Atlantic salmon

The Atlantic salmon is a member of one of the most primitive superorder of the Teleosts or bony fishes, namely the Protacanthopterygii, which includes the Salmonoids and a few genera of deep-sea fish.

Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. is native to the temperate and subarctic regions of North Atlantic Ocean. It is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and, due to human introduction, the north Pacific.

Like many other salmonids, the species has the ability to move between fresh and salt water (anadromy or sea-run).

All commercial production of fresh water Atlantic salmon in the United States and by all major foreign suppliers, including Norway, is farmed using three stages of production:
*Freshwater stage – salmon eggs are hatched and raised in tanks
*Saltwater stage – young salmon is raised in ocean pens to market size salmon
*Harvesting/processing stage

Demand for fresh Atlantic salmon has increased as consumers have shifted from red meats to seafood.  Among the components of demand for fresh Atlantic salmon is the demand for fresh further processed and fresh retail Atlantic salmon products.
Atlantic salmon

Major species of crawfish

Two specific species - the red swamp crawfish and the white river crawfish. They are the species of greatest commercial importance in the southern U.S. Another importance species referred to as the eastern white river crawfish.

Red swamp crawfish native range is northwestern Mexico and southcentral United States, although they have been introduced to many other countries. While white rover crawfish native range is Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and they only occur in the United States.

The red swamp and white river crawfishes often co-exist in the same native habitat or managed impoundment. Both are ecologically adapted to the annual hydrological cycles of spring flooding and summer dry periods common to large river systems and floodplains in the region.

White river crawfish is found in permanent sluggish, to moderately flowing streams and most permanent lentic (lakes, swamps, ponds) water bodies. In West Virginia, this species has been found in ephemeral wetland habitats. It is considered to be a habitat generalist.

Red swamp crawfish live in a variety of permanent freshwater habitats. Crayfish are crustaceans that burrow deep into the substrate of their habitat and create large mounds of sand and soil called chimneys with a relatively large hole in the center.
Major species of crawfish

Seahorses

Seahorses are grouped with pipefishes, pipehorses and seadragons as members of the family Syngnathidae. They are of the same order (Gasterosteiformes) as cornetfishes, pegasids (seamoths), snipefishes, sticklebacks and trumpetfishes. Seahorses are thought to have evolved at least 40 million years ago.

They are generally characterized by a sparse distribution, low mobility, small home ranges, low fecundity, lengthy parental care and mate fidelity. In addition, the male seahorse, rather than the female, becomes pregnant.

Seahorses occupy both temperate and tropical coastal waters, with a distribution from about 50 degrees north to 50 degrees south. They may usually be found among corals, macro algae, mangrove roots and seagrasses, but some live on open sandy or muddy bottoms.

In a marine environment, depending on their species, seahorses feed on amphipods, copepods, shrimp, and larval fish. When juvenile seahorses leave the male’s pouch they are very similar to the adult seahorse, but smaller in size. Immediately after birth, seahorses are able to feed on live prey.

The body armor of seahorses is composed of plates that overlay to allow ventral bending. The armor is flexible and fracture resistant due to the complex plate and segments designed to slide and slip when compressed. Seahorses have no teeth and no stomach. Food passes through their digestive systems so quickly that they must eat almost constantly to stay alive.
Seahorses

Graysby fish

The graysby Cephalopholis cruentata, is the commonest sea bass in the Bahamas and despite its small size (1 fit) has some importance there as a food fish.

Other names for graysby fish are enjambre, cherna enjambre, cuna cabrilla.  A typical component in the shallow-water taro fishery, it is the third most abundant grouper in the Jamaican trap fishery.

Note the pale or dark spots, three to five in number, at the base of the dorsal fin. The tail is more rounded than similar appearing species.

It is typically found resting on the bottom, under ledges or near crevices in which to hide. They are all spotted like coneys and have similarity shaped body. As a result, graysbys are often confused with coneys.

Territories are shared by male and his harem of several females. A nocturnal predator on small fish, it feeds heavily on Brown Chromis. The graysby is a popular food fish. Juvenile are all females and transforms to males when about 20 cm in length.

Graysbys are considered to be common in shallow reef communities throughout their range, which extends form Bermuda to the middle of Brazil and includes the Gulf of Mexico.
Graysby fish

Fish of Tilapia

Tilapia is the name given to more than 100 species of freshwater fish that belong to the large family of cichlids and they are originated from Arica and the Middle East.

Among all tilapia species, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the most important identified species in capture fish.

Tilapias have large heads and deep bodies, strongly compressed from side to side. The long dorsal fin is spiny in front and soft-rayed in the hind part, which usually rises to a important in the rear.

The first introduction of tilapia outside Africa was probably the unintentional introduction of O. mossambicus into the Indonesian island of Java prior to 1939.

Other economically important tilapia species, such as O. niloticus, O. aureus, Oreochromis hornorum, S. galilaeus, T, zilli and T. rendalli have also been introduced into various countries.

Tilapia lives in lakes and the sluggish parts of rivers, estuaries and brackish lagoons, especially where there is shelter under banks, among water plants or among water-logged branches.

All tilapia species are nest builders; fertilized eggs are guarded in the nest by a brood parent.

Species of both Sarotherodon and Oreochromis are mouth brooders; eggs are fertilized in the nest but parents immediately pick up the eggs on their limit and hold them through incubation and for several days after hatching.

Tilapia as a group are among the most hardy fishes known They are highly tolerant of crowding and degraded water quality, features which make them excellent candidate for culture.

Other important attributes which the primary cultured species of tilapia share include their fast growth and excellent flavor.
Fish of Tilapia

Menhaden

Menhaden
Four species of menhaden, sometimes called “pogy,” “bunker,” or “mossbunker,” are found in the Western Atlantic. They are fish of the genera Brevoortia and Ethmidium, two genera of marine fish in the family of Clupeidae.

They range from Nova Scotia to Brazil. Menhaden feed on microscopic plants and animals.

They are caught with purse seines when schooling near the surface of the water and removed to the hold of the power boat or carrier vessel. Aboard the boat, they may be held without refrigeration, in which case they will be brought to port within a period of 24 hrs after catching. Boats that keep these fish in refrigerated holds may remain at sea for several days prior landing the catch.

Menhaden are not used for human food. They are processed to produce fish meal and oil in the manner described for herring. In the United States, larger quantities of menhaden are caught (several hundred thousands metric tones) than that of any other fish or shellfish.
Menhaden