Investigations into the nutritional requirements of juvenile dusky kob, Argyrosomus japonicus (Pisces sciaendae), under ambient culture conditions
- Authors: Daniel, Simon James
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Argyrosomus -- Nutrition -- Requirements , Sciaenidae -- Nutrition -- Requirements , Fishes -- Food , Fishes -- Growth , Fish culture , Fishes -- Nutrition -- Requirements
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5197 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002602 , Argyrosomus -- Nutrition -- Requirements , Sciaenidae -- Nutrition -- Requirements , Fishes -- Food , Fishes -- Growth , Fish culture , Fishes -- Nutrition -- Requirements
- Description: The effect of dietary protein, protein and energy ratios, fish meal replacement by Soya bean meal and feeding frequency was investigated on the growth, feed efficiency and body composition, of juvenile dusky kob, Argyrosomus japonicus. The effect of dietary protein levels was investigated by comparing isocaloric diets containing 35, 40, 45 and 55% protein. Dietary protein inclusion level significantly affected specific growth rates, feed efficiency and body composition (in terms of fat deposition) and results show that a minimum of 45% and maximum of 52.3% dietary protein is optimal. The protein and energy requirements were investigated by comparing three protein levels (35,40 and 45%) with three lipid levels (6, 9 and 12%) in a 3x3 factorial design. A diet 45% protein and 9% lipid, with a P: E ratio of29 mglkJ and DE of 15.5 kJ/g resulted in an optimal specific growth rate (1.6± 0.2), feed efficiency (FCR= 1.7±0.44; PER= 1.36) and body composition for A. japonicus. To investigate the effect of partial fish meal replacement by Soya bean meal (SBM) in the diet, 20-50% of the protein from fish meal was substituted by protein from SBM, and were compared with a control diet containing only fish meal. No significant differences in the specific growth rates, feed efficiencies and the body composition were recorded for the fish fed the control diet and for fish fed the 20 and 30% SBM treatments. Results show that up to 30% of the protein from fish meal can be replaced with protein from SBM in the diet of this species. The effect of feeding frequency and gut evacuation time was investigated by comparing four feeding frequencies. Fish were fed to satiation either once, twice, three or four times a day. Feed intake was significantly affected by feeding frequency and fish fed 2, 3 and 4 meals a day ate significantly more food (p< 0.05) than the fish fed one meal a day. No significant differences (p> 0.05) in the specific growth rates, feed efficiencies and body composition were recorded for fish fed 2, 3 and 4 times a day. Feed intake was used to calculate an optimal daily ration and feeding two meals a day resulted in an optimal daily ration of 4% BW/day. A gut evacuation time of 7.25 hours indicates that fish fed twice a day probably had sufficient time to digest their food and evacuate their guts, resulting in the same daily feed intake as fish given 3 and 4 meals a day. Results conclude that under the present experimental conditions, a minimum daily ration of 4% BW/day, fed twice a day (in the morning and evening) is required for optimal growth (SGR= 1.33± 0.1), feed efficiency (FCR= 1.96± 0.4; PER= 1.44± 0.2) and body composition in juvenile dusky kob.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Larval fish dynamics in the shallow nearshore of Eastern Algoa Bay with particular emphasis on the effects of currents and swimming abilities on dispersal
- Authors: Pattrick, Paula
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Fishes -- Larvae -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay , Marine parks and reserves -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay , Fishes -- Larvae -- Ecology -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay , Fishes -- Larvae -- Dispersal -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay , Fishes -- Development -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5294 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005139 , Fishes -- Larvae -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay , Marine parks and reserves -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay , Fishes -- Larvae -- Ecology -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay , Fishes -- Larvae -- Dispersal -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay , Fishes -- Development -- Eastern Cape -- Algoa Bay
- Description: The larval fish assemblage in the shallow, nearshore region of a proposed marine protected area (MPA) in eastern Algoa Bay, temperate South Africa was investigated. Current velocities and direction and the swimming abilities of late-stage larvae were further assessed to determine potential larval movement to and from the MPA. In total, 6045 larval fishes were collected along two depth contours (~5m and ~15m) in the shallow nearshore of eastern Algoa Bay using stepped-oblique bongo net tows, twice per season for two years (March 2005 – January 2007). These larvae represented 32 families and 78 species. The Gobiidae, Cynoglossidae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae and Sparidae were the dominant fish families. Catches varied significantly between seasons peaking in spring with a mean of 64 larvae/100m3. Preflexion stage larvae dominated catches (75%). All developmental stages of Diplodus capensis, Engraulis capensis, Heteromycteris capensis, Sardinops sagax and Pomadasys species were found in the study area. It appears that these species use the shallow nearshore as a nursery area. Analysis of 12 months (May 2006 – May 2007) data from a bottom-moored Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler within the study area showed that offshore south eastward (39%) and onshore north westward currents (33%) dominated. The south westward current (15%) and north eastward current (12%) occurred less frequently. Current velocity decreased with depth in the nearshore, with a mean velocity of ~29 cms⁻¹ recorded at a depth of 4 m and a mean velocity of ~11 cms⁻¹ recorded at a depth of 14 m. Understanding the dispersal and movement of marine fish larvae in coastal habitats requires knowledge of active swimming abilities. The critical speed and endurance swimming of late stage larvae of two common inshore species occurring in the study area, Diplodus capensis and Sarpa salpa (Family Sparidae), were measured in a laboratory swimming chamber. The mean U-crit value for D. capensis (18.6 cms⁻¹) was similar to that of S. salpa (18.0 cms⁻¹), whereas mean endurance (km swum) was greater in S. salpa (8.4 km) than D. capensis (5.9 km). These swimming abilities exceed the average current velocities observed in the shallow nearshore providing larvae with the ability to greatly alter their passive dispersal trajectories and ultimately influence their distribution in the nearshore.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Lead-radium dating of two deep-water fishes from the southern hemisphere, Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) and Orange Roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus)
- Authors: Andrews, Allen Hia
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Fishes -- Age determination , Fishes -- Southern hemisphere -- Longevity , Fishes -- Growth , Radioactive dating , Patagonian toothfish , Patagonian toothfish -- Fisheries , Orange roughy , Orange roughy -- Fisheries , Deep-sea fishes -- Southern hemisphere , Deep-sea fisheries , Deep-sea fisheries -- Southern hemisphere
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5295 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005140
- Description: Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) or "Chilean sea bass" support a valuable and controversial fishery, but the life history is little known and longevity estimates range from ~20 to more than 40 or 50 yr. In this study, lead-radium dating provided validated age estimates from juveniles to older adults, supporting the use of otoliths as accurate indicators of age. The oldest age groups were near 30 yr, which provided support for age estimates exceeding 40 or 50 yr from grow zone counts in otolith sections. Hence, scale reading, which rarely exceeds 20 years, has the potential for age underestimation. Lead-radium dating revealed what may be minor differences in age interpretation between two facilities and findings may provide an age-validated opportunity for the CCAMLR Otolith Network to reassess otolith interpretations. Orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) support a major deep-sea fishery and stock assessments often depend on age analyses, but lifespan estimates range from ~20 to over 100 yr and validation of growth zone counts remained unresolved. An early application of lead-radium dating supported centenarian ages, but the findings were met with disbelief and some studies have attempted to discredit the technique and the long lifespan. In this study, an improved lead-radium dating technique used smaller samples than previously possible and circumvented assumptions that were previously necessary. Lead-radium dating of otolith cores, the first few years of growth, provided ratios that correlated well with the ingrowth curve. This provided robust support for age estimates from otolith thin sections. Use of radiometric ages as independent age estimates indicated the fish in the oldest group were at least 93 yr. Lead-radium dating has validated a centenarian lifespan for orange roughy. To date, radium-226 has been measured in otoliths of 39 fish species ranging from the northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to the Southern Ocean. In total, 367 reliable radium-226 measurements were made in 36 studies since the first lead-radium dating study on fish in 1982. The activity of radium-226 measurements ranged over 3 orders of magnitude (<0.001 to >1.0 dpm.g⁻¹). An analysis revealed ontogenetic differences in radium-226 uptake that may be attributed to changes in habitat or diet. Radiometric age from otolith core studies was used to describe a radium-226 uptake time-series for some species, which revealed interesting patterns over long periods. This synopsis provides information on the uptake of radium-226 to otoliths from an environmental perspective, which can be used as a basis for future studies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Life history changes of two reef fish species in exploited and unexploited marine environments in South Africa
- Authors: Buxton, Colin David
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Reef fishes -- Africa, Southern Chrysoblephus laticeps Chrysoblephus cristiceps
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5189 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001965
