Seasonal Variations in Seasonal Variations in Growth Physiology of Growth Physiology of

Forage FishForage Fish

Ashwin SreenivasanAshwin Sreenivasan

University of Alaska FairbanksUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks

School of Fisheries and Ocean School of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesSciences

Juvenile Fish GrowthJuvenile Fish Growth

• Affected by environmental variation:Affected by environmental variation:– seasonalityseasonality– habitathabitat– temperaturetemperature– dietdiet

• Direct and indirect effects on growthDirect and indirect effects on growth

• Complex interactionsComplex interactions

Juvenile Fish GrowthJuvenile Fish Growth

• GrowthGrowth– reproductionreproduction– conditioncondition– ecological growth modelsecological growth models

• Growth estimation methodsGrowth estimation methods– baseline databaseline data– seasonal metabolic patternsseasonal metabolic patterns– population healthpopulation health

Physiological Growth Physiological Growth EstimationEstimation

• Physiological growth indicesPhysiological growth indices– growth at tissue levelgrowth at tissue level

• Influence of specific parametersInfluence of specific parameters– biotic and abioticbiotic and abiotic

• Growth responses across taxaGrowth responses across taxa

• Vital inputs in ecological growth Vital inputs in ecological growth modelsmodels

Physiological Indices CriteriaPhysiological Indices Criteria

• Desired characteristics of a growth Desired characteristics of a growth indexindex- sensitivity- sensitivity- rapidity of response- rapidity of response- utility in meshing field and lab data- utility in meshing field and lab data

• Physiological growth indices exhibiting Physiological growth indices exhibiting above criteriaabove criteria– cellular metabolic enzyme activitycellular metabolic enzyme activity– cellular RNA/DNA ratioscellular RNA/DNA ratios

Cellular RNA/DNA (R/D) Cellular RNA/DNA (R/D) RatioRatio• DNA-cell number/biomassDNA-cell number/biomass• RNA-protein synthesisRNA-protein synthesis• Nutritional stressNutritional stress

-RNA fluctuation-RNA fluctuation• RNA concentration/activity variationRNA concentration/activity variation

– protein synthesisprotein synthesis– tissue growthtissue growth– nutritional conditionnutritional condition

Current ResearchCurrent ResearchForage FishForage Fish

• Forage fish-Pacific herring, larval gadids (P.cod, Forage fish-Pacific herring, larval gadids (P.cod, pollock)pollock)– critical ecological importance in Alaskan waterscritical ecological importance in Alaskan waters

• Cascade effectCascade effect– key preykey prey– Pacific cod, walleye pollock, salmonPacific cod, walleye pollock, salmon

• Seasonal growth physiologySeasonal growth physiology

-temperature stress-temperature stress

-overwinter stress-overwinter stress

-starvation stress & recovery-starvation stress & recovery

Current ResearchCurrent Research• Collaboration: NOAA Collaboration: NOAA

Auke Bay Laboratories Auke Bay Laboratories Habitat DivisionHabitat Division

• Field and lab componentField and lab component

• Seasonal biologySeasonal biology

• GrowthGrowth

-temperature-temperature

-diet-diet

• Integration of indicesIntegration of indices

• Bioenergetic Bioenergetic patterns/responsespatterns/responses

Research Study SamplesResearch Study Samples

• Juvenile Pacific herring (Juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasiiClupea pallasii) growth ) growth (2008 1(2008 1stst and 2 and 2ndnd series) series)– habitathabitat– temperature (6temperature (6ooC, 8.5C, 8.5ooC, 12.5C, 12.5ooC)C)– diet (starvation/compensatory growth)diet (starvation/compensatory growth)

• Larval Pacific cod (Larval Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalusGadus macrocephalus) growth ) growth (2008 & 2009)(2008 & 2009)– temperature (5temperature (5ooC, 8C, 8ooC)C)– dietdiet

• Larval Walleye pollock (Larval Walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogrammaTheragra chalcogramma) ) growth (2008 & 2009)growth (2008 & 2009)– temperature (5temperature (5ooC, 8C, 8ooC)C)

• Lab component: Lab component: herring studyherring study– Marrowstone Marine Marrowstone Marine

Laboratory (USGS)Laboratory (USGS)– 0+/1+ herring 0+/1+ herring

growthgrowth– temperature/diet temperature/diet

(6(6ooC, 8.5C, 8.5ooC, 12.5C, 12.5ooC)C)– 2 phases: feeding 2 phases: feeding

and starvationand starvation– 3 temperatures3 temperatures– periodic samplingperiodic sampling– March 2008March 2008– comprehensive comprehensive

seasonal growth seasonal growth information (R/D, information (R/D, lipids, proteins)lipids, proteins)

• Lab component: cod Lab component: cod studystudy– Hatfield Marine Hatfield Marine

Science Center Science Center (NOAA)(NOAA)

– 0+ P.cod growth0+ P.cod growth– temperature/diettemperature/diet– 2 concurrent phases2 concurrent phases– 3 temperatures3 temperatures– 4 diets4 diets– periodic samplingperiodic sampling– April-May 2008April-May 2008– preliminary larval preliminary larval

growth datagrowth data– repeat in 2009repeat in 2009

• Lab component: Lab component: pollock studypollock study– Hatfield Marine Hatfield Marine

Science Center Science Center (NOAA)(NOAA)

