A small-scale preliminary investigation into the breeding and rearing of the seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis Leeson, 1827 in New Zealand was conducted using 12 wildbroodstock. These broodstock were maintained in a hatchery for breeding and the breeding behaviours exhibited by these were observed and described. Over a period of 6 months a total of 12 broods of juveniles were produced. These were then raised on a diet consisting mainly of enriched Artemia for a period of 1 year. After this period juveniles had reached a mean ± 1 SE total length of 110.73 ±0.13 mm, mean ± 1 SE wet weight of 3.07 + 0.23 g, and were reproductively mature. The mean + 1 SE survival per brood after 1 year was 10.57 ± 3.49%.
This investigation examined the diet of adult wild seahorses, Hippocampus abdominalis Leeson 1827, from Wellington Harbour, New Zealand. Diet of seahorses (n = 59) collected from shallow subtidal macroalgal stands consisted largely of crustaceans, in particular amphipods (e.g., caprellid and ischyrocerid amphipods), caridean shrimp (i.e., Hippolyte bifidirostris), and peracarids (i.e., the mysid Tenagomysis similis). There were no differences in diet between male and female seahorses. Smaller seahorses consumed a greater amount of crustaceans than larger seahorses, as a result of the greater proportion of amphipods in their gut contents. There were some seasonal differences in diet, with amphipod consumption peaking in spring and summer, and decapod consumption lowest in autumn.
We compared the gonad-enhancing effects of two diets (NIWA and NIFA diets) in two size classes of sea urchins (Evechinus chloroticus): small and large urchins with a test diameter of 75.6 ± 1.2 mm and 93.8 ± 0.5 mm, weighing 174.8 ± 7.9 g and 315 ± 5.6 g, respectively. After eight weeks being fed prepared diets, urchin gonad index (GI) had significantly surpassed that of the initial and final samples of wild urchins. Urchins in the NIWA/small treatment had a larger GI than the NIFA/small and NIFA/large treatments. The NIWA/large treatment had a larger GI than the NIFA/large treatment. The overall percentage increase in GI for the NIWA/small, NIWA/large, NIFA/small and NIFA/large treatments were 183%, 135%, 132% and 85%, respectively. In terms of gonad colour (CIELAB), there were no significant differences in gonad redness (a*) or yellowness (b*) between experimental treatments, but there was a significant difference in gonad lightness (L*) with small urchins fed both diets having lighter-coloured gonads than the large urchins fed both diets. Sensory assessment of gonads revealed that gonads from small urchins fed both diets were rated as being of better colouration and more uniform in colour than gonads from large urchins. Gonads of urchins fed the NIFA diet were rated as being less bitter and of better overall taste than gonads from urchins fed the NIWA diet. This study shows that feeding prepared diets to E. chloroticus can significantly increase gonad yield but that different diets can affect the magnitude of GI increase and the taste of gonads, and that smaller urchins appear more suitable for gonad enhancement.
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