Genetic differentiation was studied among Leporinus friderici, L. granti, L. lebaili and L. affinis steyermarki, neotropical fish of the anostomid family found in French Guiana, using starch-gel protein electrophoresis. Fifteen enzymatic proteins representing twenty loci have been screened. This revealed marked genetic differences between these species, which are hardly morphologically discernable and indicates they are reproductively isolated. Diagnostic loci for unequivocal species identification have been found and will allow establishment of pure breeding stocks for planned aquaculture of Leporinus species.

During a SCUBA survey on herring spawning beds on and near Fisherman's Bank (NAFO Div. 4T) conducted in September 1985, divers observed a spawning bed with heavy egg depositions, which frequently reached thicknesses between 20 to 30 layers. Continuous egg carpets of this thickness extended over an area of approximately 200 × 500 m. Most of the egg mass on this spawning bed was in a state of deterioration, showing mass mortality and extended fungi coverage.

Egg samples taken from various layers showed that almost all eggs were fertilized. Live egg batches were incubated for further observation. Embryos were found to be in various developmental stages. The rate of development was obviously related to the position within the egg mass. Many embryos from the surface appeared to be normal. All eggs located below the second layer exhibited embryos with various malformations.

Egg samples did not show any evidence of the presence of Ichtyophonus, a known fungal disease in herring. None of the isolates obtained are known to be pathogenic to fish eggs. The observed mass mortality of herring eggs on the spawning bed was mainly caused by spontaneous intensive mass spawning leading to an unusually dense packing of the deposited eggs and therefore not permitting sufficient separation for water exchange and oxygen supply.

Environmental factors accompanying such spontaneous mass spawning are not well understood. Vertical temperature profiles from nearby locations showed sudden sub-surface temperature changes coinciding with the time of spawning. Meteorological conditions indicated wind-related water displacement near the spawning bed. While no drastic change in temperature was observed near the surface, changes of about 8 °C occurred in one day, at 20 m depth. These events may have triggered the mass spawning in a restricted area, later resulting in heavy mortalities when embryos reached advanced developmental stages requiring substantial oxygen supplies.

The factors affecting spatial distribution of the ormer (Haliotis tuberculata L.) in the vicinity of Saint-Malo (northern Brittany, France) are analyzed using a multivariate approach. A correspondence analysis is applied to a contingency table based on 200 samples. Ormers are always absent from smooth rocky substrata, exposed to a strong current or deeper than 8 m below low chart datum. Abundance and biomass of H. tuberculata are distributed along a gradient correlated with an increasing complexity of habitat and a reduction of current. Otherwise, no correlation has been found between characteristics of ormer distribution and surge, depth or large and turf algae.

The main characteristics of the reproductive biology of Tilapia guineensis and Sarotherodon melanotheron have been studied in Ebrié lagoon (Ivory Coast), with a comparison between natural and cultured populations. In this lagoon, the two species breed throughout the year without interruption. However, seasonal variations in the intensity of the sexual activity have been observed and are more pronounced at the Layo aquaculture station, where the hydroclimate is more unstable than in other lagoon sectors studied. The proportion of mature individuals, the mean GSI, the relative fecundity and the spawning frequency are higher during the dry season than during the rainy season. In rearing enclosures, both species reach sexual maturity at a smaller size, and produce smaller but more numerous oocytes than in the wild. On the other hand, the relationship between the spawn weight and the female body weight are remarkably similar under both situations. For S. melanotheron, which is a male mouthbreeder, the number of brooded eggs or fry is positively related to the male body weight. In 2 m3 concrete tanks, the mean elapsed time between two successive spawnings is about 2 weeks for S. melanotheron and about 3 weeks for T. guineensis.

Sixteen silver eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) were tagged with pressure-sensing ultrasonic transmitters and tracked for 1 to 152 hours, 12 in the western Mediterranean and 4, treated with pituitary extracts, in the Sargasso Sea. When released on the shelf of the Mediterranean near Gibraltar the eels preferred a course which led them continuously to deeper water. Four specimens released on the Morrocan shelf, reached depths of 350 m, continued to swim north or changed their earlier easterly course towards the north. Three eels in the Sargasso Sea showed progress in a southwesterly direction. No influence of tidal stream on the swimming course and speed is obvious except for one eel, released in the Straits of Gibraltar. In the Mediterranean, the eels exhibited conspicuous daily vertical migration downward during dusk and upward during dawn with a mean swimming depth of 196 m during darkness, 344 m during daylight. Depth preference during night probably varied with the phase of the moon. Maximum swimming depth near Gibraltar as well as in the Sargasso Sea was nearly 700 m. The eels in the Mediterranean swam at a mean speed of 0.3 m.s−1 and were slower than most eels tracked in northern waters. Differences in the speed and in the directed swimming in the course of the lunar or the solar day are visible.

