Fakultet for biovitenskap, fiskeri og økonomi

The ecological and economic value of cold-water coral ecosystems

Foley, Naomi — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Foley, Naomi; Armstrong, Claire W.
Despite the growing scientific literature on cold-water corals (CWC) there appears to be no studies that address the economic values or economic management of the resource. This paper presents an overview of the goods and services of CWC and their associated biodiversity. Use and non-use values associated with CWC are presented, and the methods relevant for assessing their valuation are discussed. The impact of human induced disturbance on CWC is reviewed, in order to indicate how knowledge of CWC values can be used by policy makers in the management of CWC as a habitat and vehicle for biodiversity.

Parasite communities of two three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations : effects of a local-scale host introduction?

Jakobsen, Jonas — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Jakobsen, Jonas
The introduction of new hosts into new habitats can bring along hitchhiking parasites, i.e. parasites being introduced with the host. This in particular can be an important dispersal mechanism for autogenic parasites that are otherwise restricted by the natural movement of their fish hosts. In this study, the effect of a local host introduction on the parasite communities of three-spined sticklebacks in two subarctic lakes, was examined by comparing the parasite communities of the “introduced” (Takvatn), versus that of the “founder” (Sagelvvatn) population. Seasonal variation and inter-lake differences in abundance was also integrated in the study. The study revealed great similarity between the parasite communities du to similar ecosystems, close geographical proximity, and the facts that the only two autogenic stickleback specialists present in the systems had been introduced with its host. The subtle differences in parasite species richness were explained by accidental infections of parasites of sympatric fish species.

Breaking through barriers to Norwegian fresh salmon trade with China by a new production technology

Luan, Lan — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Luan, Lan
Atlantic salmon export plays an important role in the total Norwegian seafood export. EU countries are currently the main markets for Norwegian salmon export. China is one of the countries which are expected to have an increased demand for Norwegian salmon. Norwegian fresh salmon exporters are currently facing the trade barriers with respect to new inspection regime and high transportation costs when they export fresh salmon to China. This study is investigating whether Coolnova salmon, fresh frozen salmon using proton magnetic freezing technology, may break the trade barriers of Norwegian fresh salmon export to Mainland China. Firstly is the meaning of preferred fresh quality of Norwegian Atlantic salmon and secondly is the potential market value of the Coolnova salmon for the wholesalers and the supermarket in Hong Kong estimated. A sample of fresh chilled, Coolnova and frozen salmon fillets were tested by wholesalers and supermarket managers who gave their quality judgement recorded in a questionnaire. Different perceptions and attitudes were expressed related to both quality factors like fatness and colour influenced by the different fish feeding, sizes and fillet cuts of the tested salmon samples as well as factors related to the application of novel freezing and thawing technologies where Coolnova salmon has its advantage. The results show that freshness is a preferred product attribute of salmon characterized by appearance as a distinctive orange colour, clear white oil lines and a hard texture and smooth and juicy taste. The results indicate that Coolnova salmon after fresh-frozen and thawed, may satisfy the markets requirements for freshness and furthermore gain a cost advantage by the opportunity to move distribution from an expensive fresh airfreight to a low cost frozen sea freight. Frozen salmon can be kept in freezers for a long time without quality degradation and would thereby not be affected by the new quality inspection regime which hampers the fresh fish import to China. Coolnova salmon can thus break the trade barrier of Norwegian fresh quality salmon imposed by the Chinese government.

