Feasibility of Nursery Production of Wuchang Bream

Wuchang bream

Megalobrama amblycephala

The Wuchang bream is a lake species, and found mainly in lakes and rivers with a bottom of

mud with macrophytes in the middle to lower water levels. They migrate into rivers to spawn.

Introduction

The Wuchang bream (Megalobrama amblycephala; Chinese: 武 昌 魚 ; pinyin:

Wǔchāng yú) is a species of cyprinid fish native to bodies of water throughout the Yangtze

basin, China, including Liangzi Lake.[1][2] It is an important object of fish farming, and in

2012 its total production ranked 12th on the world list of most important fish species in

aquaculture, with a total weight of 0.71 million tons and value of 1.16 billion US dollars

Wuchang bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) is a BENTHOPELAGIC freshwater fish that

naturally inhabits middle reaches of Yangtze River in China, being found in Newshan and

Yuli lakes. It is an important farmed species, especially in China, ranking high on the world

list of most important fish species in aquaculture. This herbivorous cyprinid, which uses

natural feeds and has high disease resistance, high larval survival rate, and fast growth
performance, is considered a fish with a delicious taste and high commercial

value. Aquaculture of M. amblycephala has expanded in China, especially during the last

decade, because of the relatively low production cost and increasing consumer demand.

However, most wild information is still missing for this species, and information about

farming conditions is mostly restricted to JUVENILES. Thus, further research about basic

Body
A. Taxonomy and Biology

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Cypriniformes

Family: Cyprinidae

Subfamily: Cultrinae

Genus: Megalobrama

Species: M. amblycephala

Binomial name

Megalobrama amblycephala

II Morphological Characteristics
The Wuchang bream usually have 3 dorsal spines and 7 dorsal soft rays, 3 anal spines

and 25-27 anal soft rays. They generally have black gray in the back, and silver white in the

stomach. There are several vertical black strips in the side. And green gray colored in all
fins. This fish has silver colored scales and a deep body shape. Its body is also laterally

compressed, which means that it is long and tall, but quite narrow. Additionally, the fins on this

species have a translucent quality to them.

Most individuals measure about a foot or two long, though some grow slightly larger. On

average, they weigh between five and eight pounds

III Habitat and Distribution

The Wuchang bream is a lake species, and found mainly in lakes and rivers with a

bottom of mud with macrophytes in the middle to lower water levels. They migrate into rivers

to spawn. Most of the time, these fish live in freshwater habitats. However, they do range

into brackish water on occasion, or areas with mixed salt and freshwater. For the most part,

they prefer living in rivers, large streams, wetlands, or ponds. They often live in muddy or

turbid waters with lots of floating sediment and algae. Many species traverse in a limited

horizontal space (even if just for a certain period of time per year); the home range may be

described as a species' understanding of its environment

Given the availability of resources (food, shelter) or the need to avoid predators,

species spend their time within a certain depth range.

Some species undergo seasonal changes of environments for different purposes

(feeding, spawning, etc.) and with them, environmental parameters (photoperiod,

temperature, salinity) may change, too

It is a very important object of fish farming, and total production ranked 12th on the

world list of most important fish species in aquaculture in the year of 2012.In 2012 total

production reached around 0.71 million tones and a value of 1.16 billion US dollars. But

populations of the Wuchang bream have declined due to impacts from overfishing and a

declining reproductive success rate due to dams.

 But the species is assessed as Least Concern at present, as it is widespread and the

population decline is not though to meet a threatened category. Read some more

information about this fish species

The Wuchang breams are mainly used for food.

The Wuchang bream is a very important fisheries species and is cultivated in commercial

aquaculture.

Name Wuchang Bream

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Cypriniformes
FamilyCyprinidae
GenusMegalobrama
Species M. amblycephala
Binomial Name Megalobrama amblycephala
Other NamesNone
Breed Purpose Mainly food
Special Notes Mainly used for food, a very important fisheries species and
cultivated in commercial aquaculture system
Breeding Method Natural
Body Color Black gray in back, and silver white in the stomach (there are several
vertical black strips in the side)
Rarity Common
Availability China
IV Life cycle and Reproduction
These fish are social and gregarious. They live in groups known as schools, and

multiple schools congregate during the winter months. Schools spend their time foraging

along the bottom of a body of water, often close to the shore. They dig through the sediment

to find prey.

Reproduction of the Bream

 During the months of April, May, and June, this fish breed via spawning. While

spawning, fish release their eggs and sperm and fertilization occurs outside of the body. The

males defend territories, and the females choose the males with the best territories.

