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Aldo N. Palmisano

Publications and source records attributed to Aldo N. Palmisano.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Standardized seawater rearing of chinook salmon smolts to evaluate hatchery practices showed low statistical power

We examined, under standardized conditions, seawater survival of chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha at the smolt stage to evaluate the experimental hatchery practices applied to their rearing. The experimental rearing practices included rearing fish at different densities; attempting to control bacterial kidney disease with broodstock segregation, erythromycin injection, and an experimental diet; rearing fish on different water sources; and freeze branding the fish. After application of experimental rearing practices in hatcheries, smolts were transported to a rearing facility for about 2-3 months of seawater rearing. Of 16 experiments, 4 yielded statistically significant differences in seawater survival. In general we found that high variability among replicates, plus the low numbers of replicates available, resulted in low statistical power. We recommend including four or five replicates and using ?? = 0.10 in 1-tailed tests of hatchery experiments to try to increase the statistical power to 0.80.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society

Tissue-specific induction of Hsp90 mRNA and plasma cortisol response in chinook salmon following heat shock, seawater challenge, and handling challenge

In studying the whole-body response of chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) to various stressors, we found that 5-hour exposure to elevated temperature (mean 21.6°C; + 10.6°C over ambient) induced a marked increase in Hsp90 messenger RNA accumulation in heart, brain, gill, muscle, liver, kidney, and tail fin tissues. The most vital tissues (heart, brain, gill, and muscle) showed the greatest Hsp90-mRNA response, with heart tissue increasing approximately 35-fold. Heat shock induced no increase in plasma cortisol. In contrast, a standard handling challenge induced high plasma cortisol levels, but no elevation in Hsp90 mRNA in any tissue, clearly separating the physiological and cellular stress responses. We saw no increase either in tissue Hsp90 mRNA levels or in plasma cortisol concentrations after exposing the fish to seawater overnight.

Marine Biotechnology

Effects of rearing density and raceway conformation on growth, food conversion, and survival of juvenile spring chinook salmon

Four brood years of juvenile spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were reared in conventional and baffled raceways at various rearing densities and loads at Willamette Hatchery, Oregon. A period of rapid linear growth occurred from August to November, but there was little or no growth from November to March when the fish were released. Both fall and winter growth rates were inversely related to rearing density. Final weight and length were also inversely related to rearing density. No significant relationship between load and any growth variable was observed. Fish reared at lower densities in conventional raceways tended to develop bimodal length distributions in winter and early spring. Fish reared in conventional raceways showed significantly larger growth rates and final lengths and weights than those reared in baffled raceways. Food conversions and average delivery times for feed were significantly greater in baffled than in conventional raceways. No significant relationships were observed between either rearing density or load and condition factor, food conversion, or mortality. Mortality was not significantly different between the two raceway types. When fish were transported to seawater for further rearing, there were no significant relationships between mortality in seawater and rearing density or load, but fish reared in baffled raceways had significantly higher mortality than those reared in conventional raceways.

Progressive Fish-Culturist

Brood stock segregation for the control of bacterial kidney disease can affect mortality of progeny chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in seawater

Segregation of spring chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) brood stock based on the measurement of maternal Renibacterium salmoninarum infection levels by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the fluorescent antibody technique (FAT) was previously shown to affect the prevalence and levels of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) in progeny fish during hatchery rearing. Smolts from that study were subjected to standardized fish health and condition evaluation procedures 2 weeks before the conclusion of hatchery rearing and release of the fish for migration to the Pacific Ocean. The results suggested that the general health of the smolts in the progeny group from parents that had low R. salmoninarum infection levels or tested negative for R. salmoninarum (low-BKD group) was better than that of the smolts in the progeny group from female parents with high R. salmoninarum infection levels (high-BKD group). Testing by the ELISA showed that the overall severity of R. salmoninarum infection also was lower in the smolts from the low-BKD group. Subgroups of smolts from the study were acclimated to tanks of seawater for extended holding. After a 22-day acclimation period and 98 days in full-strength (29 ppt salinity) seawater, total mortality was 12% in the low-BKD group and 44% in the high-BKD group. All of the mortality in the low-BKD group and 85% of the mortality in the high-BKD group occurred after the fish were transferred to full-strength seawater. Testing of kidney tissues from all dead fish by the FAT revealed that 85% of the fish that died in the high-BKD group had high R. salmoninarum numbers, indicating that BKD was the cause of death. In contrast, none of the fish that died in the low-BKD group had detectable numbers of R. salmoninarum . We concluded that brood stock segregation by use of the ELISA and the FAT can affect mortality and the R. salmoninarum status of progeny chinook salmon for as long as 21 months after hatching, even after the fish have been transferred to seawater.

Aquaculture