Iraqi Journal of Aquaculture

Concentrations of cadmium, cobalt, cupper, iron, manganese and nickel were determined in four organs (liver, gills, ovaries and muscles) of Acanthopagrus latus, which belong to family of Sparidae collected from Al- Razazah Lake. Heavy metals have been determined by means of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The fish average weight was 378 g and the average length was 215 mm. Iron showed the highest value (1029.114 µg/g dry weight), while manganese showed the lower value (60.335 µg/g dry weight). This study showed that the concentration of heavy metals distributed in the organs was as follows: liver > gills > muscles > ovaries, while the total heavy metals concentration had been distributed as follow: iron > cupper > cadmium > nickel > manganese > cobalt.

Three fish species (Cyprinus carpio, Ctenopharyngodon idella and Carrassius auratus auratus) were artificially infected with the fungus Saprolegnia parasitica. The infection was done under certain laboratory circumstances represented by a change in temperature (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C) and in nutrients (normal, decrease and increase in nutrients) under a constant pH. The statistical analysis of infection results showed that the influence of temperature on fungal infection was dominant. Thus, when temperature decreases, infection increases and vice versa. Time and nutrients were less influential. The infected fish were treated with different remedial materials (sodium chloride, methylene blue, potassium permanganate, ketoconazole and fluconazole). All these materials showed positive results in the total treatment of the infected fishes but the best was the sodium chloride at a concentration of 9%.

Morphology, age and growth of Bunni, Barbus sharpeyi Gunther, 1874 in Swab marsh, south Iraq, was studied from December 2004 to November 2005. A total of 864 B. sharpeyi (100-533mm TL) were collected using gill nets of different mesh sizes and electrical fishing. Twenty one morphometric and seven meristic characters for the species were described in the study. The morphometric characters were calculated as numerical ratio to standard and head lengths. The indices characters associated with standard length ranged from 0.0043 of eye diameter to 1.22 of total length, and with head length ranged from 0.178 of eye diameter to 0.752 of head width. The slopes of the regression lines ranged from 0.023 of eye diameter to 1.142 of total length. Fishes of 200-360mm length groups of B. sharpeyi were dominants in the samples. Total length–weight relationship of B. sharpeyi was W= 3.839 × 10-6 L 3.2017. The mean relation condition factor was 1.001. The annuli on scales formed during December and the growth of the scales was high during the period from February to August and was associated with water temperatures. The relation between standard length (L) and scale radius (S) was: L = 17.737 + 5.0469 S. The age composition ranged from 1 to 7. The standard lengths for these ages were 138.0, 202.0, 248.0, 304.8, 353.8, 393.1 and 439.2mm respectively. The growth of B. sharpeyi in Swab marsh was better than that of at Iraqi waters with the exception of B. sharpeyi at Hammar marsh. The mathematical model of growth as calculated by von Bertalanffy equation was Lt = 650 [1-e -0.138 (t + 0.642)].

This study was carried out to determine some reproductive characteristics of the fantail goldfish Carassius auratus auratus females (standard length 69-224 mm. and total weight 21.1- 255.35 g.) from rearing ponds in Basrah province, Southern Iraq. Standard length, total weight, gonad weight, absolute fecundity, relative fecundity, gonadosomatic index (GSI) and egg diameter were determined from October 2010 to April 2011 in 77 fantail goldfish females. Results showed that the studied reproductive parameters increased gradually from October, to attain peak in March and decreased again thereafter. Absolute fecundity ranged between 2877- 357246 eggs, GSI 7.28-19.11 and egg diameter 298-1006 micron. Regression relationships between the various studied morphometric and reproductive parameters were calculated and the importance of these results to the culturists of this commercially important ornamental fish species was discussed.

The paper reviews all the reports concerning the parasitic fauna of the three species of carps cultured in Al-Furat fish farm, Babylon province, mid Iraq. These fishes included the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and the silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) as well as the mullet (Liza abu) found in the same farm. The parasitic fauna included 60 valid parasite species: ten protozoans, three myxozoans, 29 monogeneans, one trematode, five cestodes, three nematodes, two acanthocephalans, six crustaceans and one mollusc. The common carp was found to harbour 56 species of parasites, the grass carp 25 species, the silver carp 25 species and the mullet six species. The parasitic species were revised and some were synonymised in accordance with latest internet taxonomical accounts. A host- parasite list was prepared for each host species which included all documented literature concerned with this farm.