Ecological mismatches between reproductive events and seasonal resource peaks are frequently proposed to be a key driver of population dynamics resulting from global climate change. Many local populations are experiencing reduced reproductive success as a consequence of mismatches, but few mismatches have led to species-level population declines. To better understand this apparent paradox, we i...

The overall top level goal of this effort is to investigate the physiological i.e. neuroimmunoendocrinological responses of beluga whales to “stressors”. “Stressor events” will allow for a better understanding and characterization of the relationships among hormones (e.g. cortisol, corticosterone, adrenocorticotropin hormone, aldosterone, catecholamines) in different matrices (blood, saliva, bl...

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99708, USA Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, Barrow, AK 99723, USA Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fairbanks, AK 99701, USA Native Village of Kotzebue, Kotzebue, AK 99752, USA Alaska Beluga Whale Committee, Barrow, AK...

............................................................................................................................... iv RÉSUMÉ ................................................................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................

The overall top level goal of this effort is to investigate the physiological i.e. neuroimmunoendocrinological responses of beluga whales to “stressors”. “Stressor events” will allow for a better understanding and characterization of the relationships among hormones (e.g. cortisol, corticosterone, adrenocorticotropin hormone, aldosterone, catecholamines) in different matrices (blood, saliva, bl...

This paper presents the results of study on age, growth, mortality rates and yield-per-recruit of Beluga (Huso huso) living in Caspian Sea. The mean length of successive years, mortality rates and yield-per-recruit studies indicated that at present the resource is under heavy fishing pressure. For the female Beluga growth was regarded as comprising of three stages, and the von Bertalanffy param...

Sturgeon aquaculture is an emerging worldwide industry both for human consumption as well conservation. Several transmissible diseases limit this including mycosis by dematiaceous fungi such Veronaea botryosa . This study reports the first diagnosis of phaeohyphomycosis in a beluga sturgeon ( Huso huso ) Italy.

in sturgeon aquaculture, where the main purpose is caviar production, a reliable method is needed to separate fish according to gender. currently, due to the lack of external sexual dimorphism, the fish are sexed by an invasive surgical examination of the gonads. development of a non-invasive procedure for sexing fish based on genetic markers is of special interest. in the present study we empl...