Iraqi Journal of Aquaculture

This paper discusses the first documented record of the Rosy goatfish Parupeneus rubescens in Syrian coastal waters. A specimen (200 mm TL) was captured on 21st May 2020, using trammel nets at a depth of 120 m. in the Ras al-Basit region, 60 km north of Lattakia (35°50′ N, 35°50′E). Morphological and taxonomic analysis showed that the type of individual described in the present work is a newly introduced species of Indo-Pacific origin to the area, identified as P. rubescens (Lacepede, 1801). It should be noted that this species was monitored with individuals of the species Parupeneus forsskali in the framework of our research project on the biology of the Mullidae family in the Syrian marine waters. The number of Lessepsian fish migrants in the Syrian marine waters has reached 82 species.

Sixty five species of freshwater Cladocera belong to twenty-two Genera are reported from Basrah city, starting from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the north of Basra governorate before their confluence in Al-Qurna City, passing through the extension of the Shatt Al-Arab River and its sub rivers and Basrah marshes, in addition to the Shatt Al-Basrah and Khour Al-Zubair Channel to the last point in the Iraqi marine waters, North west Arabian Gulf, based on 15 studies mentioned the species of Cladocera in addition to seven other studies reported only density of Cladocera group, there are 13 species of Cladocera were dominant species in Basra, they were Alona cambouei, A. rectangular, Bosmina longirostris, Camptocercus rectirostris, Ceriodaphnia carnuta, Chydorus sphaericus, C. sphaericus sphaericus, Daphnia magna, Diaphanosoma brachyuurm, D. orghidani, Moina brachiate, Simocephalus (Simocephalus) vetuloides and S. vetulus.. The maximum density of Cladocera was 91225 (ind./m3) recording at Shatt Al-Arab- Al-Hartha region.

The Homopolysaccharide called beta-glucan was extracted from different sources, microbial source (baking yeast) and vegetable source (brown barley bran) using the classical and hot water methods respectively. Results showed that the higher yield contents of β-glucan, which reached 5.95 % and 5.08 % were found in the baker’s yeast of Turkish origin and barley bran respectively, The β-glucan was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and the result confirmed that the extracted glucan showed a high degree of similarity and purity as compared with the standard, The antioxidant activity, reducing power, chelating of ferrous iron, scavenging of hydrogen peroxide of extracted β-glucan samples at different concentrations were studied (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9 and 1)%, it was observed that the activity was different according to the source and concentration also the efficacy of the extracted β-glucan from the barley bran as an antioxidant higher than the yeast. The β-glucan was added to the fish patties at different ratios (0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1)%, and storage patties at 4C° for 14 days, studied some physicochemical tests for manufactured fish patties , the results showed that values of peroxide, acid value and percentage of free fatty acids of the patties treated with β-glucan were higher than barley bran β-glucan.

In this survey, six species of Brachionus genus are indexed as new record in the south Iraqi water resource at the first time in Iraq depending on the sequence of 18S rRNA gene, these species were registered as a new record in Iraq and the other two species which are HH1 and HH2 were registered in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), The European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) and DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) sequentially.

Samples of Alburnus mossulensis were collected from the south part of Euphrates River, Chybaish, Iraq from November 2013 to October 2014 using electro fishing. The spawning period started in February according to GSI values and histological examination for gonads during spawning season. The results of histological examinations revealed that this species has a short spawning season and female ovaries contained different maturing stages of ova, and the maturation started from the post part of gonads according to the space noticed at the middle part of the ovary. Histological examination proved that testes also contain different maturation stages. Blood vessel penetrate lobules with few spermatocytes at the posterior part of the testes whereas the anterior part less mature with disappearing of spermatocytes.

Literature review of reports concerning the parasitic fauna of
floating cage fishes in Iraq till the end of 2021 showed that a total of
57 parasite species are so far known from three fish species
investigated for parasitic infections throughout the country. The
parasitic fauna included 15 ciliophorans, three myxozoans, two
trematodes, 28 monogeneans, five cestodes, one nematode, one
acanthocephalan and two crustaceans. The common carp Cyprinus
carpio was infected with all these 57 parasite species, the grass carp
Ctenopharyngodon idella with four parasite species and the silver
carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix with only one parasite species.