Studies on the amphipod genus Metopa (Stenothoidae) : Taxonomy, Ecology, Phylogeny

Tandberg, Anne Helene S. — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Tandberg, Anne Helene S.
The Amphipod-genus Metopa is a relatively large genus, with currently 55 accepted species. This PhD thesis consists of redescriptions of 23 of these species based on typespecimens or specimens collected and identified by the original authors; this has been done to create consistent descriptions that could form a basis for a phylogenetic analysis of Metopa. For some species Scanning Electron Microscopy has been used to look for characters that have been overlooked by the original authors. The redescriptions are presented in 3 papers (Papers 1-3), with a phylogenetic analysis of 37 Metopa species (mostly based on personal examinations, but 6 based on literature-information) together with 6 Stenula species (partly based on literature, but most from examinations performed by Dr. Traudl Krapp-Schickel) presented in a manuscript (Paper 6). The result of the phylogenetic analysis is two clear clades (A and B), both including species from both original genera. This result could suggest a thorough change in stenothoid systematics, with the possible synonymization of Stenula into the older Metopa and erection of one or more new genera to include the species of clade A, but we have argued against doing this before further investigations have been undertaken. The stability of the resulting phylogeny is discussed, and in our opinion further studies are necessary to strengthen the conclusions reached here, before we formally make the necessarily very extensive nomenclatorial changes. However, the indications that Metopa and Stenula are paraphyletic are strong. Two papers (Papers 4-5) examine the ecology of Metopa species associated with mollusks. Paper 4 is a short note about findings of Metopa alderii inside the mussel Musculus spp., whereas Paper 5 is a more thorough discussion on the possible life history strategies for Metopa glacialis in its well known association with the mussel Musculus discors based on data collected by Svalbard. We show the presence of more than one broods in several examined mussels, and from the brood sizes and cohort compositions we suggest two possible scenarios: 3 or more seasons of single broods and parental care over more than 1 year after hatching, or multiple broods in one season and extended parental care. The introductory synthesis to the papers gives a short discussion of the papers, in addition to a historical introduction to both taxonomy and the amphipod-genus Metopa. A complete list of taxa that at some time have been included in Metopa is presented, this includes synonymies and references to the auctors and different authors who have moved the different taxa. There is also a table with biogeographical information about the genus, and the ecology of Metopa is discussed. A short discussion on molecular methods and the possible ways to ensure more data for a better phylogenetic analysis is also included.
The papers of this thesis are not available in Munin.
1. Tandberg, A.H.S. and Vader, W.: 'A redescription of Metopa species (Amphipoda, Stenothoidae) based on the type material. 1. Zoological Museum, Copenhagen (ZMUC)', Zootaxa (2009) 2093:1-36. Available at http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/
2. Tandberg, A.H.S.: 'A redescription of Metopa species (Amphipoda, Stenothoidae) based on the type material. 2. The United States National Museum of Natural History (NMNH)', Zootaxa (2009) 2309:43-68. Available at http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/
3. Tandberg, A.H.S.: 'A redescription of Metopa species (Amphipoda, Stenothoidae) based on the type material. 2. The Natural History Museum Oslo (NHM)', Zootaxa (2010) 2465:1-94. Available at http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/
4. Tandberg, A.H.S., Schander, C. and Pleijel, F.: 'First record of the association between the amphipod Metopa alderii and the bivalve Musculus', Marine Biodiversity Records (2010) 3, e5. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1755267209991102
5. Tandberg, A.H.S., Vader, W. and Berge, J.: 'Metopa glacialis : an analysis of its ecology and its association with Musculus discors', Polar Biology (2010) 33:1407-1418. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0833-9
6. Tandberg, A.H.S. and Vader, W.: 'Phylogenetic analysis of the stenothoid genera Metopa and Stenula (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Stenothoidae)' (manuscript)

The evolution of the “harvest machinery” : why capture capacity has continued to expand in Norwegian fisheries

Johnsen, Jahn Petter — Fri, 31 Dec 2004 23:00:00 GMT

Johnsen, Jahn Petter
Controlling the expansion of capture capacity has been a major challenge for the fisheries management systems around the North Atlantic. Despite focused attempts to reduce this capacity in recent years in different jurisdictions, it has continued to expand. This chapter uses a case study of changes in Norwegian fisheries to help explain why this has happened. The article supports the replacement of the rational actor approach that is currently hegemonic within fisheries management by a relational approach to the analysis of capture capacity expansion. A relational approach offers new insights into the ways political, economic, and technological forces continue to fuel capacity expansion within fishing. By use of this approach the article describes how the harvest machinery comes into existence. Keywords: Fishery policy; Capture capacity expansion; Management models; Cod fisheries; Harvest machinery

