Abstract
Cortisol is recognized as a physiological indicator of stress in fish. However, this hormone is typically measured in plasma samples. In this study, cortisol content was evaluated for the first time in the scales of tropical tuna. The sample included 20 skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) and 25 yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) collected in the Atlantic (the Gulf of Guinea off the Ivory Coast) and the Indian Ocean (off Reunion Island), and their scales were analyzed using an ELISA test. The results indicated that on average, cortisol concentration (1) did not show any geographical pattern, (2) was independent of fish size, and (3) was significantly higher in skipjack (mean 4.75 ± 6.56 ng g−1) than in yellowfin (mean 1.65 ± 1.85 ng g−1), although the difference was mainly due to four skipjack individuals. Larger datasets would be needed to confirm any species difference in cortisol concentration. The particularly high cortisol concentration observed in four individuals may be due to fish from different schools, suggesting the need for future sampling from free-swimming schools to investigate intra- and inter-school variability in cortisol concentration. This study opens the door for future research, including the collection of scales on tagged individuals, to investigate the links between chronic stress and behavior in these species.
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Acknowledgements
The sampling and slaughtering of animals were carried out by professional fishermen working for the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) Exploited Tropical Pelagic Ecosystems Observatory, which is ISO 9001:2015 certified.
The authors would also like to thank the professional fishermen from La Réunion Saint Gilles Fishing Club for their help in fish sampling. We also thank Aurélie Guillou (IRD), who assisted us in sampling some specimens. We are grateful to Antoinette Adingra, Nadège Kouadio, and Constance Diaha, colleagues from the Oceanology Research Center of Abidjan, for their contribution in the fish sex assessment.
Finally, many thanks to the editor (Dr. Margaret Docker) and referees, who provided very constructive comments on the initial version of this manuscript, and to Elise Bradbury for the English proofreading.
Funding
The Tuna MicrobiOME project (THE MOME) receives funding from Montpellier University of Excellence (MUSE) and the Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (MARBEC) research group.
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E.R.O. and B.G. designed the study, E.R.O., Y.B., and T.B. collected the samples, and M.D., B.S, B.G., and E.R.O. performed the analyses. All authors prepared the manuscript and approved its submission.
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All sampling and animal handling respected good scientific practice and animal welfare rules. To minimize suffering, we euthanized the animals as soon as they were boarded. The number of fish sampled was limited to the strict number necessary.
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Roque d’orbcastel, E., Bettarel, Y., Dellinger, M. et al. Measuring cortisol in fish scales to study stress in wild tropical tuna. Environ Biol Fish 104, 725–732 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01107-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01107-6