Oxytetracycline does not cause growth promotion in finfish.

Until recently, use of antibiotics to enhance terrestrial animal growth performance was a common, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved, but controversial practice.

Comparison of Sampling and Detection Methods for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Naturally Infected with Myxobolus cerebralis.

Myxobolus cerebralis (Mc) is a myxozoan parasite causing whirling disease in hatchery- and natural-origin salmonids. To minimize spread of this parasite and the incidence of its associated disease, fish health professionals routinely screen fish for Mc before stocking or moving the fish to Mc-free waters. Sample collection for Mc traditionally entails lethal sampling of cranial tissue followed by pepsin-trypsin digest (PTD) and screening of the sample for mature myxobolid myxospores (PTD method); however, nonlethal sampling methods would be advantageous in some circumstances, such as when dealing with rare or otherwise valuable fish.

Analysis of persistent halogenated hydrocarbons in fish feeds containing fish oil and other alternative lipid sources.

A trade-off exists between beneficial n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated acids and toxic persistent halogenated hydrocarbons (PHHs), both of which primarily originate from fish oil commonly used in fish feeds. Alternative lipid sources are being investigated for use in fish feeds to reduce harmful contaminant accumulation, hence, research is needed to evaluate PHHs in fish feeds with various lipid compositions. An analytical method was developed for PHHs including nine organochlorine insecticides (OCPs), 26 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and seven polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish feeds with differing proportions of fish oils and alternative lipid sources by GC-ECD after accelerated solvent extraction, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and sulfuric acid cleanup.

Fatty acid profile of sunshine bass: I. Profile change is affected by initial composition and differs among tissues.

Fatty acid (FA) composition of fillet tissue can be tailored by transitioning fish from alternative lipid-based, low long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) grow-out feeds to high LC-PUFA "finishing" feeds. To address whether grow-out feed composition influences the responsiveness of fillet tissue to finishing, sunshine bass (SB, Morone chrysops x M. saxatilis) were reared to a submarketable size on grow-out feeds containing fish oil (FO) or a 50:50 blend of FO and coconut (CO), grapeseed (GO), linseed (LO), or poultry (PO) oil.

Fatty Acid Profile of Sunshine Bass: II. Profile Change Differs Among Fillet Lipid Classes.

Fatty acid (FA) profile of fish tissue mirrors dietary FA profile and changes in a time-dependent manner following a change in dietary FA composition. To determine whether FA profile change varies among lipid classes, we evaluated the FA composition of fillet cholesteryl esters (CE), phospholipids (PL), and triacylglycerols (TAG) of sunshine bass (SB, Morone chrysops x M. saxatilis) raised on feeds containing fish oil or 50:50 blend of fish oil and coconut, grapeseed, linseed, or poultry oil, with or without implementation of a finishing period (100% FO feed) prior to harvest.

Modification of fillet composition and evidence of differential fatty acid turnover in sunshine bass Morone chrysops x M. saxatilis following change in dietary lipid source.

Marine oil-based finishing diets have been used to restore fillet FA profile in several "medium-fat" fleshed aquaculture species, and a simple dilution model describing FA turnover has been established to predict and tailor final fillet composition. We evaluated finishing diet efficacy and suitability of the dilution model to describe patterns of FA change in a lean-fleshed model, sunshine bass. Two practical diets (45% crude protein, 15% crude lipid) were formulated, respectively containing corn oil (CO) or menhaden oil (MO) as the primary lipid sources.