Bioaccumulation of phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene in Calanus finmarchicus

Jensen, Louise Kiel — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Jensen, Louise Kiel; Jæger, Iris; Honkanen, Jani O.; Caroll, JoLynn
With petroleum exploration and development expanding in the Arctic (AMAP, 2007) there is a need to obtain additional information on the ecotoxicology of Arctic organisms. Here we perform 192 hr laboratory exposure experiments on the keystone Arctic zooplankton species, Calanus finmarchicus. We trace the accumulation and depuration of two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) using 14C labeled PAH compounds. Copepods were not fed during the experiment, limiting uptake to diffusion processes alone. The lighter PAH compound, phenanthrene, accumulated rapidly in C. finmarchicus, reaching steady state within 96 h. The heavier PAH compound, B[a]P, accumulated more slowly and steady state was not reached within the 192 h exposure period. As expected, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) for B[a]P was higher than for phenanthrene in accordance with a higher octanol/water partition coefficient for B[a]P (log Kow = 6.04) compared to phenanthrene (log Kow = 4.53). However, for both compounds, log BCF was lower than log Kow that may indicate active biotransformation and excretion of the selected PAH compounds. These findings on the bio-uptake kinetics for petroleum hydrocarbons are essential for evaluating the potential consequences of an oil spill in the Arctic.
This is the submitted manuscript version of the paper. This paper is part of Louise Kiel Jensen's doctoral thesis, which is available in Munin at http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3794

Bacterial flagellin : a novel adjuvant for vaccine strategies

Hynes, Natasha — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Hynes, Natasha
Flagellin is the principal structural protein in the locomotive organ flagellum present on flagellated bacteria, and is known to be an important evolutionarily conserved PAMP. Flagellin has been shown to bind to the PRR TLR5 which induces innate immune system responses and signaling pathways. In mammals, much focus has been placed on this protein in vaccine studies for its possible function as an adjuvant. Flagellin (FlaD from Vibrio anguillarum) was recombinantly produced in two forms, full-length (FDL) and a truncated form (FDS) with portions of the N- and C-termini removed to prevent polymerization. Both forms of flagellin were tested alone and in combination with an antigen in a dose response study to determine the most effective dosage to produce a strong immune response. A polyclonal antibody for FDS was produced and showed good specificity in immunoblot testing. Cell culture was used to compare the NF-κB response after stimulation with FDL versus FDS and resulted in a significantly larger response in cells stimulated with FDL. QPCR mRNA gene expression results showed a strong innate immune response with a number of genes known to be induced downstream by the TLR signaling pathway up- regulated including important TLR5S and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β). Microarray analysis of salmon injected with flagellin caused reproducible gene up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and receptors (IL-8, TNFRSF11B, IL-1R), antimicrobial peptides (hepcidin, cathelicidin), immune genes (C/EBP, thioredoxin, C-type lectin receptor B), complement genes (complement component C7 and C7-1), peptidases (MMP-9) and genes involved in the Ras/MAPK pathway (Ras-related proteins). Down-regulation of interesting immune genes also occurred including myxovirus resistance 1, clusterin-1 and LPS-induced TNF-α homolog. Some genes exhibited early, delayed or extended response over the sampling time and flagellin seemed to be the key component to eliciting a response. Flagellin was shown to induce innate immune responses in Atlantic salmon.
The papers of this thesis are not available in Munin:
1. Natasha A. Hynes, Clemens Furnes, Børge Nilsen Fredriksen, Tori Winther, Jarl Bøgwald, Atle N. Larsen, Roy A. Dalmo: 'Immune response of Atlantic salmon to recombinant flagellin', Vaccine (2011) vol. 29, no 44, pp 7678–7687. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.07.138
2. Natasha A. Hynes, Tiago S. Hori, Roy A. Dalmo and Matthew L. Rise: 'Functional genomics analysis of the immunological responses of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) spleen to injection with recombinant flagellin from Vibrio anguillarum' (manuscript)