Females lay between 1 and 300,000 eggs! It takes about a week for the eggs to

hatch and the young fish, known as fry, to emerge. The parents do not care for the eggs or

young in any way.

B. Overview of the Topic

The Wuchang bream is a species of cyprinid fish native to the Yangtze basin in

China (including Liangtze Lake). It is also found in Newshan and Yuli lakes. It is a very

important component of fish farming and in terms of total production in 2012 it was ranked

12th in the world list of most important fish species for aquaculture. In 2012, the total

production was approximately 0.71 million tons and amounted to US$1.16 billion. But

Wuchang bream populations have declined due to overfishing and reduced reproductive

success due to dams. But the species is currently categorized as Least Concern because it

is widespread and the population decline is not in line with the threatened category. Learn

more about this type of fish below. Characteristics of Wuchang sea bream Wuchang bream

usually has 3 dorsal spines and 7 dorsal soft rays, 3 anal spines and 25-27 anal soft rays.

They are usually black and gray on the back and silvery white on the belly. There are

several vertical black stripes on the side. And all the fins are greenish gray in color. Photos

and information from Fishbase, IUCN Red List and Wikipedia. some products There are

commercial feeds for catching Wuchang bream. reproduction Wuchang bream is a

lacustrine species and is mainly found in lakes and rivers with silt on the bottom with

macrophytes in the middle and lower water levels. They migrate to rivers to spawn.

Fish Bream: a detailed description, fishing and breeding

Bream is a tasty and healthy fish that is popular not only among fishermen, but also

consumers. If desired, there is the opportunity to engage in the cultivation and rearing of fish

in your own pond. Fishing for bream is considered an exciting activity, because during

fishing silence is required, which adds more intrigue to the process itself.

Description, features and distribution of fish

Bream, like some other representatives of cyprinids, have a rather compressed

body. Visually, they are easily recognized by the height of the body, equal to about 1/3 of

the entire length. Due to the high, narrow dorsal fin, the fish seems even larger than it

actually is. The bream has an asymmetrical caudal fin - its upper lobe is slightly smaller and

shorter than the lower.

The 30-ray anal fin is used as a keel, adding stability to the fish. The bream has a small

head, small eyes, a shallow retractable mouth. The surface of the body is covered with small

scales; in the back, it is absent.

With age, the color of bream changes. Young individuals are characterized by a gray color

with silver tint. With the passage of life, the color becomes darker, making the fish brown or

blackish with a characteristic yellow-golden tint of color. Fins range from light gray to red-

bloody shades.

Fish live in the entire northern hemisphere of the Earth. In Russia, breams are

especially common in the northwestern and central parts, rivers, lakes of Siberia, the Urals,

the basins of all the seas that wash the country.

Depending on the region of distribution, there are local names for fish: Eastern,

Danube, Baltic bream, scavenger.

Population and species status

The total number of representatives of the genus of bream, which belong to the

family of cyprinids and the order of cyprinids, varies significantly in various natural

reservoirs. It directly depends on the success of annual breeding. Under favorable

conditions, for spawning of semi-aisle breams, a high flood is ensured. After regulating the

flow of river waters of the southern seas, the total number of sites for spawning significantly

decreased. In order to effectively preserve the main stocks, we created several special

growing fish farms. They also carry out activities aimed at saving young bream from shallow

ponds in case of loss of connection with rivers.

To ensure the most successful spawning process in natural and artificial

reservoirs, special floating spawning sites help. In addition, the epidemic of various fish

diseases negatively affects the numbers of bream in some water bodies.

Nature and lifestyle

The bream is considered to be schooling fish, preferring to stay in deep places

with a lot of vegetation, serving as food for it. Bream is a careful and smart fish. Sometimes

they gather in large flocks, which is typical for places where a large population of bream

(reservoirs, large lakes). For the winter, breams lie in deep holes. Lower Volga bream

populations often winter in the Caspian Sea or stay at the mouth of the Volga.

At the age of 3-4 years, the bream reaches puberty. Spawns on shallows with a

lot of grass or in shallow bays. At this time, it behaves noisily, actively, playfully.

What does the bream eat?

The usual diet, all that the bream eats, directly depends on local characteristics

and the way of eating. The fish has a small mouth opening, due to which it can feed on

small crustaceans, bloodworms, algae shoots, and insect larvae.

The bream draws food through the lips out of the ground, while leaning with the whole body

down to the bottom. In the south, the food is based on numerous crustaceans that inhabit

the brackish waters of the Azov and Caspian seas. They feed on bream and caviar of other

fish, excrement of domestic animals in places of their watering.

