Understanding the effects of environmental temperature on marine fish larvae is crucial for optimizing feeding regimes and promoting optimal development and growth from a zootechnical perspective in aquaculture practices. The present study investigated the impact of different rearing temperatures on development, growth, and oxygen consumption rates of Totoaba macdonaldi larvae. An open-flow seawater recirculating system was us...

The spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) is an abattoir by-product used in animal nutrition with beneficial effects reported in livestock and commercial aquatic species. Previous results have found that the dietary inclusion of SDPP in gilthead sea bream ( Sparus aurata ) increased the density of intestinal goblet cells, and it did not result in significant changes in the autochthonous microbiota. However, there is no comprehensi...

The transcriptomic response of the head kidney, the main lymphohematopoietic tissue of the body, was evaluated in Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) smolts fed a functional feed containing a phytogenic rich in verbascoside and triterpenic compounds like ursolic acid. Fish (initial body weight = 55.0 ± 0.1 g) were fed two experimental diets (40% crude protein, 22% crude fat; 21.6 MJ/kg gross energy) that only differed in the phyto...

The present study describes morphological development of the skeleton in the Persian sturgeon Acipenser persicus and discusses the hypothesis that expression of genes encoding vitamin K‐dependent proteins (VKDP) might be correlated with the mineralization of skeletal tissues during early development in sturgeons. Results showed that development of cartilage started just after hatching (mean ± S.D., 10·9 ± 0·7 mm in total lengt...

Feeding habits and the activity of digestive enzymes (total alkaline proteases, α ‐amylase and lipase) from dace Leuciscus leuciscus , roach Rutilus rutilus , Prussian carp Carassius auratus gibelio , perch Perca fluviatilis and pikeperch Sander lucioperca fry were studied in the Malye Chany Lake–Kargat Estuary (western Siberia, Russia). The diet of fry from all studied species was mainly composed of chironomid larvae and zoop...

The effect of high dietary levels of arachidonic acid ( ARA ) on the eye migration and cranial bone remodelling processes in Senegalese sole Solea senegalensis early juveniles (age: 50 days post hatch) was evaluated by means of geometric morphometric analysis and alizarin red staining of cranial skeletal elements. The incidence of normally pigmented fish fed the control diet was 99·1 ± 0·3% (mean ± s.e .), whereas it was only...

Inspections by customs agents at Barcelona airport discovered 420 kg of contraband glass eels prepared for shipment to Hong Kong. After confiscation of these animals by police, they were transported to holding facilities to be maintained until after a judicial hearing. Upon arrival, they were separated into two groups and held under ambient flow‐through conditions in fresh water. During their captivity period, several peaks in...

The presence of skeletal anomalies in farmed teleost fish is currently a major problem in aquaculture, entailing economical, biological and ethical issues. The common occurrence of skeletal abnormalities in farmed fish and the absence of effective solutions for avoiding their onset or definitely culling out the affected individuals as early as possible from the productive cycle, highlight the need to improve our knowledge on t...

The effects of prolonged feed deprivation (40 days at 18° C) and re‐feeding (30 days) on body mass, growth and the activity of selected pancreatic and intestinal enzymes were evaluated in migrating European glass eels Anguilla anguilla by comparison with a control group fed to satiation with hake Merluccius merluccius roe for the duration of the experiment. Feed deprivation resulted in mass loss and a reduction in digestive fu...

The effectiveness of a new design of glass eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.), fishing trap was tested in the Ebro River delta fishery (Eastern Mediterranean, Spain). The modified fishing trap incorporated a by‐catch reduction device (BRD) to increase trap selectivity and minimise by‐catch of non‐targeted fish, without affecting glass eel captures. The BRD is inexpensive and easy to implement, consisting of a cylinder covered with a...

Until now, mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus have been recorded only from the estuaries of the southernmost river basins of the Iberian Peninsula (Guadiana and Guadalquivir Rivers). Data reported here indicate the first record of F. heteroclitus in the Ebro River delta (north‐east Spain), and hence also the first citation for F. heteroclitus as an invasive species present in any estuary of the Mediterranean Sea basin.

The ontogenetic development of the gut and accessory organs in large yellow croaker Pseudosciaena crocea was investigated using light microscopy from hatching up to the juvenile stage (40 days post hatch, dph). At 3 dph (mean ± s . d ., 4·1 ± 0·1 mm total length, L T ), coinciding with the buccopharynx opening, larvae started to feed exogenously, and the gut consisted of a well‐developed buccopharynx, a partially‐differentiate...