En utilisant la technique de l'électrophorèse sur gel d'amidon, la variabilité génétique de 16 populations de Crassostrea gigas naturalisées ou cultivées sur les côtes atlantiques françaises ont été comparées à une population de Miyagi (Japon). Les résultats de fréquences alléliques obtenus pour 13 locus analysés dans les 17 populations examinées, ont montré 4 locus monomorphes pour le même électromorphe pour les populations françaises et seulement 3 pour la population japonaise. Deux allèles particuliers (Aat-190 et αGpd-1112) ont été décelés dans la population japonaise. Cependant, les fréquences des allèles les plus communs pour chaque locus sont les mêmes en France et au Japon et les critères de variabilité génétique (taux de polymorphisme, taux d'hétérozygotie, nombre moyen d'allèle par locus) qui sont très élevés, sont du même ordre au Japon et en France, y compris pour une population originaire d'écloserie. Les critères d'identité génétique ont montré une similarité très forte entre la population du Japon et celle de France. Parmi celles-ci, quatre populations d'estuaires ont montré certains génotypes particuliers mis en évidence par analyse factorielle des correspondances.

Les stocks de clupéidés situés le long des côtes ouest-africaines vivent et se reproduisent dans des zones d'upwelling saisonnier ou permanent. Ce sont des milieux fluctuants où la productivité est très variable d'une zone et d'une saison à l'autre. Les principales nurseries sont distribuées de façon discontinue le long des côtes ouest-africaines et ne sont pas toujours situées dans les zones les plus productives. Les reproductions les plus intenses sont localisées là où le plateau continental s'élargit et où la côte s'incurve par rapport à la direction prépondérante des vents. Ces particularités topographiques, communes aux zones de reproduction, minimisent localement la dérive vers le large de la couche d'eau superficielle. En Côte-d'Ivoire et au Congo, l'activité reproductrice est maximale durant la saison d'upwelling. Le long de la façade atlantique, la reproduction est parfois décalée par rapport à l'upwelling, elle est maximale avant et/ou après la saison d'upwelling. Les périodes d'abondance du zooplancton n'étant pas toujours en phase avec l'upwelling, les saisons de reproduction semblent être décalées par rapport à l'upwelling afin d'offrir des conditions optimales pour le développement des larves. Un schéma théorique est proposé pour illustrer les stratégies spatio-temporelles de la reproduction suivant l'intensité de l'upwelling, en considérant deux facteurs limitants: la production planctonique et la stabilité du milieu. L'intensité des upwellings est variable d'une année à l'autre. Au Sénégal les stratégies de reproduction répondent à cette variabilité en modifiant le calendrier de la reproduction suivant l'intensité de l'upwelling. De nombreux faits ne valident pas le schéma théorique proposé. Ces écarts au modèle peuvent être perçus comme des facteurs de régulation potentiels face au caractère non prévisible de l'environnement. Dans une perspective évolutioniste, ces exemples illustrent l'adaptabilité des stratégies de reproduction.

In intensive culture, the two species of brackish water tilapia, T. guineensis and S. melanotheron, have proved disappointing. Even under most favourable conditions, i. e. the monosex male culture of S. melanotheron, a poor growth rate (about 0.5 g.d−1) and a mediocre feed conversion do not presage a profitable aquaculture exploitation. On the other hand, extensive culture trials using the original "acadja-enclosure" technique have given very encouraging results. Annual fish yields of more than 8 t/ha, including 70 to 80% of S. melanotheron of marketable size, are possible without any artificial feeding.