- Description: A detailed investigation into the life histories of Chrysoblephus laticeps and c. cristiceps in exploited and unexploited marine environments on the south-east coast of southern Africa is presented. The study provided information necessary for the evaluation of marine reserves as a management option for these and similar reef species. Visual underwater assessments showed a clear spatial separation between adults and juveniles of both species, suggesting a recruitment of juveniles into shallow water followed by a gradual outward migration into deeper water with age. Denslty estlmates of C. laticeps in the Noordhoek (0.0064 fish/m²) and Tsitslkamma (0.0254 fish/m²) areas were significantly different and were attributed to exploitation. Within area differences in density were also significantly correlated with temperature) depth and substratum relief. Similar comparisons for C. cristiceps were not possible because these fish shied away from divers. Habitat preferences were mirrored in the diets of both species which fed on a wide variety of reef associated benthic animals. Size of prey appeared to be gape limited, only larger fish being able to manipulate prey. Quantitative differences between the diets of fish sampled in different areas were a reflection of differences in available prey and not related to the relative density of predators. The dietary characteristics recorded in these fish were typical of search hunters. An age and growth study based on the examination of sectioned otoliths showed that both species were slow growing and long lived. Maximum recorded ages were 18 and 22 years for C. laticeps and C. cristiceps respectively. Growth rates in exploited and unexploited areas were not significantly different although there was an indication that growth was slower in the exploited areas for C. cristiceps. Several inconsistencies in otolith interpretation and terminology were evaluated. Contrary to other South African studies the results suggested that somatic growth was fastest just after spawning. This coincided with the winter months and was reflected by the deposition of a hyaline zone in the otolith. Two independent estimates, the Pauli derivation and visually assessed length frequency analysis, produced the same value for total mortality of C. laticeps in the Tsitsikamma area (0.2). This result, together with a significant difference in the rate of fishing mortality at different areas along the coast suggested that the populations sampled were discrete and supported the postulate that both species were sedentary. Further support was obtained from a mark-recapture study. Although sample numbers were low the results showed no evidence of large scale migratory patterns in these fish. An investigation of the reproductive biology of both fish showed that they were protogynous hermaphrodites, all males being derived from females with no evidence for polyandry. Males were shown to be capable of mating with a number of females and this, together with monandry, monochromatism and a small testis size, suggested a polygynous mating system in both species. Observations of the courtship behaviour in captive c. laticeps also supported polygyny. A significant difference in the mean size at sex reversal between unexploited and exploited populations supported the postulate that sex reversal was independent of the size or age of the animal. The size at which sex reversal occurred appeared to be dependent on sex ratio. A detailed yield per recruit analysis of the response of the population to different levels of fishing mortality and size at recruitment (t [subscript]r), showed that sex reversing species were particularly vulnerable to over fishing. This was due to a dramatic decline in the number of surviving individuals past t[subscript]r which resulted in a skewing of the sex ratio towards females. Evidence is presented to show that current legislation is inadequately protecting the spawner stock of both species. In conclusion it is shown that longevity, sex reversal, restricted movements and the occupation of a demersal habitat make these species particularly vulnerable to over exploitation in a size- selective fishery. The sustained yield in the linefishery is suggested to be a result of distant recruitment from relatively unexploited populations rather than the adequacy of current conservation measures. The need to protect the spawner stock is emphasised and the use of marine reserves as an additional protection for sedentary reef-dwelling species is therefore advocated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1988
Life-history and stock assessment of Clarias Gariepinus in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
- Authors: Bokhutlo, Thethela
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Catfishes -- Botswana -- Okavango River Delta , Clarias gariepinus , Aquaculture -- Botswana -- Okavango River Delta
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5297 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005142 , Catfishes -- Botswana -- Okavango River Delta , Clarias gariepinus , Aquaculture -- Botswana -- Okavango River Delta
- Description: Large catfishes (Clarias gariepinus & Clarias ngamensis) are not exploited commercially in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. They however constitute a large proportion of the gill net fishery catch (23 %) albeit as by-catch, coming second after cichlids (70 %). Monthly experimetal gill net sampling over 8 years showed that C. gariepinus was the most abundant species in the Okavango Delta by mass making up 37 % of the catch composition by fresh weight. Despite the relatively high abundance of C. gariepinus in the Okavango Delta, its status has never been fully assessed. For this reason, this study aimed to assess the status of C. gariepinus in the Okavango Delta with the particular goal to determine if the species could support a directed commercial gill net fishery. Investigation of the effects of the flood pulse on abundance of C. gariepinus showed that variability in water levels was the major driver of population abundance for this species. Three biological variables: (1) catch per unit effort (CPUE); (2) % catch composition and (3) Shannon's diversity index (H') exhibited a negative and significant relationship with the flood index within a year. The variation in these variables was statistically significant between months. There was a weak positive relationship between water levels and the biological variables between years suggesting increase in productivity of the system at high water levels without a lag period. Age and growth were determined using sectioned otoliths. Edge analysis showed that growth zone deposition occurred during the drawdown period in summer when water temperature and day length were increasing. The maximum recorded age was 15 years. Growth of this species was best described by the linear models (y = 21.50x + 427.39 mm LT; r² = 0.35) for females and (y = 23.79x + 440.83 mm LT; r² = 0.38) for males. The von Bertalanffy growth model described growth as Lt = 10000(1- exp(-0.002(t + 18.07))) mm LT for combined sexes Lt = 10000(1- exp( -0.002(t + 18.50))) mm LT , for females and Lt =908(1-exp(-0.076(t+7.95)))mmLT for males. Age at 50 % maturity was attained in the first year of life. Spawning occurred throughout the year with an apparent peak between November and April. The mean total annual mortality rate (Z) was 0.25 per year. The mean annual natural mortality rate (M) was 0.20 per year and fishing mortality (F) was calculated at 0.05 per year. The life history strategy of C. gariepinus was in between the periodic and opportunistic strategies. Therefore management of this species should be aimed at maintaining a healthy adult population and age structure. Since a large portion of the Okavango Delta is already protected and most other parts are also inaccessible to fishers there are enough spatial refugia for the species and the status quo should be maintained. Under this scenario, there is no need for regulation of the current mesh sizes because the species is harvested after maturity and replenishment of exploited populations will always occur from other parts of the system. Per recruit analyses indicate that the current fishing mortality maintains spawner biomass at levels greater than 90 % of pristine levels. Therefore a commercial fishery may be established using mesh 93 mm to maximize yield with a rotational harvesting strategy. Close monitoring is essential to ensure that re-colonization of overexploited habitats does indeed occur. Recreational angling and commercial gill net fishing need to be separated on a spatial and temporal scale during the feeding run to minimize potential conflicts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Long-term trends in fish length-at-age, catch-at-length and condition of the Namibian and South African commercially exploited species
- Authors: Iyambo, Elago Martha
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Fishery management South Africa , Fishery management Namibia , Fishes Growth , Fisheries Fishing effort , Climatic changes , Fishes Climatic factors
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/362872 , vital:65370
- Description: Fish growth rate is a flexible trait that can evolve in response to fishing or environmental change. Therefore, knowledge of fish growth rate patterns, long-term and short-term responses to fishing effort and environmental change is important for fisheries management in the Benguela. Historical and current age length keys have been used as indicators of annual fish growth in the Benguela, the growth rate study on Merluccius paradoxus demonstrated long-term changes in growth over three decades as a response to fishing. However, the fish growth rate patterns, in relation to fishing effort and environmental change patterns are still not known for the many commercially important stocks in the Benguela. The specific objectives of the project were to determine the annual variability and long-term trends, in annual mean lengths-at-age, catch-at-length and fish condition of 17 commercially exploited resources, targeted and bycatch in Namibia and South Africa in relation to environmental changes (sea surface temperature). The results showed that there was a significant decrease in mean length at age 7 for Merluccius capensis (Namibian stock), a significant decrease in mean length at ages 3 to 7 for South African M. capensis and a significant increase in mean length at ages 2 to 6 for South African M. paradoxus Fishery-induced evolution may be the reason for the increase in mean length in the early stages of hake. A regime shift was detected in the mean length at age 1 for Etrumeus whiteheadi (South African stock) caused by changes in water temperatures. A decrease in mean length of the catch was observed for Namibian M. capensis and the reason for this could have been the stock being overexploited during the years of the observed trend (1968 to 