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Effects of Daphnia magna enriched with cod liver oil (CLO) as a source of highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) on growth, survival, stress resistance, and fatty acid composition of the Persian sturgeon larvae were evaluated. Daphnia enriched for three different time periods (3, 6, and 9 hours) and non-enriched Daphnia were fed to the Persian sturgeon larvae (average weight 61.6±0.4mg) during 14 days. The highest n3-HUFA content was found in Daphnia enriched for 9 hours (0.69mg g^-1 DW) and the highest n3-HUFA content of the larvae was also found in those larvae fed with Daphnia enriched for 9 hours (2.39mg/g^-1DW). A significant growth difference between larvae fed with enriched and non-enriched Daphnia was observed (p<0.05), while survival rate did not significantly differ among the treatments (p>0.05). Furthermore, the highest pH stress resistance was found in those larvae fed with Daphnia enriched for 9 and 6 hours (p<0.05). A salinity stress test did not show significant differences among the treatments.

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  This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of live food (Artemia urmiana) and commercial diet in rearing of Oncorhynchus mykiss larvae. Experiment started when larvae were 0.12g in weight. Triplicate groups of fish were offered one of four treatments: (1) a commercial starter food (2) live Artemia urmiana nauplii (for 3 days) (3) live Artemia urmiana nauplii (for 7 days) and (4) combination of live Artemia nauplii (5% of food) and the commercial starter food. They were fed four times daily starting at the onset of exogenous feeding, for 1 week. After 1 week, the fish of all groups were shifted to the commercial diet for an additional 3-weeks period to determine the impact of any differences in weight of fish. The result of the present study showed that those larvae fed with combination of Artemia nauplli and a commercial starter food grew significantly faster than other groups for 4 weeks. Larvae fed with other composition were similar in length and weight (P>0.05). Survival rates of the trout larvae ranged 86-96% after 1 week and 67-84% after 4 weeks. Larvae survival after 1 and 4 weeks were significantly higher (P<0.05) in trout larvae fed only on Artemia nauplii (treatments 2 and 3) than other treatments. The body chemical composition analysis of trout larvae showed only small differences, with the exception of the crude protein and lipid at 4 weeks. The data were analyzed to determine significant differences among treatments by one-way ANOVA. (Statistica v.9, StatSoft Inc.).

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  Neogobius caspius is an endemic species of the Caspian Sea which plays an important role in food chain as a predatory fish. The main aim of this study was to investigate selected feeding characteristics of Neogobius caspius in the south west coasts of the Caspian Sea. Monthly sampling was carried out using a bottom trawler at three stations (Astara, Anzali and Chabuksar) in three depths (0-5, 5-10 and 10-15m) on a monthly basis from October 2004 to September 2005. Relative gut length (RLG) was less than one suggesting that this species is carnivorous. RLG was significantly lower in older fish but gut length was longer (P<0.05). I ntensity of fullness was below the favorite degree (IF<400) from October to March, however, it was higher (400N. caspius mainly fed on molluscs (Food preference, FP=100%), worms (FP=89%) and crustaceans (FP=74%), hence, this species is considered as euryphagus species.

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  In this paper the Vacuity Index (VI), Fullness Index (FI) and Food Preference Index (FPI) for the stomach contents of Pomadasys kaakan were evaluated to assess the quantity and kind of food which this fish consumes in the Persian Gulf. A total of 227 specimens were collected from fishing trawlers or landings from November 2005 to September 2006. 24.7% of stomachs were full, 11.9% were semi-full and 63.4% were empty. The seasonal average of VI was 77.4, 44.6, 80.0 and 54.0 % for autumn, winter, spring and summer, respectively. The overall FI was 36.6 with seasonal averages of 22.6, 55.4, 20.0 and 46.0 in autumn, winter, spring and summer, respectively. The main stomach contents were crustaceans (esp. crab & shrimp), fish, mollusks (bivalves, gastropods and cuttlefish), stomatopoda, brittle stars, Lingula sp. and sea weeds. The estimated FPIs for crustaceans were 77.7, fish 32.1, mollusks 28.6 and echinoderms 18.8 %. Overall, the results show that this fish is a relatively frugal species which consumes crustaceans as main food and has adopted itself with ecological changes of the Persian Gulf.