De nombreux travaux portant sur l'absorption directe et l'utilisation métabolique des substances organiques dissoutes et en particulier les acides aminés libres chez les larves de bivalves ont été entrepris ces dernières années. En ce qui concerne le glucose, constituant majeur des sucres dans le milieu marin, les résultats obtenus jusqu'à présent ont porté essentiellement sur les mécanismes d'absorption des larves d'invertébrés marins. Dans ce travail on étudie le rôle trophique du glucose dissous dans la nutrition des véligères de Mytilus edulis. En présence d'algues Phaeodactylum tricornutum, le glucose à des concentrations de 5.6 et 56 nmol/dm3 augmente le taux de filtration de 26 % et le taux d'ingestion de 10 %. Au contraire, aux fortes concentrations de 2,8 μmol/dm3 on assiste à une réduction du taux de filtration de 18 % et du taux d'ingestion de 10 %. De plus, l'utilisation de deux traccurs (algues marquées au 14C et glucose marqué au 3H) a permis de constater que la diminution de l'ingestion de cellules, observée en présence de 2,8 μmol/dm3 est accompagnée d'une augmentation d'absorption de glucose. A 2,8 μmol/dm3, sa contribution énergétique est estimée à 11,6 % du coût énergétique total correspondant à 34.5 % de l'énergie de la respiration. Cela met en évidence le rôle métabolique du glucose dissous lorsque les larves n'ont pas suffisament de cellules algales vivantes à leur disposition.

Les relations trophiques entre une population d'huîtres cultivées et la nourriture potentielle sont modélisées en tenant compte des caractéristiques du milieu estuarien. Un modèle en boîtes permet de coupler le transport du matériel particulaire et son assimilation par la population d'huîtres. Les échanges entre boîtes dépendent de leur volume, de l'excursion de marée et des débits résiduels calculés à partir des résultats d'un modèle numérique courantologique. La consommation, l'assimilation et la respiration sont les termes d'une équation de bilan énergétique permettant de simuler la croissance des huîtres. Le modèle met en évidence un gradient de croissance selon un axe sud-nord et l'interaction stock-performance de croissance. L'ensemble des résultats permet de montrer les limites du modèle et de justifier l'étude ultérieure de la remise en suspension au niveau du sédiment et du couplage entre la consommation et la production primaire.

The body components of female rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) reared in an experimental fish farm were studied during sexual maturation. For a period of 13 months, carcass, liver, gut and ovaries were sampled every month and their fat and non fat constituents analysed. In the trout, lipids are mainly stored in the carcass and to a less extent in the gut and ovaries. The distribution ranged from 68 to 73%, 31 to 6% and 0.1 to 20%, respectively from the beginning to the end of sexual maturation (March-November). Whatever the stage, carcass and visceral total lipids (TL) were mainly composed of neutral lipids (NL). The ovarian NL relative to TL content decreased from 90% during the first gonadal slow growth phase (SG. I from March to June) to 60% at ovulation in October or November while the proportion of phospholipids (PL) increased during the second slow growth phase (SG. II from July to August) and the rapid growth phase (RG from September until ovulation in October or November). This observation suggests that trout preferentially incorporate fatty acids into phospholipids in the oocyte during late ovarian growth.

During sexual maturation there was a large mobilisation of carcass and visceral lipid reserves, but non fat dry matter (NFDM) was only slightly changed. In our experimental fish (mean weight 1200 g) the loss of lipids averaged 76 g (42 and 34 g, respectively from the carcass and gut) versus 33 g for NFDM (from the carcass mainly). Loss of visceral lipids began during SG. I and ceased at ovulation in November, whereas loss of carcass lipids seemed to start during the RG phase and finished 1 month after ovulation.

Tilapia species are generally characterized by a large tolerance to salinity; however, such capacity to adapt to brackish or seawater may be modulated by environmental factors. The major osmoregulatory mechanisms involved in salinity adaptation are presented. Most of the available data concern the role of gills in salt or water exchange. The importance of different factors (environmental or endogenous) in such adaptation is also discussed. The second part presents a survey of the endocrine control of osmoregulation in tilapia. Both fast-acting (e. g. glucagon, urotensins, catecholamines) and long-acting (e.g. prolactin, cortisol) hormones have been studied. In conclusion, several areas of osmoregulatory physiology potentially interesting for aquaculture are discussed.

Introgression between introduced domesticated stocks and natural populations of brown trout was investigated by protein electrophoresis in three Mediterranean rivers. From each river, one undisturbed site and one, closely located, yearly stocked site were sampled. Comparison of the electrophoretic variation observed in samples from the undisturbed sites with that in the introduced hatchery strains revealed several specifically "domestic" variants. The genetic control of these variants was demonstrated by breeding experiments. The samples collected from the stocked sites showed introgression rates ranging from approximately 0 to 40%. The genotype frequencies observed in these samples suggested that no reproductive barrier exists between introduced and native stocks and that they form random mating populations.

