7ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON THE ONTOGENY OF NON-SPECIFIC AND SPECIFIC DEFENCES IN TURBOT LARVAE

Flatfish are economically important in European fisheries and are becoming increasingly significant in aquaculture. Turbot have been identified as the most suitable species of flatfish for rearing in quaculture in Northern Europe because of its ease of growth and high market value (Munro, 1995). The...

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Main Authors: C. A. Low, M. F. Tatner, T. H. Birkbeck, I. Taylor, C. J. Secombes
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
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Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.547.1044
http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/congress/2000/Papers/diseasepdf/low.pdf
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Summary:Flatfish are economically important in European fisheries and are becoming increasingly significant in aquaculture. Turbot have been identified as the most suitable species of flatfish for rearing in quaculture in Northern Europe because of its ease of growth and high market value (Munro, 1995). The growth of aquaculture has clearly shown that infectious disease is an important limiting factor in the production of flatfish. Prior to metamorphosis larvae are extremely susceptible to a number of viral and bacterial diseases, particularly Vibrio and Aeromonas sp., which are frequently associated with turbot larvae (Bergh, 1997; Novoa and Figueras, 1996). One of the problems of intensive culture of turbot is the variation in the survival rate of the larvae during early rearing stages. This is characterised by high, though variable mortality rates which make final survival rates unpredictable (Padros, 1996; Munro 1995). Increased knowledge of the turbot immune system, and the effects of environmental conditions such as temperature and nutritional effects, on the appearance of defence mechanisms during ontogeny will aid the introduction of