Health Assessment by the Climogram of Hemochemical Constituents in Cultured Yellowtail

Abstract

The hemochemical assessment was made on cultured yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata. Two year old fishes weighing about 2,800 g were fed on thawed sardine. Investigation was carried out in September, and seawater temperature was about 28°C. Methods of sampling and chemical analysis were reported previously. Fishes assessed swam inactively with some pathological changes observed in almost all organs. Specimen numbers 1 and 5 had hepatic lesion judging from increase of aspartate aminotransferase (GOT), alanine aminotransferase (GPT) and alkaline phosphatase (Al-P) activities. No. 2 was anemic due to malnutrition. Nos. 3 and 4 were not comparatively serious in the condition of disease. No. 6 was in serious condition because of an anemia, undernutrition and hepatic malfunction. Nos. 7 and 8 were not comparatively serious in hepatic function. Nos. 5, 6, 7 and 8 had Strep-tococcicosis. Streptococcus sp. infection was associated with increases in plasma glucose level and Al-P activity. All specimens had feed trouble judging from the hemochemical assessment and patho-anatomical symptoms. Fatness, hemoglobin, hematocrit, plasma constituents (total protein, urea-N, total cholesterol, glucose, inorganic P and chloride) and plasma enzymes (GOT, GPT and Al-P) were plotted in a climogram. The graph showed a characteristic pattern for the condition of health with varied extent and irregularity on the above fish examples. This shows the high utility value of this graph for health assessment. © 1985, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.