1987). Historically both the Namibian Lophius vomerinus and Helicolenus dactylopterus were bycatch of the hake fishery, therefore, the decrease in their mean length of the catch may be due to increased bycatch mortalities due to increased hake catches. The improvement in the management measures of the Jasus lalandii fishery and possible favourable oxygen fluctuation might have caused the stock to increase in mean length of the catch between 1977 and 1982. Fish condition showed a significant difference in stocks between years. Fish condition of M. capensis, M. paradoxus and T. capensis were analysed. The rest of the commercial stocks were omitted because there was limited length-weight data. For Namibian M. capensis the spawning season may have caused fish to have the best condition in 1987 and while higher temperatures in 1983 may have led to the worst condition in 1983. Higher prey availability in 1979 for Namibian M. paradoxus could have been the reason for fish with best condition being found in 1979. T. capensis had the highest condition index in 1986 when cooler summer SST prevailed that may have been more favourable for T. capensis to live in. July, September and January SSTs were significantly negatively correlated with the mean length of M. capensis at age 3. This was perhaps due to upwelling intensity and plankton productivity which increases in winter and decreases in summer. A separate study of the impacts of fishery-induced changes and density-dependence on fish growth rate, as well as the effects of other environmental variables is recommended. Since data for some species was outdated, it is suggested to update biological variables and assessment for future work. This study can be used to understand the key life history characteristics of Namibian and South African exploited resources, targeted and bycatch. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-10-14
Mariculture as a means to add value to the east coast rock lobster Panulirus homarus rubellus subsistence fishery : a physiological approach to define transport and growout protocols for wild caught juveniles
- Authors: Kemp, J O G
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Lobster fisheries -- South Africa , Lobster culture -- South Africa , Lobsters -- Growth -- South Africa , Mariculture -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5299 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005144
- Description: In a context of declining capture fisheries and public pressure for greater access to marine resources, marine aquaculture is receiving increasing interest from the South African government as a means to increase the diversity of economic activities in coastal regions, thereby providing employment and reducing poverty. The east coast rock lobster Panulirus homarus rubellus is currently harvested by subsistence fisherman along the former Transkei coastline of south-east South Africa and presents a possible opportunity for ongrowing wild juvenile lobsters in culture facilities. Lack of compliance coupled with poor enforcement of the minimum size limit (65 mm carapace length) has resulted in the ongoing harvest of undersize size lobsters by subsistence fishers. Generally, fishers either consume these undersize lobsters or sell them to tourists for low prices. In line with international trends in rock lobster aquaculture, interest has subsequently arisen in the possibilities of ongrowing these undersize lobsters as a means of adding value to the P. h rubellus resource for subsistence fishers. The aim of this physiological study was to assess the biological feasibility of harvesting, transporting and culturing wild caught juvenile lobsters, thereby provide empirical data to inform the development of suitable transport and culture protocols. The experimental objectives were to asses the effect of temperature on growth and survival of P. h. rubellus, as well as the effects of a suite of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on ammonia excretion and oxygen consumption. Juvenile lobsters were collected by hand from near-shore reefs (2-15 m depth) off Mdumbi in the former Transkei, Eastern Cape Province and transported by road (7 hours) to the Port Alfred Marine Research Laboratory where they were held in a recirculating culture system. The effect of temperature over a range of 9.7 °C (18.9±0.7 to 28.6±1.5 °C) on the growth and survival of juvenile P. h. rubellus fed a diet of fresh mussel flesh was investigated. Specific growth rate (SGR) was significantly different between temperatures (p = 0.01), with the highest values recorded for the 24 °C and 28 °C treatments. There was no significant difference in moult increment (MI) between temperatures, however, intermoult period (IMP) differed significantly between temperatures (p = 0.0015) with mean IMP lowest at 24 °C, although not significantly different from the means of the 26 °C and 28 °C treatments. IMP was highest at 19 °C and 21 °C. Apparent feed intake was significantly different between treatments (p < 0.0001) and exhibited a strong positive correlation with increasing temperature. Food conversion ratio (FCR) differed significantly between temperatures (p = 0.02) with 24 °C exhibiting the most efficient FCR. The results for growth rate and food conversion efficiency suggested that 24 °C is optimal for the growout of juvenile P. h. rubellus. In the second study, the effect of body weight, emersion, daily rhythm, feeding and ambient ammonia on the total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) excretion rate was investigated. Body weight (n = 16, range of 16.8 – 322 g) was positively correlated to daytime TAN excretion rate (mg h⁻¹). Re-immersion after one hour emersion in a moist environment was characterized by a significant increase in TAN excretion rate for the first hour compared to pre-immersion levels. The amount of TAN excreted during this period was as expected if basal TAN excretion rates were maintained during emersion. TAN excretion rates returned to pre-emersion levels by the end of the second hour. There was no evidence of a daily rhythm in TAN excretion rate for P. h. rubellus. TAN excretion rates were elevated following feeding. An initial peak in TAN excretion rate after seven hours (7.58 times pre-feeding rate) was followed by a smaller peak after 13 hours (6.69 times pre-feeding rate). TAN excretion rate dropped to levels not significantly different from pre-feeding levels after 23 hours and consistently returned to pre-feeding levels after 42 hours. The TAN excretion rates of lobster exposed for two hours to an ambient TAN concentration of 1.02±0.10 mg l⁻¹ and 2.3± 0.2 mg l⁻¹ were not significantly different from TAN excretion rates recorded at low ambient water TAN prior to exposure. Exposure to an ambient TAN concentration of 4.45±0.78 mg l⁻¹ had a significant effect on the TAN excretion rate, with pronounced ammonia uptake occurring for all animals at this concentration. The third study investigated the effects of body weight, diurnal rhythm, feeding and emersion on lobster oxygen consumption. Body weight was positively correlated to both standard and active oxygen consumption (mg O2 h⁻¹) while body weight was negatively correlated to mass-specific standard oxygen uptake (mg O2 g⁻¹ h⁻¹). Diurnal rhythm exhibited a strong effect on the lobsters oxygen consumption, with average night time values 67% greater than those recorded during the day. This was related to activity driven by intrinsic nocturnal foraging behaviour. Feeding resulted in a classic specific dynamic action (SDA) response, with postprandial oxygen consumption increasing to a peak before decreasing gradually to preprandial levels. Emersion resulted in a significant increase in oxygen consumption, with lobsters rapidly recovering to pre-emersion levels after four hours. Results from these studies suggest that the capture, transport and culture of juvenile P. h. rubellus is biologically feasible. Empirical data generated were used to provide recommendations regarding species optimised transport and culture protocols. A purge time of 48 hours before transport is suggested to ensure that ammonia excretion and oxygen consumption are at basal levels. Furthermore, emersed transport for a period of one hour is characterised by rapid recovery upon re-immersion. In order to prevent the accumulation of stressors, it is suggested that consecutive periods of emersion are interjected with recovery periods (five hours) in water to allow the removal of accumulated ammonia and repayment of the oxygen debt incurred. The recorded ammonia rates indicate that a biological filter size of 4.8 m³ is recommended for 1000 kg of fed lobsters in a culture situation, although this can be reduced considerably if lobsters are being held without feeding (0.72 m³). A flow rate of 112 l kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ is required to meet the metabolic requirements of lobsters. Bottlenecks to the viable commercial culture of P. h. rubellus, and the ability of this practice to provide the socio-economic benefits that were envisioned, are discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Mesopredator release and the effectiveness of camera traps for estimating mammal abundances in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Taylor, Jonathan Michael
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3587 , vital:20527
