LLong-term transportation of Scomber japonicus and Sarda sarda, with notes on the use of

Amquel and pH buffering agents

João Correia1, José Graça1, Morikawa Hirofumi1, Nicole Kube2, Teresa Modesto3, Pedro Guerreiro3, Maria João Silva3

1 Flying Sharks, Lisboa / Olhão, Portugal - www.flyingsharks.eu2 Ozeaneum, Stralsund, Germany – www.ozeaneum.de3 Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal – www.ualg.pt

www.flyingsharks.eu

About us

Transport to Ozeaneum I June 2009

Transport to Ozeaneum II August 2009

Transport to Ozeaneum III November 2009

The Science Summer 2009

SSummary

AAbout us - location

CCollections – bird’s eye view

Tunipex – Set-net 2,5 miles off the Algarve coastline, 20 ~ 60 m deep

coastline

New York

Casablanca

Athens

CCollections - operations

Tunipex – fishermen actively engaged - FAIR TRADE

– Net hauled twice daily

– 800 mm stretched mesh size allows passage of small specimens

– Sustainable fishing: 100 ~ 150 individual large tuna per year

– Passive fishing: non-target species released or sold; zero fish ‘trashed’

CCollections - research

FlyingSharksResearchFund– Multiple scholarships

TThe transports

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Concerns:– Very delicate animals

– High O2 consumption

– Research done at Monterey Bay Aq. (Chuck Farwell et al.)

– Oceanário amongst 1st

– Introduction since 1997

– Paper EUAC 1998 by Allan Marshall

– Large numbers to L’Oceanogràfic 2002/03

Free loaders:Boops boops Diplodus cervinus Epinephelus marginatus Lagocephalus lagocephalus Mola mola Mugil cephalus Muraena helenaPagelus aurigaPagrus pagrusSarpa salpaScorpaena scrofa Spondyliosoma cantharus Trachurus trachurus

Dasyatis pastinacaMyliobatis aquilaPteromylaeus bovinusTorpedo torpedo

Octopus vulgarisPalinurus elephas

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Route:– Total duration: 24 hours, by road and air

Olhão, Portugal

Stralsund, Germany

Leipzig, Germany

Lisbon, Portugal

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Loading 3 hrs

Road-trip 4 hrs

Loading aircraft 3 hrs

Air-trip 3 hrs

Offloading 2 hrsRoad-trip 6 hrs

Acclimation 3 hrs

Catching:– Catching with vynil ‘box’

– NEVER touch animals

– ALWAYS use latex gloves and plastic bag

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Loading:– Loading and counting

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Loading:– Loading and counting

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Logistics:– 1,6 m diam. round polyethilene vat

– Operational volume: 1.300 L

– Filtration:

– Mechanical: cartridge

– Chemical: activated carbon

– 0% water change

– Amquel / Bicarbonate / Carbonate:

27 Jun: 11,5 / 11,5 / 23,111,5 / 11,5 / 23,1 mg/L mg/L x 4 tanks Scomber japonicus

1 Aug: 30,8 / 15,4 / 30,830,8 / 15,4 / 30,8 mg/L mg/L x 5 tanks Scomber japonicus

28 Nov: 19,2 / 30,8 / 30,819,2 / 30,8 / 30,8 mg/L mg/L x 2 tanks Sarda sarda

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Water quality - preparations:

– Amquel / Bicarb / Carb:

– 27 Jun ( mg/L ):

11,5 / 11,5 / 23,111,5 / 11,5 / 23,1

– 1 Aug ( mg/L ):

30,8 / 15,4 / 30,830,8 / 15,4 / 30,8– 28 Nov ( mg/L ):

19,2 / 30,8 / 30,819,2 / 30,8 / 30,8

Not drugs(really!)

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Water quality - monitoring:

– Ammonia

– pH

– Temperature

– Oxygen

– …monitored every 2~3 hours

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Arrival:– Acclimation procedures

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Arrival:– Introduction in plastic bags (inside bucket)

– Quarantine

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Arrival:– Quarantine

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Arrival:– Exhibition

TTransport – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Bioloads:

RResults – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Date Species # ind. Biomass (kg) Bioload (kg / m 3)

27 Jun 09 Scomber japonicus 212 21 16,327 Jun 09 Scomber japonicus 220 22 16,927 Jun 09 Scomber japonicus 152 15 11,727 Jun 09 Scomber japonicus 166 17 12,81 Aug 09 Scomber japonicus 224 22 17,21 Aug 09 Scomber japonicus 210 21 16,21 Aug 09 Scomber japonicus 224 22 17,21 Aug 09 Scomber japonicus 224 22 17,21 Aug 09 Scomber japonicus 237 24 18,2

