Fish Biology Services
Age, otoliths, growth, reproduction, species biology, welfare
HalieuMer provides the following services :
- Otolith sample preparation
- Age estimation annual and daily rings
- External age readings for quality-control requirements
- Otolith microstructure
- Otolith cristallisation, frequency of vateritic otoliths as a marker of environmental stress in farmed fish
- Image analysis of gonad histological sections (reproductive biology, sexual maturity, sex change, reproductive season, …)
- Analysis of growth (growth models), growth model parameters
- Stock identification of growth and reproductive parameters, analysis of environmental impacts on life history traits
- Species biology studies
- Sample collection and processing, writing, proof-reading and translation services of scientific reports
We can discuss the needs of your project on fish from marine, coral reef, freshwater, or aquaculture environments
Ageing services
- Otolith preparation
- Age estimation, annual or daily rings
- Quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) of age readings
- Otolith microstructure, otolith cristallisation
- Analysis of age-related data : growth rates, growth curves, age at sexual maturity, mortality, life span, etc.
Reproductive biology
- Analysis of prepared gonad histological slides
- Reproductive biology
- Sexual maturity (male, female), gonad ontogeny, sex change, timing of reproduction (reproductive season), …
- Analysis of reproductive data (size- and age-at-maturity, at sex change, sex-specific growth, …)
Analysis services
- Analysis of growth : growth modelling, growth parameters, growth curves, intra- or inter-specific differences
- Environmental impacts on growth, reproduction, life history parameters
- Differences in growth, reproductive and life history parameters between stocks and populations
- Otolith growth, increment periodicity, validation, back-calculation, reading agreement, …
Stress, fish welfare
- Evaluation of otolith crystallisation as a marker of stress
- Estimation of the frequency of vateritic fish in farmed fish or natural populations
- How does this work? Environmental conditions can affect otolith cristallisation, and an “abnormal” cristliisation of the otoliths can generate physiological and behavioural stress in the fish. Estimating its frequency of occurrence within a group (a fish farm for example) can help assess the welfare of individuals, for a quality end product and sustainable farming.
To meet the needs of your projects
- Species biology projects on species from marine, coral reef, freshwater or aquaculture environments
- Development of sampling programs for the collection of age-related, growth and reproductive data
- Data collection (dissections, measures, sample storage, …)
- Writing, proof-reading, english/french translation services for your scientific reports and manuscripts