish serve an important role in Caribbean ecosystems and fisheries, little is known about their life history and reproductive process. In order to observe and better describe bonefish spawning characteristics, wild bonefish (Albula goreensis) were collected off of Stuart, FL, USA. The group was transported to Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and acclimated to captive habitats where they underwent monthly hormonal manipulation to induce spawning. Spawning events occurred on October 4 and 6, 2020. For both spawns, eggs were collected in an egg collector and transferred to Kreisel tanks to hatch. Samples of eggs were collected prior to hatching to determine biometrics such as size, fertilization success, and hatching success. Leptocephalus larvae were collected daily for up to 3 days post-hatch, and biometric data was recorded for a subsample of larvae. Total fatty acids were extracted from egg and larvae samples and analyzed using GC–MS detection methods. Larvae samples showed a general decrease in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) coinciding with growth after hatching, supporting the notion that PUFAs are utilized for growth and metabolic processes. This project is part of a multi-year effort to successfully spawn bonefish in captivity and can be utilized as a baseline in future studies intended to inform conservation methods for wild populations.
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Data availability
The datasets and code are available from the corresponding author upon request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Victoria Uribe, Anthony Cianciotto, Bob Pelosi, Richard Baptiste, and the aquaculture technicians at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Aquaculture Park, Maddy Wheeler, Molly Wightman, Alex Dodge, and Zackary Nilles, for the assistance with data collection, analysis, and broodstock collection and husbandry.
Funding
This research was financially supported with funding provided by the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) under grant #005469.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Broodstock collection and spawning induction were performed by Paul Wills, Aaron Adams, Sahar Mejri, and Chris Robinson. Data collection and analysis were performed by Sahar Mejri. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Statement of significance This is the first recorded instance of induced spawning of A. goreensis in captivity. This breakthrough comes after multiple years of work with two species of wild bonefish populations and is a significant step toward the conservation of wild bonefish population, as it encourages the possibility of long-term studies with captive model populations.
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All works involving live animals in this study was conducted with approval from Florida Atlantic University’s International Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC protocol # A19-36).
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Mejri, S., Wills, P.S., Robinson, C. et al. Assessing physical qualities and fatty acid profiles of early-stage bonefish (Albula goreensis) leptocephalus larvae reared in captivity to better understand early life history traits and inform conservation methods. Environ Biol Fish 106, 293–301 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-023-01389-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-023-01389-y