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  Six different diets including two rainbow trout starters, Gammarus dry powder, shrimp dry powder, egg yolk dry powder and newly hatched Artemia were used in feeding of Caspian Kutum larvae. During a 4-week trial, larvae with a mean weight of 17.5 ± 4.7 mg were fed with three replicates and growth parameters were measured at the end of the experiment. Thirty fish in each experimental unit with 3 L volume were fed 6 times daily according to their satiation. Results showed that there were significant differences in the final weight, final length, body weight increase, voluntary feed intake and specific growth rate for weight and length among the treatments (P<0.05), but not in the condition factor (P>0.05). The best performance was observed in fish fed Artemia nauplii. The survival rate was significantly different among the treatment (P<0.05) which the highest (75.6 ± 3.8%) and lowest (22.2 ± 11.7%) were observed in fish fed Artemia nauplii and Coppens, respectively. According to obtained results, it appears that except Artemia, the most suitable and inexpensive diet is egg yolk powder, which can results in high growth performance and survival rates. The results of this study suggested that using dry non-live diets with good composition could be replaced with Artemia that had suitable growth and survival rate in Caspian Kutum during larval 0

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  To determine the best live food and to reevaluate the optimal weaning period for beluga fish (Huso huso) larvae, seven experimental diets: Daphina (DP), Chironomids (CH), Gammarid (G), Daphina + formulated diet (DPFD), Chironomids + formulated diet (CHFD), Gammarid + formulated diet (GFD ) and formulated diet (FD ) in triplicate groups were fed to 4662 sixteen-days-old larvae which were captured from the stock tank and randomly distributed into 21 tanks. The microdiets contained 48-50% crude protein, 12-13% crude fat, 9-11% moisture and 8.5-9.5% ash . After 25 days feeding trial, weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency (FE) of fish fed CHFD were significantly higher than those of fish fed the other diets ( P< 0.05) . Frequent cannibalism and higher mortality in larvae fed G, GFD and FD diets were observed. These results may show the importance of live food followed by formulated diets in a gradual application pattern, as early as on the fourth to fifth day after hatching.

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The present study was aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in Vibrios spp. isolated from seafood. A total of 72 isolates of Vibrio in 6 species including V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, V. alginolyticus, V. harveyi, V. mimicus and V. cholerae were examined. The results revealed that all isolates were expressing multiple antibiotic resistances. Of the 72 strains tested, 70 were resistant to ampicillin (97.2%), 60 to gentamycin (83.3%) and 56 to penicillin (77.7%). Eight strains were resistant to 4 antibiotic, 19 resistant to five antibiotics, 10 to six antibiotics, 34 to seven antibiotics and one to eight antibiotics. Results also revealed that 20 Vibrio strains (27.7% of total examined strains) contained one to three of the antibiotic resistance genes. StrB, tetS and ermB genes coding for streptomycin, tetracycline and erythromycin resistance were found in 18, 6, 5 isolates, respectively and Sulfamethoxazole resistance gene, sul2, was not detected in this study. Detection of resistance genes in Vibrio strains obtained from seafood is considered as a potential danger for consumers and also suggests that these resistance determinants might be further disseminated in habitats, thus constituting a serious health risks to human.

 

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A 6-week feeding experiments were carried out to determine the effects of different levels of dietary betaine on growth performance, food efficiency and survival rate of pike perch which has a critical period during transition feeding. Fingerlings of pike perch were fed with live food (treatment A), without betaine added to biomar (treatment B), 1% betaine added to biomar (treatment C) and 2% betaine added to biomar (treatment D) in 1000 l concreted tanks. 200 fingerlings (1.50 g, mean weight) were stocked in each tank and fed up to 7 meals per day. Higher increment in body weight (4.99 ± 0.73 g), specific growth rate (3.90 ± 0.06) and food efficiency (104.42 ± 4.27) were obtained with treatment D (2% betaine added to biomar). This treatment also showed significant (P<0.05) decrease in food conversion ratio (0.93 ± 0.04) in comparison with other treatments. Highest survival rate was observed in treatment B (biomar without betaine) with a 34.5 % rate and greatest cannibalism (1.03 ± 0.01) was found in treatment D, respectively. It was concluded that betaine could increase the palatability and acceptability of food and could be suitable to weaning the pike perch fingerlings to artificial diet.

