Proximate Composition and Nutritional Quality of the Meat of the Squat LobsterMunida gregaria(Fabricius 1973)

Microbial Spectrum and Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern of Bacteria Isolated from the Spiny Lobster, Panulirus regius (De Brito Capello, 1864)

Microbial spectrum and antibiogram of bacteria isolated from Panulirus regius of the coast of Lagos were analysed using standard techniques. The lobster head had higher total bacteria and total coliform counts with respective significant (P < 0.05) values of 4.17 x 106 ± 1.46 CFU g−1 and 3.06 x 103 ± 1.56 CFU g−1. A higher total fungi count (2.99 x 102 ± 1.63) was recorded in the lobster tail. In the bacterial group, Bacilus megaterium had the highest frequency of occurrence (22.6%) while in the fungal group, Aspergillus niger had the highest frequency of occurrence (20.0%). All isolates were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and showed resistance to rocephin and zinnacef except Micrococcus sp. and Salmonella sp. The presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the lobsters is a serious concern.

Interannual variability in the lipid and fatty acid profiles of east Australia-migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) across a 10-year timeline

Southern hemisphere humpback whales are classified as high-fidelity Antarctic krill consumers and as such are vulnerable to variability and long-term changes in krill biomass. Evidence of heterogeneous feeding patterns of east coast of Australia migrating humpback whales has been observed, warranting a comprehensive assessment of interannual variability in their diet. We examined the lipid and fatty acid profiles of individuals of the east coast of Australia migrating stock sampled between 2008 and 2018. The use of live-sampled blubber biopsies showed that fatty acid profiles varied significantly among all years. The two trophic indicator fatty acids for Antarctic krill, 20:5ω3 and 22:6ω3 remained largely unchanged across the 10-year period, suggesting that Antarctic krill is the principal prey item. A distance-based linear model showed that 33% of the total variation in fatty acid profiles was explained by environmental variables and climate indices. Most of the variation was explained by the Southern Annular Mode (23.7%). The high degree of variability observed in this study was unexpected for a species that is thought to feed primarily on one prey item. We propose that the observed variability likely arises from changes in the diet of Antarctic krill rather than changes in the whale’s diet.