Acute and long-term effects from petroleum discharges on temperate and Arctic Calanus species

Jensen, Louise Kiel — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Jensen, Louise Kiel
Summary Petroleum exploitation is emerging in the Arctic. In the Norwegian Arctic the southern Barents Sea is opened for development of oil and gas fields. This same area holds some of the world's largest and well managed commercial fish stocks such as Herring (Clupea harengus), Capelin (Mallotus villosus), Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua). For the interest of the fishing industry, as well as for maintaining a healthy ecosystem, petroleum related Environmental Risk Assessments (ERA) for the Barents Sea must be based on sound scientific knowledge of the special features of the Arctic ecosystem. In colder areas the physical behavior of oil is different compared to warmer areas. The lower temperature and lack of sun light during the Arctic winter slows down the natural physical weathering process of oil. In ERA in temperate areas the effects of exposure to the most volatile fraction of the oil are neglected due to short exposure time. However, in the Arctic the exposure to biota of this volatile fraction may be prolonged due to lower evaporation rates and the volatile fraction may be an important contributor to the overall adverse effect of an oil spill. Likewise, the exposure to the heavier oil fractions may be prolonged and knowledge on the long-term effects of exposure is essential. As an adaptation to the Arctic environment species found here have longer life spans, larger body sizes and higher lipid contents compared to temperate equivalent species. Thus Arctic species may accumulate contaminants over longer time and reach higher life time body levels. Meanwhile higher lipid content implies a higher affinity of lipophilic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). So, Arctic species may be exposed to oil compounds for a longer time because of the prolonged phycical presence and may, due to special adaptive features, be more efficient at accumulating oil contaminants. Today the knowledge of effects of oil contaminants on Arctic biota is limited, but growing. This thesis addresses a few of the research challenges in the field and provides knowledge on some effects of petroleum exposure to two copepod species; the sub-Arctic Calanus finmarchicus and the Arctic sibling species C. glacialis. First, Calanus was cultured for a generations under sub-Arctic conditions (Paper I). This work establishes that Calanus is suitable for ecological relevant long-term experiments. In an oil spill scenario, Arctic copepods and algae may be exposed to the more volatile fraction of the oil. Paper II provides data showing that the Arctic diatom species, Fragilariopsis oceanica, was the most sensitive species to exposure to the volatile hydrocarbon xylene. Further, the smaller, less lipid rich copepod species C. finmarchicus, was more sensitive compared to the true Arctic C. glacialis. Extrapolating these results to a spill situation, C. finmarchicus and C. glacialis populations would be affected by xylene exposure through both direct exposure (mortality) and indirectly through a decline in prey organisms (algae). Sub-lethal effects after long-term exposures to low concentrations of oil compounds may also be detected in C. finmarchicus and C. glacialis. Feeding was suppressed in C. finmarchicus after exposure to 7.0 µg PAHs l-1 for 11 days (Paper III). No significant effect on feeding was detected in C. glacialis exposed to 10.4 µg PAHs l-1 for 11 days. However, the hatching success of eggs laid by females exposed to 10.4 µg PAHs l-1 for two days was significantly reduced (Paper III). The long term effects of lipophilic PAHs in biota depend on the bioaccumulation capacity and internal concentrations of the various PAHs. Accumulation of lipophilic compounds is particularly important for the lipid rich Arctic species. Paper IV examines the uptake kinetics of two PAHs in C. finmarchicus and show that the accumulation of the lighter and less lipophilic compound, phenanthrene, is faster that the uptake of the heavier and more lipophilic benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). Equilibrium was reached for phenanthrene within 192 h exposure while no equilibrium was detected for B[a]P. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) was higher for B[a]P, reflecting the higher affinity for lipids of B[a]P compared to phenanthrene (Paper IV). So the heavier, more lipophilic PAH accumulates slower but to a higher concentration in C. finmarchicus. This thesis shows that not only acute but also long-term exposures may affect Arctic species. In addition, exposure duration may determine which compounds are accumulated by biota. Both indirect effects, such as decrease of food items, and direct effects, such as mortality, reduced feeding and reproduction failure may have implications for population development. These findings should be taken into consideration when developing ERA for the Barents Sea area.
Papers 1 and 2 of this thesis are not available in Munin:
1. Jensen, L.K., Carroll, JL., Pedersen, G., Hylland, K., Dahle, S. and Bakke, T.: 'A multigeneration Calanus finmarchicus culturing system for use in long-term oil exposure experiments', Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (2006) 333: 71-78. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2005.12.001
2. Jensen, L.K. and Carroll, JL.: 'Effects of the volatile petroleum component xylene on Arctic algae and zooplankton' (submitted manuscript to Marine Environmental Research).