 

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The study was undertaken to determine bacterial contamination of warm-water fish ponds and silver carps harvested from those ponds in Guilan province, Iran. In this respect, water samples were taken from 7 ponds and investigated by testing total bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli. In addition, skin swab samples of silver carps caught from each pond were studied for enumeration of the same bacteria as well as Staphylococcus aureus and also for the presence of some human bacterial pathogens including Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp., and Listeria monocytogenes. For all bacteriological examination techniques of International Organization for Standardization were followed. Results showed that mean water bacterial quality in ponds was significantly different (p<0.01). About 43% of water samples were positive for E. coli, which indicates fecal contamination of some fish ponds. Bacteriological results of the fish harvested from ponds showed significant differences (p<0.0001) in total bacterial counts and coliform counts. However, counts of E. coli and S. aureus did not vary significantly (p>0.05) in different ponds. Results also showed that potential human pathogens were isolated from about 78.5% of fish studied. Out of five bacteria genera investigated, S. aureus, E. coli, V. cholera, and L. monocytogenes were isolated from 78.57%, 47.61%, 7.14%, and 4.76% of the fish samples, respectively. The Salmonella spp. and V. parahaemolyticus were not detected in fish samples during the study. The association of pathogenic bacteria among silver carps suggests that if fish are handled or prepared improperly it could lead to food safety hazards for consumers.

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This study reports on the molecular identification of fish species from processed products which had a priori been classified as belonging to 5 important species in Iran for human consumption. DNA barcoding using direct sequencing of an approximately 650bp of mitochondrial Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene revealed incorrect labeling of Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel samples. High occurrence of fraudulent fishery products, if left unchecked, can pose a negative impact on the economy. This investigation adds further concern on the trading of processed fish products in Iran from both health and conservation points of view.

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The analysis of net catches made in Absheron Gulfs of the Caspian Sea during 2011-2012 is provided. The ichthyofauna of Absheron Gulfs, including 26 species found in the North Gulf, and 33 species and subspecies found in the South Gulf was studied for the first time. A taxonomical and ecological diversity of the fish fauna of North and South Absheron Gulfs is characterized. The peculiarities of distribution and population densities of all species of fishes from different families within the studied territories were analyzed. For each of hydrological seasons, numerous, common, infrequent and rare species were revealed. On migration patterns and catch, the lowest biomass of fishes was observed in the warm season, while the highest was in the winter and spring seasons. The tendency of expansion of ranges of some marine fishes-Gasankuli herring Alosa braschnikowi kisselewitschi, Sara herring A. braschnikowi sarensis, big-eyed herring A. braschnikowi autumnalis, Sara shad A.caspia knipowitschi- to the north was recorded.

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The food and feeding habit of beardless barb, Cyclocheilichthys apogon (Valenciennes, 1842), from family Cyprinidae was investigated by stomach content analyses of 374 collected fish in two consecutive reservoirs Temengor and Bersia Reservoirs which are separated by Temengor Dam. The main aim of this study was to compare the stomach contents of C. apogon between these two reservoirs in wet and dry seasons. Results showed that C. apogon is omnivorous based on the moderate value of relative gut length. The main food items contained in their stomach were Oligochaeta, Chironomidae and detritus which made up over half of the stomach contents. Other food items, such as Cladocera, Crustacea and Gastropoda, supplemented the main food and were consumed in much smaller amounts. There were specific differences in the food preference between Temengor and Bersia populations i.e. Oligochaeta was the most preferred in the former while Chironomidae in the latter, but the general pattern was similar in both. There was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in frequency occurrences of food items in diet composition between the two reservoirs during both wet and dry seasons. Therefore, the seasonal feeding activities of C. apogon in Temengor Reservoir were relatively similar with those in Bersia Reservoir. In conclusion, for the present Temengor Dam does not affect the nutritional habit of C. apogon in Bersia Reservoir.

