Effect of some repetitive factors on turbot stress response

2 tables 2 graph. International audience The stress response of the turbot, Scopthalmus maximus (L.), to repetitive factors including netting, air exposure, blood sampling and hand-stripping, were tested using two different tank sizes as well as two blood sampling techniques. Exposure of juvenile fi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mugnier, Chantal, Fostier, Alexis, Guezou, S., Gaignon, J.L., Quemener, L.
Other Authors: Station commune de Recherches en Ichtyophysiologie, Biodiversité et Environnement (SCRIBE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 1998
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02697858
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009217719227
Description
Summary:2 tables 2 graph. International audience The stress response of the turbot, Scopthalmus maximus (L.), to repetitive factors including netting, air exposure, blood sampling and hand-stripping, were tested using two different tank sizes as well as two blood sampling techniques. Exposure of juvenile fish to air for 1-4 min had no immediate effect on plasma cortisol concentrations or haematocrit values. Similarly, the serial netting of immature fish from tanks did not significantly modify plasma cortisol concentrations, haematocrit or osmolarity values. Hand-stripping of mature males was more disturbing than air exposure. The cumulative effect on plasma cortisol levels and osmolarity of stress factors such as netting, air exposure, blood sampling and stripping applied simultaneously to mature males in a 16 m3 tank and repeated twice daily for several days was recorded. The level of cortisol increased from 5 ng ml-1 to 300 ng ml-1 after 10 days of treatment, while an osmoregulatory imbalance and fish death were observed. Moreover, adaptation of fish to smaller tanks seemed to improve the increased plasma cortisol levels and death rate. Reduction in the number of stress factors applied greatly decreased both the range of physiological responses and the death rate. In order to avoid a cumulative stress response, handling of fish should therefore be reduced to a minimum.