- Description: Remotely operated cameras (camera traps) have become an indispensable tool for many ecologists, particularly those studying rare and elusive animals. A plethora of camera trap makes and models are now commercially available, yet the effects of their varying design features on the quality and quantity of data recorded remains principally unknown. Better understanding of differing camera trap designs is needed before adequate management policies can be implemented, especially when the aim is to protect vulnerable and endangered species such as many carnivores. Habitat loss and human conflict has prompted worldwide declines of apex predator populations. Following this, many smaller predators have undergone population ‘explosions’ due to the lack of top-down forcing, a phenomenon known as mesopredator release. Land use changes in the Eastern Cape of South Africa have caused extensive degradation and fragmentation of the Subtropical Thicket Biome. In addition, coupled with anthropogenic persecution, apex predators including lions (Panthera leo), leopards (P. pardus), and brown hyaenas (Hyaena brunnea) have been extirpated from large areas of their historic range. Removal of these apex predators may provide opportunity for mesopredators, such as black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) and caracals (Caracal caracal), to be released from top-down forcing and possibly initiate trophic cascade effects. Therefore, using randomly distributed camera traps, my study aimed to explore the quality and quantity of data collected by different camera trap designs, and to investigate the mesopredator release hypothesis in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A total of 2,989 trap nights was used to compare camera trap designs. Camera traps with narrow detection zones and fast trigger speeds (≤ 0.25 seconds) recorded a higher diversity of carnivores, but there was no significant difference in the relative abundances of carnivore species recorded by different camera trap models. A total of 19,659 trap nights was used to assess mesopredator relative abundance, occupancy, distribution and daily activity patterns at one site with, and one site without, apex predators. Consistent with the mesopredator release hypothesis, black-backed jackal relative abundance was significantly higher in the absence of apex predators, and this was supported by occupancy analyses. Further, black-backed jackal distribution was significantly concentrated in areas where apex predator activity was low, possibly indicating spatial avoidance. There was no significant difference in caracal relative abundance, occupancy, distribution, or daily activity between sites. These results provide the first indication of mesopredator release of blackbacked jackals in the Eastern Cape. The implications of black-backed jackal release including prey population structure, local extinctions, altered seed dispersal and disease dynamics are discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Methods for assessing the susceptibility of freshwater ecosystems in Southern Africa to invasion by alien aquatic animals
- Authors: De Moor, Irene J
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Biotic communities -- South Africa , Animal introduction , Freshwater ecology -- Africa, Southern , Animal introduction -- South Africa , Geographic information systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5300 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005145
- Description: Two methods for predicting regions susceptible to invasion by alien aquatic animals were developed for southern Africa (excluding Zimbabwe and Mozambique). In the "traditional" (data-poor) approach, distributions of three categories of alien "indicator" species (warm mesothermal, cold stenothermal and eurytopic) were compared to seven existing biogeographical models of distribution patterns of various animals in southern Africa. On the basis of these comparisons a synthesis model was developed which divided southern Africa into seven regions characterised by their susceptibility to invasion by alien aquatic animals with particular habitat requirements. In the "data-rich," geographic information systems (GIS) approach, the distribution of trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo trutta) in selected "sampled regions" was related to elevation (as a surrogate of water temperature) and median annual rainfall (MAR) (as a surrogate of water availability). Using concentration analysis, optimum conditions for trout were identified. Regions within a larger "predictive area" which satisfied these conditions, were plotted as a digital map using the IDRISI package. Using this method seven models of potential trout distribution were generated for the following regions: northern Natal (two); southern Natal/Lesotho/Transkei (three), eastern Cape (two) and western Cape (two). Since two of the models were used to refine the methods, only five models were considered for the final assessment. In a modification of the GIS method, another model of potential trout distribution, based on mean monthly July minimum air temperature and MAR parameters, was developed for the region bounded by 29º - 34º S and 26 º - 32°E. This model showed marked similarities to another model, developed for the region bounded by 29 º - 32°S and 26º - 32°E, which was based on elevation and MAR parameters. The validity of the models developed was assessed by independent experts. Of the six models considered, four received favourable judgements, one was equivocal and one was judged to be poor. Based on these assessments it was concluded that the GIS method has credibility and could be used to develop a "data-rich" model of the susceptibility of southern Africa to invasion by alien aquatic animals. This method represents an alternative to the bioclimatic matching approach developed by scientists in Australia. The GIS method has a number of advantages over the "traditional" method: it is more amenable to testing, has greater flexibility, stores more information, produces images of a finer resolution, and can be easily updated. The traditional method has the advantage of being less expensive and requiring a less extensive database.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
Microsatellite and morphometric analysis of chokka squid (Loligo reynaudi) from different spawning aggregations around the South African coast
- Authors: Stonier, Terence Anthony
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5344 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006779
- Description: Accurate information on stock structure is very important to the effective management of any commercially exploited species (Angel et al. 1994), particularly in annual species like Loligo reynaudi. Previous molecular work on a number of fish and cephalopod species has shown that stock structuring may be more complex than originally believed and while much scientific work has been conducted on Loligo reynaudi to date, molecular work has been lacking and this species’ fishery is currently managed as a single stock. The primary aim of this project was to examine the population genetics of Loligo reynaudi on a molecular level, by looking at the levels of genetic variation between different spawning aggregations along the inshore distribution of the chokka squid, with particular attention being paid to any variation between Eastern Cape and Agulhas Bank groups. The secondary aim was to conduct a morphological analysis on samples from the same major areas in order to see if any genetic variation observed would be complemented by phenotypic variation. Two separate sample sets were collected; Genetic samples were collected from 6 different spawning sites along the South African Coast between April and July, 2006 and whole individuals for morphometric analysis were collected from 4 spawning sites between April and July 2007. Samples were screened for genetic variation between different spawning aggregations along the inshore distribution of chokka squid, from Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, to the western Agulhas Bank. After this a morphometric analysis on samples from the same major areas, Eastern Cape, Agulhas Bank and Angola, was carried out. Genetic results showed significant variation between some of the sample groups. As expected, the Angolan outgroup consistently showed significant variation from other samples, while there was evidence of differentiation between the South African samples themselves. These results could have implications for the previously documented life cycle model of Loligo reynaudi and provide a basis for further study at a finer resolution into where exactly the boundaries of these different groupings can be found. This stock structuring has implications for the management of the species and warrants further genetic research with microsatellites proving to be a powerful tool in the explanation of stock structuring. Unfortunately, due to possible errors in taking measurements, morphometric analysis did not yield useful results which can be described and interpreted in this study. It is felt that further genetic study conducted on a finer scale, should be accompanied by a repeat of the morphometric analysis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Mitigating salt accumulation in recycled brewery effluent through the integration of water treatment, agriculture and aquaculture
- Authors: Mabasa, Nyiko Charity
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Brewery waste South Africa Eastern Cape , Recycling (Waste, etc.) South Africa Eastern Cape , Water reuse South Africa Eastern Cape , Irrigation South Africa Eastern Cape , Sewage Purification Anaerobic treatment , Constructed wetlands , Aquaculture
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191126 , vital:45063 , 10.21504/10962/191126
- Description: Water scarcity in South Africa, and globally, presents challenges for industries. It is imperative to develop responsible water use, such as recycling and reusing wastewater from food processing industries such as breweries. The Ibhayi Brewery (SAB Ltd) employs a combination of sustainable treatment processes that include anaerobic digestion (AD), primary facultative ponds (PFP), high rate algal ponds (HRAP) and constructed wetlands (CW) to treat brewery effluent on an experimental scale. The constituent concentrations of these experimentally treated effluents are within the ranges prescribed by local regulations to allow for potential downstream use in agriculture and aquaculture. However, the sodium content in this treated effluent, which originates from upstream cleaning agents and pH control at the onsite effluent treatment facility, is a constraint to the downstream use of brewery effluent. This study addresses the salt problem, by investigating the potential of either reducing/eliminating salt addition at source, or developing alternative techniques for downstream agriculture to mitigate the effects of salt accumulation caused by irrigation with brewery effluent. Four salt-tolerant test crops; Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris), saltbush (Atriplex nummularia), Salicornia meyeriana and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), grew efficiently in brewery effluent irrigated soils but did not stop sodium accumulation in the growth medium. Swiss chard had the best growth with a wet biomass accumulation of 8,173 g m-2, due to the plant’s ability to tolerate saline conditions and continuous cropping. Crop rotation, to limit effects of nutrient depletion in soil, had no significant effect on plant growth suggesting soils were adequately able to provide micro-nutrients in the short-term. Prolonged irrigation with brewery effluent can lead to sodium accumulation in the soil, which was successfully controlled through the addition of soil amendments (gypsum and Trichoderma cultures). These reduced soil sodium from a potentially limiting level of 1,398 mg L-1 to the acceptable levels of 240 mg L-1 and 353 mg L-1 respectively, mainly through leaching. However only Trichoderma improved Swiss chard production to 11,238 g m-2. While crop rotation in this work did not contribute to mitigating the problem of salt accumulation, soil amended with Trichoderma appears to be a potential solution when brewery effluent is reused in agriculture. In an alternative to soil cultivation, CWs were trialled with no significant differences