Cette étude a pour objet le développement de la pêche artisanale dans un petit pays insulaire de Polynésie occidentale. La modernisation de la petite pêche et l'accès à la pêche au large contraignent les pêcheurs à une nouvelle gestion des moyens de production, de l'espace, du temps et de l'argent fondée sur des valeurs occidentales qui sont en contradiction avec l'environnement socio-culturel traditionnel. Des contraintes dues à un héritage ethno-historique ancestral constituent un frein au développement et à l'assimilation de nouveaux moyens de production. L'enquête a été menée au cours d'un séjour de deux mois aux îles Tonga en 1987, précédé de deux missions de chacune six mois en 1974 et 1983 consacrées à l'étude des techniques rituelles de pêche en les insérant dans une analyse globale de la société.

Reliable data on tilapia nutrition and feeding are scarce. In the best documented field, that of protein requirement, current data show good agreement with available information on coldwater and warmwater fishes. Various feedstuffs have been used to satisfy the protein needs, but the effects of variations of their quality have not been sufficiently studied. The main problem lies in the assessment of the effects of natural food in open rearing structures; thus there are some discrepancies with the results obtained in laboratory. More insight on in situ nutrition of pond fish, as well as the management of the feedstuffs and feeding practices is needed.

Oncorhynchus mykiss alevins originating from a monosex female population were treated with methyltestosterone incorporated in the diet (0.5 or 3 mg/kg) for 60 or 90 days from the beginning of first feeding. At sexual maturity the percentage masculinization achieved was high (89-98%) whatever the concentration or duration of treatment. However, the hormone concentration was the major factor in determining the frequency of functional males obtained. Of the 2-year-old neomales produced by the treatment with 0.5 mg/kg diet for 60 days 82% were able to emit their sperm under abdominal pressure compared to only 36% of those produced with 3 mg for 60 days. The increase in the duration of treatment also resulted in a decrease in the number of functional males from 82% (0.5 mg/60 days) to 72.6% (0.5 mg/90 days) and from 35.6% (3 mg/60 days) to 19.2% (3 mg/90 days). It is therefore recommended to use a low dose of hormone (0.5 mg/kg) for only 60 days to get a high proportion of functional males.

Sex steroid levels were determined in various commercial fish meals and complete diets. The results obtained demonstrate that estrone (E1), 17 β-estradiol (E2) and androgens (A) (testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone), are present in diets in high quantities (up to 935±350 ng/100 g for E2, 615±190 ng/100 g for E1 and 1100±120 ng/100 g for A) and with considerable variation both between different diets, and between different batches of the same diet. These high levels of sex steroids are thought to influence the sex steroid plasmatic levels and plasma vitellogenin content in fish. Plasma sex steroid assays in the Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baeri show that plasmatic 17 β-estradiol levels are never significantly different between males and females at various stages of oogenesis and spermatogenesis, except in 6 year old females in stage IV, which corresponds to the maximum incorporation of vitellogenin. In males the plasma 17 β-estradiol levels are exceptionally high and induce vitellogenin synthesis, as demonstrated by various chemical and immunological techniques.

Specimens belonging to 20 species (7 families) of catfishes have been collected in French Guyana. The anatomy and histology of the male reproductive tracts have been studied. In the most primitive species (Helogeneidae, Ariidae) no seminal vesicle is present in the males. In the Pimelodidae, Loricariidae and Callichthyidae (and also in an african Bagridae), there is a progressive transition, going from anterior to posterior in the male tract, from testicular tissue towards round germ cell-free tubules and finally to seminal vesicular tissue. All these families produce round-headed spermatozoa and have external fertilization. The Auchenipteridae and Ageneiosidae are characterized by elongated sperm nuclei, internal fertilization with the aid of a gonopodium and sperm storage in the ovaries. In the Auchenipteridae there is a clear-cut distinction between testes and seminal vesicles. In the Ageneiosidae there is no seminal vesicle, but the dilated deferent duct displays a high secretory activity. Depending on the family and species, the seminal vesicles may carry out either one or both of the two main functions: secretion and sperm storage. In addition, in some species, sperm is also stored in one or two accessory pouches until fertilization. The trends that we have observed in the changes in the organization of the reproductive tracts are in agreement with the hypotheses proposed for catfish evolution from comparative anatomical data.