– 0+ pollock growth 0+ pollock growth (larvae)(larvae)

– 2 temperatures2 temperatures– periodic samplingperiodic sampling– April-May 2008April-May 2008– preliminary larval preliminary larval

growth datagrowth data

• repeat in 2009repeat in 2009

ObjectivesObjectives

1.1. Identify and compare temperature and diet Identify and compare temperature and diet influenced growth patterns in forage fishinfluenced growth patterns in forage fish

2.2. Relate physiological growth patterns to Relate physiological growth patterns to survivability/resilience of forage fish stockssurvivability/resilience of forage fish stocks

3.3. Incorporate R/D patterns into R/D-Incorporate R/D patterns into R/D-temperature-growth modelstemperature-growth models

4.4. Utilize growth patterns as inputs in Utilize growth patterns as inputs in formulating management plansformulating management plans

Larval P.cod RNA/DNA Larval P.cod RNA/DNA comparison (2008)-comparison (2008)-TemperatureTemperature

0.06

0.08

0.1

0.12

0.14

0.16

22 26 30 34 38

Days Post Hatch

Gro

wth

Ra

te (

mm

/da

y)

5 Degrees 8 Degrees

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Days Post Hatch

Len

gth

(m

m)

5 Degrees 8 Degrees

3.5

4

4.5

5

5.5

6

0 10 20 30 40Days Post Hatch

R/D

Ra

tio

5 degrees 8 degrees

Larval Pollock RNA/DNA Larval Pollock RNA/DNA comparison (2008)-comparison (2008)-TemperatureTemperature

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

0 10 20 30 40 50Days Post Hatch

R/D

ra

tio

5 degrees 8 degrees

0

24

68

10

1214

16

0 10 20 30 40 50Days Post Hatch

Len

gth

(m

m)

5 degrees 8 degrees

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

18 23 28 33 38Days Post Hatch

Gro

wth

Ra

te (

mm

/da

y)

5 degrees 8 degrees

Juvenile Herring RNA/DNA Juvenile Herring RNA/DNA Comparison-Compensatory Comparison-Compensatory Growth/Temperature (2008 1Growth/Temperature (2008 1stst series)series)

Ambient Tanks Herring R/D (8.5oC)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

3/13 4/12 5/12 6/11 7/11Date Sampled

R/D

Rat

io

Starved/Refed

Fed

Cold Tanks Herring R/D (6oC)

0

2

4

6

8

10

3/13 4/2 4/22 5/12 6/1 6/21 7/11Date Sampled

Starved/Refed

Fed

Hot Tanks Herring R/D (12.5oC)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

3/13 3/23 4/2 4/12 4/22 5/2 5/12 5/22 6/1Date Sampled

Starved/Refed

Juvenile Herring Lipid Comparison-Juvenile Herring Lipid Comparison-Compensatory Compensatory Growth/Temperature (2008 1Growth/Temperature (2008 1stst series)series)

Ambient Tank Herring Lipid %

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

3/23 4/2 4/12 4/22 5/2 5/12 5/22 6/1 6/11 6/21 7/1Date sampled

Lip

id %

Starved/Refed

Fed

Hot Tank Herring Lipid %

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

3/13 3/23 4/2 4/12 4/22 5/2 5/12 5/22 6/1

Date sampled

Starved/Refed

Cold Tank Herring Lipid %

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

4/12 4/22 5/2 5/12 5/22 6/1 6/11 6/21 7/1 7/11

Date sampled

Starved/Refed

Fed

Applications-Growth Applications-Growth PerformancePerformance

• RNA activity-temperature caveatRNA activity-temperature caveat

• R/D-growth-temperature calibration R/D-growth-temperature calibration modelsmodels

• Growth performance (GGrowth performance (Gpfpf=G/G=G/Gmaxmax))

• Measure of larval conditionMeasure of larval condition

• Formulation of reference growth rate Formulation of reference growth rate (G(Grefref))

• Estimated GEstimated Gpfpf across species across species

Growth PerformanceGrowth Performance

• Applications to Pacific herring-specific Applications to Pacific herring-specific growth modelsgrowth models

• R/D-growth-temperature models for R/D-growth-temperature models for starved herring across temperaturesstarved herring across temperatures

• Possible R/D cutoff pointPossible R/D cutoff point• Understanding growth during seasonal Understanding growth during seasonal

(winter) starvation and recovery (winter) starvation and recovery periods in herring life-historyperiods in herring life-history

Ongoing ResearchOngoing Research

• RNA/DNA analyses:RNA/DNA analyses:

-juvenile herring (2-juvenile herring (2ndnd stage replication) stage replication)

-juvenile cod & pollock (2009 samples)-juvenile cod & pollock (2009 samples)

• Metabolic enzyme analyses:Metabolic enzyme analyses:

-juvenile herring (2008 samples)-juvenile herring (2008 samples)

• Incorporation of R/D data into species Incorporation of R/D data into species specific growth modelsspecific growth models

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

• Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center BoardBoard

• School of Fisheries and Ocean School of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesSciences

• Dr. Bill SmokerDr. Bill Smoker

• NOAA Auke Bay LaboratoryNOAA Auke Bay Laboratory

• Dr. Stanley Rice, Dr. Ron Heintz, and Dr. Stanley Rice, Dr. Ron Heintz, and J.J. VollenweiderJ.J. Vollenweider