in the sodium concentration of brewery effluent treated along a 15 m lateral flow CW, which could be attributed to evapotranspiration. This was notably accompanied by a desirable 95.21% decrease in ammonia from inlet to outlet resulting in significant improvement in water quality for reuse in aquaculture where ammonia levels are important limiting constraints. While CWs remain a suitable brewery effluent treatment solution, this technology requires additional modelling and optimisation in order to mitigate the problem of salt accumulation in the reuse of treated brewery effluent in agriculture and aquaculture. This research demonstrates the baseline information for such modelling and optimisation. African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) grew in CW treated brewery effluent; however, this growth was moderate at 0.92% bw day-1, whereas Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) were shown to be unsuited to growth in this system and lost weight with an average specific growth rate (SGR) of -0.98% bw day-1; and both fish species presenting with health related concerns. Hardy fish species such as African catfish can be cultured in brewery effluent, but with risk involved. This was a preliminary study to develop parameters for future dimensional analysis modelling to allow optimisation of the CW, based on nutrient removal rates obtained which will allow for improved downstream aquaculture by reducing or eliminating risks presented in this study. This work has also contributed to a foundation for the development of guidelines that use a risk-based approach for water use in aquaculture. Alternatives to the current in place cleaning agents were considered to mitigate the effects of salt accumulation. Sodium is introduced into the effluent via the use of sodium hydroxide and sodium chlorite for cleaning and disinfection in the brewery, as well as through effluent pH adjustment in the AD plant. The widespread use of outdated legacy cleaning systems and pH adjustment regimes is entrenched in the brewery standard operating procedures (SOP). A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) demonstrated that a change of cleaning and disinfecting regimes to hydrogen peroxide in the brewery, and magnesium hydroxide pH adjustment in the effluent treatment plant addresses the sodium issue upstream in the brewery practically eliminating sodium from the effluent. In addition, a life cycle analysis (LCA) was carried out to assess the environmental impacts associated with the alternative cleaning and pH adjustment scenarios. The LCA showed that electricity consumption during use phase of the chemicals for respective purposes, as well as their production activities were major contributors to the significant environmental impact categories that were assessed. The cleaning scenario employing the use of hydrogen peroxide for both cleaning and disinfection was found to be the most environmentally sustainable. This was attributed to the reduced number of chemicals used compared to the other cleaning scenarios. Dolomitic lime was the pH adjustment alternative with the lowest average environmental impact; but, however, had a higher impact on freshwater eutrophication which is of major concern if the effluent will be reused for irrigation. Magnesium hydroxide was therefore considered to be the better option as a sodium hydroxide alternative for pH adjustment. This mitigates salt accumulation, making treated brewery effluent suitable for reuse in high value downstream agriculture and aquaculture, while employing more environmentally sustainable technologies. Notably, this converts brewery effluent from a financial liability to Ibhayi Brewery, into a product containing water and nutrients that generate income, improve food security, and can create employment in downstream agriculture and aquaculture in a sustainable manner. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Modelling the distribution and abundance of several demersal fish species on the Agulhas Bank, South Africa
- Authors: Sampson, Mark Robert
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Fishes -- South Africa -- Geographical distribution , Fishes -- South Africa -- Geographical distribution -- Mathematical models
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5343 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006207 , Fishes -- South Africa -- Geographical distribution , Fishes -- South Africa -- Geographical distribution -- Mathematical models
- Description: The Agulhas Bank supports a speciose fish community, many of which are commercially important. Despite substantial research being conducted on aspects of their biology spatial aspects of their distribution and abundance in relation to environment parameters has been ignored. This study, therefore, addressed aspects related to the distribution and abundance of representative species on the Agulhas Bank within a Geographic Information System (GIS). Four candidate species were chosen due to their importance either in numbers or unit mass to the South African demersal trawl fishery. The species also shared morphological and taxonomic similarities. The candidate species chosen were the two Cape hake species, shallow-water hake Meluccius capensis, and deep-water hake Merluccius paradoxus, and the two pleuronectiform species being Agulhas sole Austroglossus pectoralis and redspotted tonguesole Cynoglossus zanzibarensis. The use of a GIS was appropriate and allowed for hidden spatial patterns be exposed and illustrated visually, while also facilitating the quantification of the relationships between distribution/abundance and certain environmental predictors using statistical methods The Department of Marine and Coastal Management, Cape Town, supplied biological data in the form of length frequency and biomass information from spring (AprillMay) and autumn (September/October) cruises conducted between 1986 and 1993 on the R. V. Africana. The Council for National Geoscience, Cape Town, supplied sediment data for the entire southern African coastline. Initial exploratory data analysis highlighted potential relationships between environmental variables and abundance for each specie's life-history stanzas. Variations in spatial distribution were found to be significantly different between each life-history stanzas within species. Fish density as a function of the additive effects of the various environmental parameters, including temperature, depth and sediment type, was assessed using a Poisson Generalized Additive Model (GAM), while distribution was analysed with a logistic GAM. A predictive logistic model was then created, taking into consideration the importance of the predictor variables for each species, allowing for predictive estimates to be made for each species by inputting environmental information within the study area. The importance of certain environmental variables influencing distribution and abundance were noted. General patterns indicated that sediment was the most important to both the distribution and abundance of the two pleuronectiform species and juvenile life-history stanzas, while the adult gadoids' distribution and abundance appeared to be depth dependent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
Modelling the spatial and genetic response of the endemic sparid: Polysteganus praeorbitalis (Pisces: Sparidae) to climate change in the Agulhas Current system
- Authors: Isemonger, Devin Neil
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54509 , vital:26576
- Description: The Scotsman Seabream, Polysteganus praeorbitalis, is one of several large, slow-growing members of the Sparidae family of fishes endemic to the Agulhas Current system in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). Relatively little research has been conducted on this species despite its importance to both recreational and commercial line fisheries in South Africa and the drastic decline in catch per unit effort (CPUE) that has been recorded since the 1940s. Changing sea temperatures as a result of global climate change are further expected to affect the distribution and abundance of many fish species based on their thermal tolerances, life histories and population structures. The ability of these species to shift their distribution and adapt to new environments and thermal conditions will depend to some degree on the levels of genetic variation and gene flow, within and between populations. A combined approach using species distribution modelling and genetic analyses may prove to be a useful tool in investigating the potential effects of climate change on the distribution and genetic diversity of species. An ensemble species distribution model (SDM) based on 205 occurrence records and 30 years of Reynolds Optimum Interpolated (OI) sea surface temperature data was constructed to predict the distributional response of P. praeorbitalis to climate change in the Agulhas Current system. The ensemble SDM displayed a true skill statistic (TSS) of 0.975 and an area under the receiver operating curve (ROC) of 0.999, indicating good model fit. Autumn and winter minimum temperatures, as well as bathymetry, were the most important predictor variables in the majority of models, indicating that these variables may directly constrain the distribution of P. praeorbitalis. In particular, the southern range edge of this species appeared to be constrained by autumn and winter minima, with high model agreement on this range edge. Conversely, the northern range limit showed poor model agreement leading to a gradual reduction in occurrence. This indicates that this range edge may be constrained by other factors not included in the models such as species interactions. The ensemble SDM projected the current range of P. praeorbitalis to be 1500 km², smaller than the published range for this species. The model underestimated the northern range edge of this species by approximately 5° latitude when binary transformed. This is probably due to the rarity of this species in the landings of the Mozambican linefishery, which was assumed to be an indication of low abundance of P. praeorbitalis in these waters. The absence of a specimen to verify the published northern range edge of this species indicates that the northern range edge produced by this model is likely to be closer to the actual range limit of the species. A range contraction of 30% occurring at both the northern and southern edge of P. praeorbitalis’ range and range fragmentation occurring, towards its northern range edge by 2030, was predicted. These changes are modelled to be the results of cooling related to the intensification of the Port Alfred upwelling cell and of warming predicted north of the Natal Bight and in southern Mozambique. Genetic analyses of the nuclear DNA (nDNA) S7 intron 1 and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region genes were carried out using 118 tissue samples