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The present investigation aimed to evaluate the effect of turmeric on shelf life extension of shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus under chilled storage conditions by sensory (organoleptic parameters), pH, proximate and bacterial analysis. The experimental setup was grouped into six, head on (group I), head on coated with turmeric (group II), headless (group III), headless coated with turmeric (group IV), peeled (group V) and peeled and coated with turmeric (group VI) groups. Peeled shrimps coated with turmeric group retained their quality and their shelf life was extended up to 8 days of storage in ice (1:1). Significant differences (p<0.05) were found in the overall acceptability among the experimental groups of fresh and cooked shrimp. The level of pH, protein and carbohydrate varied (p<0.05) among the experimental groups. However no significant difference was found in the lipid and bacterial level in peeled shrimp coated with turmeric on the 8^th day compared to other groups including the control. The sensory analysis, pH, protein, carbohydrate, lipid and bacteriological results of the present study proved that the application of turmeric in peeled shrimp stored in ice (1:1 ratio) extended its shelf-life up to 8 days..

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The effects of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 HUFA) were studied on Beluga (Huso huso) fish larvae by feeding fish larvae with live food  enriched with 4 different oils (ICES 30/4, tuna eye oil, flaxseed oil and linseed oil) containing different levels of n-3 HUFA including 27.19, 20.33, 12.71 and 0.39 mg g^-1 dry weight of oil, respectively. Fish larvae weighing 30.00±2.00 mg were randomly divided into 12 groups of 150 fish each and triplicates fed the 4 experimental diets for 3 weeks. There were no differences in survival rates, but significant differences were found in growth rates and fatty acid composition of the fish larvae after 30 days. Fish fed low levels of dietary n-3 HUFA (0.39 mg g^-1 DW) showed poor n-3 HUFA contents but these fatty acids improved with the elevation of the n-3 HUFA levels in the diet up to 20 mg g^-1 DW. Fish fed the flaxseed oil showed the highest level of crude lipid 15.00±3.01). Results showed that tuna eye oil and ICES30/4-enriched live food (4.83 ±1.29 and 4.61 ±0.99 mg g^-1 DW, respectively) showed the highest n-3 HUFA content for sturgeon fish larvae.

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The present study was carried out to examine 6 plants including aquatic and terrestrial plants on food preference and growth of grass carp. 7 experimental treatments with three replicates were considered. The experimental treatments were ponds containing T₁: M. spicatum, T₂: C. demersum, T_3: A. filiculoides, T₄: L. minor, T₅: C. dactylon, T₆: M. sativa and T₇: M. Spicatum + C. demersum + A. filiculoides + L. minor + C. dactylon + M. sativa. 12 grass carps (20 g) were added to each experimental pond. After 5 months, the fish body composition was assessed. According to results, the higher values of fish weight gain rate were obtained in treatments T₄ (3.13 g), T₆ (2.93 g) and T₁ (2.95 g) compared to other experimental groups (p<0.05). Also, the highest percentage of body protein and lipid content were observed in T₄ and T₁. In addition, the biomass and percentage of examined plants decreased after delivery of grass carps to each pond over the course of the experiment, but higher decreases were recorded for T₄ and T₁. The mean values of relative growth rate were higher in T₄ and mixture of all plants (p<0.05). Also, the highest fish biomass was recorded in T₁ and T₄ (p<0.05). In conclusion, our results showed that T₄ and T₁ have higher adaptability compared to other examined plants in the present study and these two plants could be used for feeding grass carp in aquaculture.   

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This study compared the efficacy of different diets on the population density, specific growth rate, doubling time, and fatty acids composition of the freshwater cyclopoid copepod Acanthocyclops trajani. The experimental diets consisted of fresh binary microalgae (Scenedesmus obliquus+Spirulina maxima), dry binary microalgae (S. obliquus+S. maxima), dry Gracilaria corticata, and mixed dry vegetables (including spinage, coriander, and parsley). Results have showed that the highest population growth rate (0.145), mean density (1445 ind L^-1), and the shortest doubling time (4.76 d) have been obtained in copepods fed on dry binary microalgal diet. The amounts of fatty acids in A. trajani could be modified by feeding copepod with different diets. The amount of C22: 6n-3 (DHA) was significantly higher in copepods fed dry binary microalgae (3.75±1.08 %) compared to the other diets. This cyclopoid copepod had higher levels of EPA and DHA than those in corresponding diets, suggesting that the A. trajani is probably able to accumulate EFA (essential fatty acid). This study indicates the potential of using specifically dry microalgae to improve the nutritional composition in copepods as a suitable supplementary live food for freshwater fish larvae.

