Parentage determination of black sea bream(Acanthopagrus schlegelii)for stock enhancement:effectiveness and loss of genetic variation

The stock enhancement programs for black sea bream Acanthopagrus schlegelii have been conducted in China for a fewyears.However,little information has been reported concerning the effectiveness and genetic effect of black sea bream stock enhancement.In order to detect the contribution of released individuals in Zhujiang River Estuary(ZRE)and Daya Bay(DB),six microsatellite markers were used to identify the hatchery-released individuals.In addition,this pedigree of hatchery populations(broodfish and hatchery-released offspring)was traced to detect the number of effective parents(N_(e)),the inbreeding coefficient and the decrease of genetic variability in the reproduction.The pedigree reconstruction showed that at least 69(out of 93)broodfish had offspring.The estimated N_(e) was 54.8,consequently the inbreeding coefficient was 0.91%.The genetic diversity of hatchery-released offspring was lower than that in that of broodfish(heterozygosity alleles,0.727-0.774),some alleles(number of alleles,61-69)and genetic variance were lost during reproduction.It was observed that wild samples had higher levels of genetic diversity compared with hatchery populations as well as recaptured samples in releasing area.A total of 128 hatchery-released black sea bream were identified among 487 recaptured samples in ZRE,while a total of 15 samples were identified among 96 samples in DB.In summary,there was a high survival of released fish.N_(e)vertheless,the results provided evidence to consider a loss of genetic variation in hatcheryreleased stock and a negative genetic effect of the stock enhancement.

Thirty years of change:Assessing the dynamics of fish communities in Daya Bay,a semi-enclosed coastal ecosystem of the South China sea

Daya Bay is a semi-enclosed bay in the South China Sea which is a coastal ecosystem with significant ecological and economic value that is subjected to a variety of anthropogenic disturbances.However,long-term variation in fish community structure in this Bay remains uncertain.In this study,we aimed to explore the changing characteristics of fish species composition and community structure in Daya Bay during the past 30 years using data from 1989 to 2021 from bottom trawl surveys and historical literature data.As of now,a total of 544 species of fish have been identified in the Bay,belonging to 24 orders and 125 families.The structure of the fish community in the bay has changed over time.Firstly,there has been a clear decrease in the number of species and biomass of large fish.Secondly,the number of fish constituent orders and families has decreased.Moreover,both the average taxonomic distinctness and variation in taxonomic distinctness decreased from 1989 to 2021.Thirdly,there is low similarity among fishes at different time phases and distinct changes in the composition of dominant species.Present results indicate that the fish community structure in Daya Bay has tended to reflect a decline in diversity,shifts in composition,and shrinking of fish body size in the past 30 years.This study improves our understanding of fish species composition and its drivers over time in Daya Bay,providing important knowledge to support the protection and restoration of this ecosystem and the important ecosystem services it provides.

Species composition and succession of coral reef fishes in Huaguang Reef,Xisha Islands

A list of coral reef fish species of Huaguang Reef was compiled in 2023 using hand fishing,diving fishing,underwater video,and eDNA detection,combined with historical data from 1979 and archival records from the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences for the years of 1998,1999,2003,and 2005.Successional characteristics of coral reef fishes through time were also explored.The findings revealed:(1)A total of 299 coral reef fish species were identified in Huaguang Reef,categorized into 2 classes,16 orders,and 56 families,with Perciformes exhibiting the highest species count(234),constituting 78.26%of all species.(2)In comparison to the period of 1979–2005,there was a reduction in the number of species at the order and family levels in 2023 at Huaguang Reef.Both the average taxonomic distinctness(Δt)and the variation in taxonomic distinctness(Λt)exhibited a declining trend,indicating disturbances in the fish ecosystem.(3)The proportion of herbivorous fish at Huaguang Reef remained relatively stable in 2023 compared to the 1979–2005 period.Notably,the similarity coefficient of herbivorous fish was the highest among different feeding types,signifying a degraded state of the Huaguang Reef habitat.(4)In contrast to the 1979–2005 period,a significant decline was observed in large-sized and carnivorous fish species at Huaguang Reef in 2023.The low similarity coefficients for both categories,with undiscovered fish species accounting for 58.49%and 45.76%of their respective taxa in the total list,respectively,suggested a notable impact of overfishing on coral reef fishes.The succession patterns revealed in this study provide a theoretical foundation for advancing the sustainable development of coral reef fish resources in the Xisha Islands and offer valuable insights for the protection and management of coral reef fishes.