of P. praeorbitalis collected at four main localities: the Eastern Cape, Transkei, southern KwaZulu-Natal and northern KwaZulu-Natal. Analyses of genetic diversity levels revealed relatively low diversity in the mtDNA dataset (Hd = 0.488; π = 0.004) and moderate levels of diversity in the nDNA dataset (Ad = 0.922; π = 0.005). The low levels of diversity observed in the mtDNA dataset might be explained by a number of factors, including high variation in spawning success, the negative effects of over-harvesting, or a recent population bottleneck. The last explanation is supported by characteristic star-shaped haplotype networks and unimodal mismatch distributions displayed by both datasets. These results, in conjunction with a significant (p = 0.005) negative Tajimas D value (-2.029) in the mtDNA dataset and significant (p = 0.0005) negative Fu’s F statistic in both the nDNA (F = -26.5) and mtDNA (F = -11.9) datasets, provide strong evidence for a recent population expansion after a bottleneck event in this species. Spatially, mtDNA diversity was highest in the Eastern Cape and lowest in the middle localities, while nDNA diversity showed the opposite pattern. These results may be indicative of differences in the sex ratio between localities, possibly as a result of the protogynous hermaphroditism that has been postulated for this species. Although pairwise comparisons and exact tests of population differentiation revealed no significant geneticdifferentiation between populations in the mtDNA dataset, there was some evidence of low levels of differentiation in the nDNA dataset. This occurred for comparisons between the Eastern Cape and Transkei (Fst = 0.039; p <0.05), and the northern KwaZulu-Natal (Fst = 0.045; p < 0.05).. This might be the result of one or a combination of factors including the effects of the Port Alfred upwelling cell on dispersal and gene flow, or the possibility of more than one spawning ground for this species promoting sub-structuring. A SAMOVA analyses run on the nDNA dataset maximised variance by grouping the Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal together and Transkei and northern KwaZulu-Natal together in two groups. This revealed no evidence of spatial structure (p = 0.36), with only 3.30% of variation explained by this grouping. The removal of individuals below the estimated length at 50% maturity in the nDNA dataset, in order to test for temporal structure, resulted in stronger evidence of differentiation between the Eastern Cape and all other localities: Transkei (Fst = 0.081; p< 0.05), southern KwaZulu-Natal (Fst = 0.031; p<0.05), and northern KwaZulu-Natal (Fst = 0.078; p< 0.05). This indicates that some temporal genetic structure may exist between age classes within this species. The differentiation observed between the Eastern Cape and other localities, coupled with the high percentage of private haplotypes in the mtDNA dataset in this locality, indicates that this area is where P. praeorbitalis is most vulnerable to the potential negative effects of climate change on its genetic diversity. However, the vast majority of this species genetic diversity appears to reside towards the centre of its range where it is most abundant and the lack of strong genetic structure indicates high levels of gene flow. In conclusion, while P. praeorbitalis is vulnerable to range loss as a result of climate change, its genetic diversity is unlikely to be greatly affected.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Molecular systematics and antifreeze biology of sub-Antarctic notothenioid fishes
- Authors: Miya, Tshoanelo Portia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Nototheniidae , Antifreeze proteins , Nototheniidae -- Classification -- Molecular aspects , Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5388 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020938
- Description: Fishes of the perciform suborder Notothenioidei are found in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters that are separated by the Antarctic Polar Front (APF), with some species being distributed on both sides of this front. In this wide latitudinal range, these fishes are exposed to different temperatures ranging from -2 °C in the High Antarctic regions to 12 °C in the sub-Antarctic regions. To survive in icy Antarctic waters, the Antarctic notothenioid species have evolved antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) that prevent their body fluids from freezing. The findings of past research on the AFGP attributes of several notothenioid species inhabiting ice-free sub-Antarctic environments have presented a complex picture. Furthermore, previous taxonomic studies split widely distributed notothenioids into different species and/or subspecies, with other studies disagreeing with these splits. To understand the response of the sub-Antarctic notothenioids to warmer, ice-free environments, it is necessary to have a good understanding of their antifreeze biology and systematics. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association, if any, between the antifreeze attributes of sub-Antarctic notothenioid fishes and their taxonomic status. And more...
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Morphological and genetic variation of Gymnothorax undulatus (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) in the Western Indian Ocean
- Authors: Sithole, Yonela
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63722 , vital:28476
- Description: Expected release date-April 2019
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Morphological variation and its taxonomic implications for insular populations of Pseudocrenilabrus philander (Pisces: Cichlidae)
- Authors: Twentyman Jones, Vanessa
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Cichlids -- Morphology , Cichlids -- Conservation , Freshwater fishes -- Conservation -- Africa, Southern
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5301 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005146 , Cichlids -- Morphology , Cichlids -- Conservation , Freshwater fishes -- Conservation -- Africa, Southern
- Description: The cichlid fish Pseudocrenilabrus philander is widely distributed in southern Africa. Many of the populations occur in small, insular, geographically isolated water bodies, some of which are in arid areas. These small allopatric populations have been isolated for thousands of years and gene flow between them is non-existent or severely restricted. Populations were found to be different in terms of coloration, size of individuals, sexual dimorphism and behaviour. This thesis involved the determination of the taxonomic status of these isolated populations, from a morphological point of view. This has been part of a larger project, involving genetic and behavioural studies, to determine whether the different populations are geographic races of a single species, or whether they are species. Heritability of the observed differences was tested by breeding through three generations under uniform laboratory conditions. The populations from which wild-caught individuals were drawn could be identified on the basis of colour. There were some differences in anatomy between populations, but none of these were entirely distinctive for a particular population. When bred under laboratory conditions, populations did not show a tendency towards uniformity, as would be expected if morphological differences were environmentally induced. However, there were slight changes in the oral and pharyngeal bone form which may be diet related. Although there are morphological differences between populations and between wild-caught and laboratory-bred populations, it is suggested that the populations of P. philander are not fully differentiated and thus in the stages of incipient speciation. other studies on P. philander have introduced an element of uncertainty in that they show different results. Behavioural work suggests that different populations would behave as different species if they were to become sympatric. Karyological and mitochondrial studies showed that there were no differences between populations. Protein electrophoresis showed that populations were genetically unique. Since the various species and subspecies of Pseudocrenilabrus have been based on morphological criteria, the approach and conclusions in this study are based entirely on morphological criteria. These studies have practical implications for conservation, as some of the small populations are threatened with extinction. If the differences between the populations were ecophenotypic (i.e. related to their environment), then threats to some populations would not affect the conservation status of the species as a whole. If, however, such differences were genetic (i.e. the populations have evolved separately), then the extinction of small, isolated populations could mean the loss of actual species. This study strongly suggests that populations are incipient species and thus should be conserved.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
Morphometrics and reproduction of Terebrasabella heterouncinata (Polychaeta:Sabellidae), infesting abalone (Haliotis midae) from different culture environments
- Authors: Gray, Michael
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Polychaeta , Sabellidae , Abalones -- Physiology , Abalones -- Nutrition , Abalone culture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5384 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018231
- Description: In the late 1980's abalone culturalists noticed reduced growth rate and shell deformities in some abalone stocks. These problems were the result of infestations by a shell boring polychaete, Terebrasabella heterouncinata. Under intensive abalone culture conditions the level of infestation can reach epidemic proportions and there are often severe consequences for the host abalone. Heavy sabellid infestation levels have placed the economic viability of several South African farms under threat. This study formed part of an ongoing project that is aimed at investigating the basic biology of Terebrasabella heterouncinata. The majority of abalone farmers in South Africa feed their abalone either naturally occurring kelp (Ecklonia maxima) or the formulated abalone feed, Abfeed. Farmers have suggested that the use of Abfeed is associated with higher sabellid infestation levels and changing the abalone diet from Abfeed to kelp helps reduce sabellid infestation. Speculation has arisen indicating that older, slower growing abalone are more susceptible to sabellid infestation. The effect of host abalone diet history and their growth on sabellid settlement success, morphometries and reproduction was quantified. To better understand the plasticity of the expression of life history traits the variability of morphometric and reproductive characteristics was compared between different farm environments. And more...