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The use of plant proteins in substituting fishmeal (FM) is mitigated by several anti nutritional factors (ANF) like phytic acid, non starch polysaccharides and protease inhibitors. Fermentation of the plant ingredients can reduce the ANF and improve feed utilization and growth rate of fish. We produced five isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets using solid state fermented  bambara nut  meal (BNM). Fermented BNM substituted FM in diets of African catfish Clarias gariepinus. The FM: BNM inclusion percentages of the diets were, F1, 50:5; F2, 35:20; F3, 20:35; F4, 5:50 and F5, 0:56. There was a control feed labelled as F6. Feed F6 was a variant of F1 but with non fermented BNM. Fingerling African catfish C. gariepinus with average weight 5.14±0.05 g were fed with the diets for 56 days. Specific growth rate (SGR) was best for the catfish fed with F1, 7.82±0.25 % day^-1, followed by those fed with F6, 7.35±0.24 % day^-1. There were, however, no differences in SGR of F2, 7.26±0.18 % day^-1 and F6. The food conversion ratio was lowest and best for the catfish fed with F1, 1.24±0.19 and F2 1.34±0.06. The growth and nutritional performance of fish fed with F2 were as good as F1 and cost-effective. Feeds made from fermented BNM had better FCR than those from raw BNM. Fermentation increased the protein and amino acid content of the BNM and the catfish gained more weight than from raw BNM. The effects of ANF seem to be highly reduced in solid-state fermented BNM thereby enhancing catfish growth.
 

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The aim of the study was to access the influence of nigiri sushi meal ingredients ratio on its weight, nutritional profile, physic-chemical characteristics (crude protein, lipid content, ash content, salt content, phosphorus content and thiobarbituric acid assay) and to estimate the usage of citrate synthase activity as freshness index of seafood used for sushi preparation. Nutrition composition of nigiri sushi is highly influence by rice/seafood ratio. Inclusion of processed seafood in sushi can influence significantly weight and consequently nutritional profile of nigiri sushi meal as well. Shrimp cooking resulted in 16.45±3.29% weight loss in whole non-deveined shrimp and 13.03±3.40% in non-deveined shrimp tail. Nigiri sushi meal prepared with salmon and tuna fish can be recognized as good sources of seafood. Nigiri sushi meal can be considered as a low-calorie meal (nigiri salmon: 716.13±24.18 kJ/100g; nigiri tuna: 638.12±10.64 kJ/100g; nigiri shrimp: 672.06 ± 8.72 kJ/100g) but on the contrary it cannot be considered as low salt content meal (nigiri salmon: 0.97±0.04%; nigiri tuna: 0.89±0.10%; nigiri shrimp: 1.06±0.13%). Citrate synthase activity (CSA) increases after each freezing/thawing cycle and at the end (4^th cycle) were 5.29±0.67 μmol/mL/min and 6.67±0.63 μmol/mL/min in tuna and salmon samples, respectively. CSA can be recognized as reliable enzymatic kit indicator for fish freshness determination in nigiri sushi meal.
 

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In order to study the cannibalism behavior of Penaeus monodon post-larvae, the effects of four internal and external factors, such as individual size, post-larvae density (50, 80, 110, 140, 170 ind/L), food abundance and aeration, on the cannibalism rate were analyzed. The results showed that the cannibalism rate was significantly affected by individual size, post-larvae density and food abundance. When post-larval density increased from 50 ind / L to 110 ind / L，the average daily cannibalism rate increased by 358.07%. When larval density was more than 110 ind/L，cannibalism rate slightly increased. The average daily cannibalism rate decreased by 69.81% in 20 ind/mL food group than that of no-food group. The mix of individuals in different sizes could increase cannibalism rate significantly. Sufficient aeration could decrease cannibalism rate. The results indicated that insufficient food was a main reason to cause cannibalism in Penaeus monodon post-larvae. High stocking density and differences of individual size could induce and stimulate the cannibalism．