Removal of dead fish eggs by Asellus aquaticus as a potential biological control in aquaculture.

The objective of the present experimental study was to gain a better understanding of the foraging activity of Asellus aquaticus during fish egg incubation. A. aquaticus were introduced into experimental setups of dead eggs, viable eggs and hatched larvae of zebrafish (Danio rerio), a commonly used model organism. The amount of A. aquaticus and the duration of their exposure to the eggs significantly affected the proportion of consumed dead eggs in each experimental cycle. A. aquaticus belongs to the group of aquatic detritivores, and no predatory behavior was observed during the experiments. These crustaceans could distinguish between the dead eggs and those containing living embryos. Furthermore, zebrafish larvae remained unharmed by A. aquaticus, even in the absence of alternative food source. These findings underscore the potential sanitary role of these crustaceans in natural waters and offer new perspectives on their possible use as biological control organisms in aquaculture hatcheries. Additionally, our results suggest a potential application of A. aquaticus in combating pathogens by reducing the growth substrates for bacteria and fungi.

Chemical and Physical Properties of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Fillet Following Prolonged Feeding with Insect Meal-Based Diets.

A 25-week experiment was undertaken to explore the effect of partial replacement of dietary fishmeal (FM) with black soldier fly meal (Hermetia illucens) (BS), mealworm meal (Tenebrio molitor) (MW), and a 1 : 1 mixture of both insect meals (BSMW) on fillet quality in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). A total of 96 fish with an average initial body weight of 248 ± 28 g were stocked into a recirculating aquaculture system and fed in four different dietary groups (control, BS, MW, and BSMW). No mortality was recorded in any of the groups. At the end of the feeding period, 24 fish (n = 6 for each treatment, weight between 690 and 822 g) were used for analysis. There was no alteration in filleting yield or other slaughter indices within experimental groups, except the hepatosomatic index. Among quality attributes, pH 24 hr postmortem exhibited a significant difference (p < 0.05). In respect of the fatty acid profile, the n-6/n-3 ratio ranged between 1.17 and 1.40 but was not significantly modified by the partial replacement of FM. Similarly, the proximate composition of the fillets was not significantly different between the control and experimental diet groups. The ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acids ranged between 0.67 and 0.79 in the fillets, without significant differences between groups. The atherogenic index was increased in the BS group, as compared to the others; however, the thrombogenicity index of fillets was not significantly affected. Similarly, the conventional quality traits of the fillet, such as cooking, drip, and thawing losses, did not differ within treatments. This study demonstrates that the dietary inclusion of black soldier fly and/or mealworm meals used for African catfish at the tested inclusion level has negligible impact on fillet properties.

Physiological Response of Grower African Catfish to Dietary Black Soldier Fly and Mealworm Meal.

A six-week experiment was carried out to test the effects of total (100%) and partial (50%) replacement of fish meal in the diet of African catfish growers with black soldier fly (B) meal, yellow mealworm (M) meal, and a 1:1 combination of both (BM) on the production and health of fish. A total of 420 fish with an average initial body weight of 200 ± 0.5 g were randomly distributed in triplicate to seven diet groups (C, B50, B100, M50, M100, BM50, and BM100, respectively). The growth performance and feed utilization of fish fed with partial or total replacement levels of FM with B were not significantly affected (p > 0.05) during the 6 weeks of feeding. In contrast, significant differences were observed between the groups fed with a diet where FM was totally replaced with M meal and the control in terms of final body weight, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and protein productive value. Among the blood plasma biochemistry parameters, total cholesterol exhibited a significant difference (p = 0.007) between the M treatments and the control diet. The fatty acid profile of the liver was changed with respect to the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid content in all experimental groups. Parallel with this, the upregulation of elovl5 and fas genes in liver was found in all experimental groups compared to the control. Overall, this study shows that fish meal cannot be substituted with yellow mealworm meal in the practical diet of African catfish without compromising the growth, health and feed utilization parameters.

Artificial insemination of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) using cryopreserved sperm.

In this study, we aimed to develop a practical protocol for using cryopreserved sperm for induced/wild/tank spawning of fish species with external fertilization. Experiments were carried out on African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) as a model species. Sperm was collected for cryopreservation and diluted with the cryomedium (266 mM fructose, 20% methanol) at a ratio of 1:1 with a final methanol concentration of 2.47 M pH7.73. Diluted sperm was loaded into 0.5-ml straws and cryopreserved by conventional protocol. Samples were prepared for insemination 24 h later, by thawing for 13 s in a 40 °C water bath, and centrifuged at 500 × g for 10 min at 20 °C. The seminal plasma, extender and external cryoprotectant were removed from the concentrated spermatozoa. The pellet was then resuspended in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) seminal plasma to reconstitute the lost volume. Sperm samples were then injected by a catheter into the ovarian cavity through the oviduct of the experimental females by the so-called ovarian lavage method in parallel with the intramuscular hormonal administration (5 mg carp pituitary/kg bw). Inseminated females (n = 9) were monitored for 10 h and ovulated eggs and spermatozoa stored in in the ovary were stripped. Stripped gamete samples were divided into two batches: (1) the first batch contained only the previously injected spermatozoa and was activated by aerated water (WA) immediately after stripping; (2) in case of the second batch additional, freshly stripped sperm was added as positive control to the stripped eggs before water activation (PC). Furthermore, five females were propagated by using the dry fertilization method (in vitro fertilization) as negative control (NC). All sperm and hormone injected females produced fertilised eggs with a hatching rate of 17.7 ±â€¯13.2%, 12.5 ±â€¯9.3%, and 61 ±â€¯11.5% for WA, PC and NC respectively. These results indicate that artificial insemination based on using cryopreserved sperm with ovarian lavage can be a viable alternative to in vitro fertilization in a catfish species. Thus, we describe a proof of principle for a practical protocol for the induced/wild/tank spawning of an externally fertilising fish species with economical importance and propose that the protocol could be also applied to endangered marine or fresh fish species.