Radiocesium is the only trace element apart from Hg that may be potentially biomagnified at the top of the marine planktonic food chain. We quantified the assimilation efficiency from ingested prey, uptake rate from the aqueous phase, and efflux rate of radiocesium in a marine piscivorus fish (the mangrove snapper Lutjanus argentimaculatus). Aqueous 137Cs exhibited an approximately linear uptak...

Beginning with Waite’s (1923) Fishes of South Australia, the marine fishes of South Australia (SA) have been increasingly well documented. Waite, Scott (1962) and Gomon et al. (1994) have recorded >210 species of cartilaginous and bony fishes for Gulf St Vincent (GSV) and Investigator Strait (IS). While this is potentially a bewildering array of sizes, shapes and colours, observant fishers and ...

Restriction-fragment length polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were used to evaluate population-genetic structure and matriarchal phylogeny in four species of marine fishes that lack a pelagic larval stage: the catfishes Arius felis and Bagre marinus, and the toadfishes Opsanus tau and O. beta. Thirteen informative restriction enzymes were used to assay mtDNAs from 134 specimens collect...

Despite the promise of hematological parameters and blood chemistry in monitoring the health of marine fishes, baseline data is often lacking for small fishes that comprise central roles in marine food webs. This study establishes blood chemistry and hematological baseline parameters for the pinfish Lagodon rhomboides, a small marine teleost that is among the most dominant members of near-shore...

Anthropogenic disturbances are ubiquitous in the ocean, but their impacts on marine species are hotly debated. We evaluated marine fish statuses using conservation (Red List threatened or not) and fisheries (above or below reference points) metrics, compared their alignment, and diagnosed why discrepancies arise. Whereas only 13.5% of Red Listed marine fishes (n = 2952) are threatened, 40% and ...

Diversion of river water has diminished freshwater flow into many estuaries worldwide, yet the effects of these diversions on marine fisheries, many of which depend on estuaries, are largely unexplored. We document the impact of diverting Colorado River flow from the Gulf of California on the life history of a now-endangered marine fish (Totoaba macdonaldi, Sciaenidae). Growth increments in pre...

The concentrations of various trace elements and radionuclides have been measured in marine protein concentrates prepared from surface feeding fishes. As with concentrates prepared from benthic fishes, the 210Pb-210Po pair are the most significant radionuclides present. Concentrations of stable Pb, Co and Ag in certain concentrates are sufficiently high to contribute substantially to estimated ...

Although research on parasite biodiversity has intensified recently, there are signs that parasites remain an underestimated component of total biodiversity in many regions of the planet. To identify geographical hotspots of parasite diversity, we performed qualitative and quantitative analyses of the parasite-host associations in fishes from Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that inclu...

Herbivory is widely accepted as a vital function on coral reefs. To date, the majority of studies examining herbivory in coral reef environments have focused on the roles of fishes and/or urchins, with relatively few studies considering the potential role of macroherbivores in reef processes. Here, we introduce evidence that highlights the potential role of marine turtles as herbivores on coral...

the analysis of net catches made in absheron gulfs of the caspian sea during 2011-2012 is provided. the ichthyofauna of absheron gulfs, including 26 species found in the north gulf, and 33 species and subspecies found in the south gulf was studied for the first time. a taxonomical and ecological diversity of the fish fauna of north and south absheron gulfs is characterized. the peculiarities of...