28 Nov 09 (*) Sarda sarda 5 5 3,828 Nov 09 Sarda sarda 4 4 3,1

Total S. japonicus 1.869 187 - - -Total S. sarda 9 9 - - -Mean S. japonicus 208 21 16,0

(*) Includes miscellaneous fish: 2 Raja sp., 1 Torpedo sp., 1 Pagellus sp., 1 Seriola sp., 1 Spondyliosoma sp., 3 Octopus vulgaris

0,0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

0 4 8 12 16 20

Bioload (kg/m3)

Me

an

NH 4

+

Mean NH4+ (ppm) 27-Jun-09 (11 / 11 / 23)

Mean NH4+ (ppm) 1-Aug-09 (31 / 15 / 31)Mean NH4+ (ppm) 28-Nov-09 (19 / 31 / 31)

0,0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

0 4 8 12 16 20

Me

an

NH

4+

Bioload (kg/m3)

Mean NH4+ (ppm) 27-Jun-09 (11 / 11 / 23)

Mean NH4+ (ppm) 1-Aug-09 (31 / 15 / 31)

Mean NH4+ (ppm) 28-Nov-09 (19 / 31 / 31)

NH4+ vs. Bioload – effect of Amquel

RResults – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

7,6

7,7

7,8

7,9

8,0

8,1

8,2

8,3

8,4

0 4 8 12 16 20

Me

an

pH

Bioload (kg/m3)

Mean pH 27-Jun-09 (11 / 11 / 23)Mean pH 1-Aug-09 (31 / 15 / 31)Mean pH 28-Nov-09 (19 / 31 / 31)

pH vs. Bioload – effect of Bicarb. + Carb.

RResults – Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Maria João Silva (Univ. Algarve)– M.Sc. on Physiological stress

– Hormone levels in blood Argyrosomus regius blood serum before, during, after transport

– Best concentrations of Amquel / Buffers

SScience– Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

Maria João Silva (Univ. Algarve)– Flying Sharks Research Fund scholarship recipient

SScience– Scomber japonicus & Sarda sarda

NH4+ [0,25 ppm]

0,0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1,0

1,2

1,4

1,6

0 5 10 15 20 25 30Time (min)

NH

4+ (p

pm

)

30 / 30 / 15

20 / 20 / 10

15 / 15 / 7,5

10 / 10 / 5

NH4+ [0,50 ppm]

0,0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1,0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60Time (min)

NH

4+ (p

pm

)

40 / 40 / 20

30 / 30 / 15

15 / 15 / 7,5

NH4+ [1,70 ppm]

0,0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1,0

1,2

1,4

1,6

1,8

2,0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30Time (min)

NH

4+ (p

pm

)

40 / 40 / 20

30 / 30 / 15

20 / 20 / 10

15 / 15 / 7,5

NH4+ [2,50 ppm]

0,0

0,3

0,6

0,9

1,2

1,5

1,8

2,1

2,4

2,7

3,0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60Time (min)

NH

4+ (p

pm

)

40 / 40 / 2030 / 30 / 1520 / 20 / 1015 / 15 / 7,510 / 10 / 5

SScience– Scomber japonicus

Maria João Silva (Univ. Algarve)– Multiple essays (2.000 L tanks) Amquel / Bicarb / Carb:

Date Inst. Amquel (g) Bicarb (g) Carb (g) [Amquel] (mg/L) [Bicarb] (mg/L) [Carb] (mg/L)

Volume 27 Jun 09 Flying Sharks 15 15 30 11,5 11,5 23,1Flying Sharks (L) 1 Aug 09 Flying Sharks 40 20 40 30,8 15,4 30,8

1.300 28 Nov 09 Flying Sharks 25 40 40 19,2 30,8 30,8Volume Univ. Algarve 40 40 20 20,0 20,0 10,0

Univ. Algarve (L) Univ. Algarve 30 30 15 15,0 15,0 7,52.000 Univ. Algarve 20 20 10 10,0 10,0 5,0

Univ. Algarve 15 15 7,5 7,5 7,5 3,8Univ. Algarve 10 10 5 5,0 5,0 2,5

CConclusionsBest concentration: 19,2 / 30,8 / 30,8 mg/L19,2 / 30,8 / 30,8 mg/L

– RECOMMENDED concentration: 20 / 20 / 5050 / / 5050 mg/L mg/L

CConclusionsAmquel :– Excellent results keeping ammonia low (< 0,50 ppm)

– 20 ppm in water seems to be sufficient for bioloads up to 18 kg / m3

Bicarb. / Carb.:– Excellent results keeping pH high (> 7,90 ppm)

– ...but 30 ppm in water is barely sufficient for bioloads up to 18 kg / m3

– 50 ppm is recommended

History:– Good record keeping allowed for better and better results

AAcknowledgements