The value chain of white leg shrimp exported to the U.S market in Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam

Bui Nguyen Phuc, Thien Chuong — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Bui Nguyen Phuc, Thien Chuong
The research aimed to explore the value chain of frozen white leg shrimp exported to the U.S market from Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam. Three objectives were set up, that is, (1) to identify the activities conducted by different actors in the value chain and the corresponding costs and earnings of those activities, (2) to evaluate the distributions of revenue, cost and profit along the chain, and (3) to determine factors preventing shrimp farmers from dealing directly with processing firms. Research findings showed that before exported to the U.S market, white leg shrimp has to undergo farming, procurement, and processing. Shrimp farming basically comprises of such steps as pond cleaning, seed release, and caring. When shrimp attain harvestable size, middlemen come to perform the procurement which includes harvesting, preserving, and transporting. At the processing plants, shrimp are transformed into final products, packed, labeled preserved and stored waiting to be exported. During shrimp farming, farmers incur several costs like seed, feed, labor, and other miscellaneous expenses. At the procurement stage, addition to purchasing shrimp from farmers, middlemen have to add some other costs like transport, labor, ice, and other inputs to transfer shrimp to the next stage. At the processing stage, direct material, direct labor, overhead, and other costs are added in accordance with the accounting format. Farmers, middlemen and processors experience positive profit in the 2008-2010 period. Based on costs and earnings data, some calculations were made which revealed the distributions of revenue (export price), cost and profit of 1 kg frozen shrimp exported to the U.S market. Costs and profits distributions were in sync with expectations. The surveys revealed 3 reasons why farmers depend on middlemen to sell their harvest, that is, lack of facilities, delayed payment policy and risk aversion.

The role of perceived risk, knowledge, price and cost in explaining dry fish consumption in Bangladesh within the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)

Siddique, Mohammad Abdul Momin — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Siddique, Mohammad Abdul Momin
Dry fish is the low-cost dietary protein source in Bangladesh. As far the concern of the researcher, this study is the first of its kind to explore the dry fish consumption behaviour in Bangladesh. The general purpose of this study is to apply the general framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), explain attitudes, intention and dry fish consumption in Chittagong city and to extend the traditional TPB-model with some additional variables; perceived risk, knowledge, price and cost. The field experiments were performed in Chittagong city, Bangladesh with convenience sample of 208 respondents. The measurement scales used in this study were selected or adapted from previous studies. The study employs the methods of factor analysis, test of reliability, principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis to analyze the data. The findings showed that attitude, norms and procedural knowledge emerge as the key determinants of intention, while intention, attitude, norms and perceived risk effect on the consumption frequency. PBC, price and cost had no significant effect on intention and dry fish consumption. Perceived quality is found as the most important attribute to forming consumers’ attitude towards dry fish consumption. The proposed TPB and the extended model both of them fit well with the data and proved the expectations of this study in a promising way. The study found that people are more concerned about potential long-term risk to their family and others. Therefore, management attention should focus on reducing risks with which consumers may be faced through producing safe and hazard free dry fish. A communication strategy should focus much more on improving procedural knowledge and signing food safety for consumers with lower knowledge than the others. Key words: TPB, perceived risk, knowledge, price and cost, dry fish consumption, attitude and intention, Bangladesh.