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
Movement bahaviour of three South African inshore sparid species in rocky intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats
- Authors: Watt-Pringle, Peter Andrew
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Sparidae -- South Africa , Diplodus , Sparodon Durbanensis , Fisheries -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5302 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005147 , Sparidae -- South Africa , Diplodus , Sparodon Durbanensis , Fisheries -- South Africa
- Description: This study investigated the movement behaviour of three inshore South African sparids – blacktail (Diplodus sargus capensis), zebra (Diplodus cervinus hottentotus) and white musselcracker (Sparodon durbanensis), popular inshore fishery species caught in appreciable numbers along much of the South African coast. The first study component examined movements of juveniles in a rocky intertidal nursery area at Schoenmakerskop near Port Elizabeth. Juveniles in a single gully were tagged with Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) and resighted at the study site on snorkelling gear over a seven-month period. Tagged zebra and musselcracker displayed limited movement between potential low tide refuges, being observed repeatedly in the same gully over the full duration of the study. However, blacktail displayed greater movements and were seen infrequently in the later period of the study, probably having undergone an ontogenetic habitat shift to subtidal areas. There was evidence that blacktail maintain use of their intertidal nursery over high tide, during which the other two species moved into shallower areas adjacent to their low tide refuge. The results of three national tagging programs were analysed to determine the movement patterns of adolescent and adult fishes. The coast-wide ORI-WWF National Voluntary Tagging Program and two dedicated research programs in marine protected areas (MPAs) at De Hoop MPA and Tsitsikamma National Park (TNP) recorded few large-scale movements of tagged adult blacktail, zebra and juvenile musselcracker. High spatial-resolution data from the TNP suggested movements were usually on scales far smaller than one km. Together with long periods at liberty for many recaptured individuals, this suggests these fishes are longterm residents of small home range areas. However, tagged musselcracker over 600 mm forklength (adults) were observed to make large-scale movements, including some in excess of 800 km from Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal waters. Predominantly eastward movements of adults recaptured during the spawning season indicate seasonal spawning migrations that occur in different regions of the coast. These enable the use of prevailing oceanographic currents to disperse eggs and larvae to suitable rocky nursery habitat. The third component of this study made use of high-resolution data on the temporal and spatial distribution of catches by scientific angling in the TNP to examine the daily activity patterns of the study species in relation to diel and tidal cycles, and habitat use. Blacktail capture probability was correlated with the diurnal light cycle, with peaks close to twilight suggesting elevated crepuscular foraging activity. Catches of blacktail, zebra and small musselcracker were correlated with the tidal cycle, foraging peaking over high tide periods. All three species used shallow inshore habitats extensively for foraging, blacktail showing a preference for sandy areas, while zebra and small musselcracker preferred shallow reef. Capture probability of larger musselcracker, however, was unrelated to habitat, possibly evidence of increasing area and habitat use with an ontogenetic change in diet. The lifetime movement patterns of these three species are discussed in relation to conservation measures and their management in South African fisheries. Restricted movement throughout post-settlement life for blacktail and zebra, and during the juvenile phase for musselcracker, makes local populations vulnerable to overexploitation. At present, MPAs probably play an important role in protecting local blacktail and zebra populations from overexploitation, and limited post-settlement movements mean the degree of larval dispersal between protected and adjacent areas will likely determine the effectiveness of MPAs in enhancing fisheries for these species. By contrast, MPAs likely provide recruits to fisheries for musselcracker during ontogenetic movements and dispersal from MPAs during spawning migrations. MPAs only offer partial protection to adult musselcracker populations in the spawning season, but this could nevertheless be significant under high levels of exploitation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Movement of coastal fishery species in Southern Africa: research trends, characterisation of behaviours and a case study on fishery implications
- Authors: Maggs, Jade Quinton
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Fishery management -- Africa, Southern , Fisheries -- Africa, Southern , Fisheries -- Catch effort , Fisheries -- Environmental aspects , Fisheries --Monitoring , Biotelemetry , Sustainable fisheries -- Africa, Southern , Overfishing -- Africa, Southern
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60574 , vital:27798
- Description: Movement of fishes is an integral part of their daily life, but has significant implications for fishery management. As with nearly all coastal countries, South Africa relies on coastal fisheries as a renewable resource, but many stocks have been overexploited for decades. Although it has long been recognised that an understanding of fish movement is necessary for effective management, it is with some difficulty that the subject has been studied in the past. In recent years, however, improvements in technology have provided the means for more in-depth investigations into fish movement. This research has revealed a range of complex movement behaviours. Movement in fishes occurs on a variety of temporal and spatial scales leading to the characteristic patterns of distribution and abundance observed in marine ecosystems. Fishes move nearly constantly in search of food, shelter or reproductive opportunities. Observations of behaviours such as long-term site fidelity, longdistance migration and natal homing are enabling ecologists to understand patterns of distribution and abundance within a species' range. Fish movement around the South African coast has been studied on numerous occasions but this has largely been confined to studies on single species. Movement behaviour of multiple species has been studied, but this has been limited to spatially localised marine protected area research. There has been little attempt in southern Africa to synthesize interspecific movement behaviour over wide spatial scales.Unprecedented concern over the biological effects of overexploitation, together with rapid technological advances in biotelemetry, have provided the impetus for much research, on a global scale, into the movement of marine animals. I reviewed 101 marine and estuarine fish movement studies from southern Africa, published from 1928 to 2014, with the aim of synthesising research trends and findings. Trends showed an increasing emphasis on fish movement research in publications in the sub-tropical and warm-temperate biogeographic regions along the south and east coasts of southern Africa. Although 63% of publications featured only marine studies, research into fine-scale habitat use in estuaries has been on the increase, concomitant with increasing accessibility of biotelemetry. Overall, 26 fish families were identified in the surveyed literature with regionally endemic sparids featuring in 32% of the publications. Ten movement themes were identified in the surveyed literature, including broad-scale movement patterns, which featured in 68% of studies, followed by fine- scale habitat usage (33%) and protected areas (26%). The most prominent phenomenon, emerging from this research, is that of partial migration, which describes the occurrence of resident and migratory behaviour within a coexisting animal population. Substantial progress has also been made in unravelling the complexities of fine-scale movements in marine reserves and habitat usage in estuaries. While this knowledge has enabled more effective management of South Africa's multi-user, multi-species fisheries, focus should now be directed at improving our understanding of the commonalities in movement behaviour, the associated driving forces behind this behaviour and the extent of movement across reserve boundaries. Mark-recapture data, collected over the past 30 years by the Oceanographic Research Institute’s Cooperative Fish Tagging Project (ORICFTP), were used to investigate broad- scale movement patterns of 30 prominent coastal fishery species (Chapter 4). Fishes were tagged with plastic dart tags along the coastline of southern Africa from Angola to Mozambique. This exercise yielded more than 10000 recaptures. The 30 chosen species represented 14 families, although 12 species belonged to a single family (Sparidae). Overall, 67% of recaptures were reported from the original tagging locality and 73% were recorded within 5 km of the tagging locality. The remaining observations extended from 6-3000 km. Movements were assigned to four distance bins (0-5 km, 6-50km, 51-500km and >500 km) and modelled with an ordinal logistic regression. Species, life-stage (juvenile/adult) and time- at-liberty were included as predictor variables. Model coefficients were then included in a cluster analysis, which produced two primary groupings of species (Category I and II), with two sub-groupings (Category IIa and IIb). Category I species were characterised by wide-ranging movements, greatest median recapture length and highest trophic levels. Category II species were characterised