Search

In Taiwan, many hatchery-reared fish are released into wild waters for various reasons. Among those released individuals, few are documented by government agencies and academics, with almost no documentation by religious groups. Religious release data is scarce and the influence of released fish on the environment is not fully understood by the government, academics or religious groups. This study aimed to (1) investigate public cognition surrounding the relationship between the religious release of fish and conservation via questionnaire, (2) conduct two batches of mark and recapture studies fish used for religious release and (3) assess the impact of religious release fish on conservation based on the natural marks of recaptured specimens. Beginning in 2015, two batches of prayer black porgy (Acanthopagrus schlegelii), which were marked, released and recaptured were surveyed in cooperation with a Buddhist group. The results for overall respondents surveyed by questionnaire, 45% indicated that they were unsure of the impact of religious release fish on conservation. Based on the values of oxygen stable isotope in the core area of the otoliths discrimination, the hatchery-reared stock is thought to contribute to approximately 61% of the total black porgy population in the northern waters of Taiwan. The length distribution between hatchery-reared stocks and wild stocks was similar, suggesting that the two stocks that survive at sea may not interact with each other. The results of this study can be used as evidence for the impact of a religious release fish on environmental conservation. more...

The oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) is mainly distributed in East Asia. The phylogeography, population genetic structure and historical demography of this species in the East Asia were examined by using partial sequences of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA in mitochondrial DNA. Ten populations that included 239 individuals were collected from Taiwan (Shihmen Reservoir, SMR, Mingte Reservoir, MTR and Chengching Lake Reservoir, CLR), mainland China (Taihu Lake, TLC, Min River, MRC, Jiulong River, JRC and Shenzhen Reservoir, SRC), Japan (Biwa Lake, BLJ and Kasumigaura Lake, KLJ) and Korea (Han River, HRK). The nucleotide diversity (π) of all individuals was 0.01134, with values ranging from 0.0089 (BLJ, Japan) to 0.01425 (MTR, Taiwan). A total of 83 haplotypes were obtained, and the haplotypes were divided into 2 main lineages: lineage A included the specimens from BLJ, KLJ, CLR, MTR, TLC, MRC and JRC, and lineage B comprised the ones from HRK, SRC, SMR, MTR, TLC, MRC and JRC. Lineage A could be further divided two sub-lineages (A1 and A2). Individuals of lineage A2 were only from TLC. Demographic expansion was observed in each lineage, starting within the second-to-latest interglacial period for lineage A and within the last glacial period for lineage B. All FST values among the ten populations were significantly different, except for the values between MRC and JRC, and SMR and SRC. The phylogeography and genetic structure of M. nipponense in East Asia might be influenced by Pleistocene glacial cycles, lake isolation and human introduction. The possible dispersal routes of M. nipponense in the East Asia were also discussed. more...

Sequence analyses on the intron from the elongation factor-1α gene were conducted to examine the population structure and historical demography of whiskered velvet shrimp (Metapenaeopsis barbata) off China and Taiwan. Five samples including 155 individuals were separately collected from the north of East China Sea (ECS), waters off Taichung (TC), Cheding (CD), Xiamen (XM) and Hongkong (HK) and 41 alleles were identified. All FST values between five samples were significant except the pair of TC-CD. Neighbor-joining tree and network of 41 alleles showed no significant genealogical structure. UPGMA tree of five sampling areas showed three distinct groups. One included the NECS; another contained TC and CD; the other included HK and XM. Both Tajima’s D and Fu’s F statistics and analysis of mismatch distribution for overall alleles suggested that this species in studied areas had experienced population expansion. more...

Nine polymorphic microsatellite makers were isolated and characterized in 20 individuals of Parapenaeopsis hardwickii collected from the fishing ground near Ilan, Taiwan. Number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 8, observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.5263 to 0.7632, and from 0.4225 to 0.8044, respectively. Only one locus showed a Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium deviation. No linkage disequilibrium was found among these studied loci. This set of microsatellites provides a suitable tool for population genetic structure and fishery management of this species in Asian coastal waters. more...

Sequence analyses on the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (992 bp) were conducted to elucidate the population structure of kuruma prawns (Penaeus japonicus) in East Asia. Five populations including 95 individuals were collected. They are separated into the Japan Sea (JS), the north and south of the East China Sea (NECS and SECS), the Taiwan Strait (TS), and the north of the South China Sea (NSCS) populations. There are 292 variable sites without any insertions and deletions. Nucleotide diversity in the total populations is 2.51 ± 0.07%, and the variations within populations ranged from 2.61 ± 0.93% (SECS) to 2.29 ± 0.16% (JS). FST values between the JS and the rest of the populations, between the NECS and NSCS populations, and between the SECS and NSCS populations show significant differences. The UPGMA tree of these five populations shows three distinct clusters; one includes the JS population; another includes the NECS population; the third includes populations from the rest of the areas. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) shows clear genetic difference between the JS and the rest of the populations. Additional AMOVA analysis excluding the JS population indicates significant variation between the NECS population and the other three populations. We, therefore, conclude that three distinct populations exist in East Asia; one is in the JS; another is in the NECS; and the third is distributed in SECS, TS and NSCS. more...

The oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) is a non-obligatory amphidromous prawn, and it has a wide distribution covering almost the entire Taiwan. Mitochondrial DNA fragment sequences of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA were combined and used to elucidate the population structure and historical demography of oriental river prawn in Taiwan. A total of 202 individuals from six reservoirs and three estuaries were separately collected. Nucleotide diversity (π) of all populations was 0.01217, with values ranging from 0.00188 (Shihmen Reservoir, SMR, northern Taiwan) to 0.01425 (Mingte Reservoir, MTR, west-central Taiwan). All 76 haplotypes were divided into 2 lineages: lineage A included individuals from all sampling areas except SMR, and lineage B included specimens from all sampling locations except Chengching Lake Reservoir (CLR) and Liyu Lake Reservoir (LLR). All F ST values among nine populations were significantly different except the one between Jhonggang River Estuary (JGE, west-central Taiwan) and Kaoping River Estuary (KPE, southern Taiwan). UPGMA tree of nine populations showed two main groups: the first group included the SMR and Tamsui River Estuary (TSE) (both located northern Taiwan), and the second one included the other seven populations (west-central, southern and eastern Taiwan). Demographic analyses implied a population expansion occurred during the recent history of the species. The dispersal route of this species might be from China to west-central and west-southern Taiwan, and then the part individuals belonging to lineage A and B dispersed southerly and northerly, respectively. And then part individuals in west-central Taiwan fell back to and stay at estuaries as the sea level rose about 18,000 years ago. more...