by residency, lower median recapture length and lower trophic levels. These findings have implications for fisheries management. Exploitation of resident species may lead to localised depletion, but their diffuse spatial distribution may offer some resilience. In contrast, even localised targeting of migratory species may pose a population level risk if individuals are known to aggregate. Life-cycle diversity or intra-population variability describes the existence of alternative strategies or tactics among coexisting individuals within an animal population (Chapter 5). Partial migration is a specific case of life-cycle diversity where coexisting groups exhibit either resident or migratory (wide-ranging) behaviour within a single population. Mark- recapture data collected under the auspices of the ORICFTP were used to investigate the occurrence and nature of life-cycle diversity in the movement behaviour of five non- diadromous fish species around the coastline of southern Africa. Among the five species were three teleosts (Category I and IIa) and two elasmobranchs (Category I). A fish was considered to have remained resident if recaptured within 0-5 km after 365 days at liberty. A fish was considered to have undertaken a wide-ranging movement if recaptured more than 50 km away from the release site in 365 days or less. A total of 1848 individuals from the five study species were recaptured during the study, of which 73% of the observations were classified as being resident. Binomial logistic regression confirmed that species, life-stage (juvenile/adult) and ecoregion were significant (p < 0.001) predictors of the probability of wide-ranging behaviour. A Gaussian model confirmed that species and ecoregion were also significant (p < 0.001) predictors of direction and distance of wide-ranging movement. However, the direction and distance of wide-ranging movements in juveniles did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) to that of adults. The median growth rate was mostly greater in wide- ranging individuals; however, this was only statistically significant (p < 0.05) in two cases. These findings provide unequivocal evidence of life-cycle diversity in five fish species, with vastly different life-histories. This ecological phenomenon may provide species resilience at the population level and needs to be considered in fisheries management initiatives. The movement of fishes is a fundamental aspect to consider when designing fishery management regimes. Unfortunately, traditional management strategies have often disregarded movement behaviour to the detriment of fish populations (Chapter 6). As a case study, the management of Lichia amia (Category I: wide-ranging) was evaluated in the context of its movement behaviour. Long-term catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) datasets were examined for three South African recreational fishery sectors. The CPUE was standardised using generalized linear models (delta-Gamma/hurdle approach) to reduce the effect of factors other than abundance. Factors that were available for this purpose were year, month and locality/zone. Year was included in every model as the primary objective was to detect trends in abundance over time. Although standardised CPUE for all sectors showed an overall long-term decline, there was considerable variability in trends between the different recreational sectors and between datasets. Contrasting trends between competitive shore angling and general shore angling datasets were ascribed to hyperstability in competitive CPUE data. Hyperstability in this case was mostly influenced by rapidly improving technology, techniques and communication networks amongst competitive anglers. Month and locality were significant factors explaining the probability of catching L. amia. This suggests that the predictable aggregatory behaviour of this species could further compound the observed CPUE hyperstability. Although the CPUE responded positively for six years after implementation of the first minimum size and bag limits, and for one year after the decommercialisation of the species, these regulations and their amendments failed to arrest a long-term decline in the CPUE despite the ample evidence for hyperstability. It is clear from this case study that the predictable nature of wide-ranging behaviour in L. amia has made the population vulnerable to exploitation. This has led to the demise in the population, which could have been worse if not for the occurrence of intra-population variability in its movement behaviour, which may provide some measure of resilience.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Movement patterns and genetic stock delineation of an endemic South African sparid, the Poenskop, Cymatoceps nasutus (Castelnau, 1861)
- Authors: Murray, Taryn Sara
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Fish stock assessment -- South Africa , Sparidae -- South Africa , Fishes -- Reproduction -- South Africa , Fishing -- South Africa , Fish populations -- South Africa , Fishes -- Behavior -- South Africa , Marine fishes -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5178 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001514 , Fish stock assessment -- South Africa , Sparidae -- South Africa , Fishes -- Reproduction -- South Africa , Fishing -- South Africa , Fish populations -- South Africa , Fishes -- Behavior -- South Africa , Marine fishes -- South Africa
- Description: Poenskop Cymatoceps nasutus (Pisces: Sparidae), an endemic South African sparid, is an important angling species being predominantly targeted by the recreational shore and skiboat sector. This species is slow-growing, long-lived, late-maturing and sex-changing, making poenskop acutely sensitive to over-exploitation. Despite interventions, such as the imposition of size and bag limits (currently 50 cm TL and one per licensed fisher per day) by authorities, catch-per-unit-effort trends reflect a severe and consistent stock decline over the last two decades. Poenskop has been identified as a priority species for research and conservation. Although the biology and population dynamics of this species have been well-documented, little is known about the movement behaviour of poenskop. Furthermore, there is a complete lack of information on its genetic stock structure. This thesis aimed to address the current knowledge gaps concerning movement behaviour and genetic stock structure of poenskop, making use of a range of methods and drawing on available information, including available fishery records as well as published and unpublished survey and research data, and data from long-term monitoring programmes. Analysis of available catch data (published and unpublished) revealed a decline in the number of poenskop caught as well as size of fish taken over the last two decades, ultimately reflecting the collapse of the stock (estimated to be at 20% of their pristine level). Improved catch-per-unit-effort data from the Tsitsikamma National Park Marine Protected Area (MPA), and larger poenskop being caught in the no-take areas than adjacent exploited areas of the Pondoland MPA confirmed that MPAs can be effective for the protection and management of poenskop. The current MPA network in South Africa is already wellestablished, and encompasses considerable reef areas, being preferable for poenskop habitation. Conventional dart tagging and recapture information from three ongoing, long-term fishtagging projects, conducted throughout the poenskop’s distribution, indicated high levels of residency at all life-history stages. Coastal region, seasonality and time at recapture did not appear to have a significant effect on the level of movement or distance moved. However, on examining the relationship among coastal movements and fish size and ages, larger and older fish (adults) moved greater distances, with juveniles and sub-adults showing high degrees of residency. An estimation of home-range size indicated smaller poenskop to hold smaller home-ranges, while larger poenskop hold larger home-ranges. Large easterly displacements of a number of adult poenskop is in accordance with previous findings that this species may undertake a unidirectional migration up the coastline of South Africa where they possibly settle in Transkei waters for the remainder of their lives. This high level of residency makes poenskop vulnerable to localised depletion, although they can be effectively protected by suitable MPAs. Despite considerable tagging effort along the South African coastline (2 704 poenskop tagged with 189 recaptures, between 1984 and 2010), there remains limited information on the connectivity of different regions along the South African coastline. This was addressed using mitochondrial DNA sequencing. The mitochondrial DNA control region was used due to its high substitution rate, haploid nature, maternal inheritance and absence of recombination. The mtDNA sequencing showed no evidence of major geographic barriers to gene flow in this species. Samples collected throughout the core distribution of poenskop showed high genetic diversity (h = 0.88, π = 0.01), low genetic differentiation among regions, no spatial structure (ɸST = 0.012, p = 0.208) and no evidence of isolation by distance. The collapsed stock status of poenskop as well as the fact that it is being actively targeted by recreational and commercial fishers suggests that this species requires improved management, with consideration given to its life-history style, residency and poor conservation status. Management recommendations for poenskop, combined with increasing South Africa’s existing MPA network, include the possibility of setting up a closed season (during known spawning periods) as well as the decommercialisation of this species. The techniques used and developed in this study can also be adopted for other overexploited linefish species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013