Feeding habits of Chinese Bream Wuchang fish

At larval stage, Chinese bream feed mainly on zooplankton such as cladocera

and copepod, whereas, at adult stage, mainly on aquatic grass such as Vallisneria

spiralis, Hydrilla verticillata, and Potamogeton malainus and secondarily on Potamogeton

crispus, Myriophyllum spicatum, Spirogyra and plant detritus. With a mouth small in size,

and the pharyngeal teeth and callous pad small and weak, the ability and intensity of food

intake of Wuchang fish fail to come up with Grass carp.

Breeding

The bream begins to spawn for 3-4 years of life, laying eggs in shallow water,

which is overgrown with aquatic vegetation. The spawning process begins at a time when

the water temperature reaches 12-15 degrees. In northern and central Russia, this is mid-

May. Fishermen determine the exact breeding time of the bream by willow: when the leaves

bloom.

One female is able to spawn up to 340,000 eggs. Larvae appear on average

after 5 days. During spawning, the bream is almost impossible to catch, but after breeding it

actively bites, does not get sick.

Bream is a fast-growing fish, which by the age of 10 is 70-75 centimeters in

length and weight up to 8 kilograms. Fish growth rates may vary depending on habitat and

nutritional conditions. Bream that live in the southern latitudes grow much faster. For

example, individuals found in the lakes of the Republic of Karelia reach an average length of

24 centimeters by the age of 5, while fish living in the Volga basin can grow up to 30-34

centimeters in length. This is a significant difference.

On the "fish hunt" fishermen are more likely to meet scavengers and individuals

weighing up to 2 kilograms. Bream with a body weight of more than 4 kilograms is

considered a rare prey, due to which they are valued.

Enemies and Competition

Compared to many other representatives of cyprinids, breams grow quickly and are

actively developing. Such developmental abilities give fish many advantages in the struggle

for survival and competition:

  Due to the rapid growth of bream, they avoid the most dangerous and difficult period

for them, when their small size attracts many predators, turning them into affordable

and easy prey.

 The high growth rate of fish helps it by the age of 2-3 years to completely get out of

the natural "pressure" of many predators. But at the same time, all the same, the

main enemies remain, which include the large bottom pike, which is dangerous even

for adult fish.

 All kinds of parasites, including the tapeworm ligula, which has a complex

development cycle, also pose a danger to fish. Helminth eggs enter the water of the

reservoir with the excrement of some fish-eating birds, and the hatched larvae are

swallowed by many planktonic crustaceans that feed on the bream. From the

intestinal tract of fish, larvae easily penetrate into the body cavity, where they grow

actively and can lead to death.

 In summer, other natural enemies appear in bream. In warm waters, fish are often

able to get sick or be affected by tapeworm and severe fungal disease of the gills -

bronchicemiasis. It is sick breams that do not show any resistance that adult pike and

large gulls, as a rule, eat.

Fishing value

Fishing for bream in coastal areas is small. It is carried out in spring and autumn

by mechanized fishing links using passive fishing gear, including secrets and fixed nets. In

the autumn period, slip nets are also used.

The fishing rules today provide for a more rational commercial use of the main

bream population, which is represented by the reduction of the forbidden estuarine space,

the expansion of coastal fishing in the marine zone, the limitation of the use of secrets and
vents from early March to April 20. Also in river zones, the terms of fishing for bream in the

outpost are officially extended, starting from April 20 to May 20. The measures taken helped,

in a sense, increase the intensity of fishing activities and increase the catch volumes of river

and semi-migratory fish, including bream.

Catching bream

Going fishing, the angler must be aware of where and when to bream, which

bait and top dressing. It is also equally important to know about the fishing technique, as

there are several ways to hook the fish.

Time and place

Biting of bream deteriorates exclusively in the summer, especially in July. In the

middle or at the end of August, fish biting begins to resume, continuing until mid-October

under favorable weather conditions.

In the spring, the bream actively pecks after breeding, especially when there is a

zhor of fish, contributing to better conditions for fishing. Bream is caught both during the day

and in the dark. At night, the fish can come close to the shore, and in the daytime it tries to

hide again in the pits.

For better fishing, fishermen are looking for promising places. To determine

such a territory, it is important to know the habits of the fish. If during the day, especially in

hot weather, the bream lies at depth, then at night it rises from the depth and goes to the

shallows in search of food. When day fishing, the use of gear with long throw is

recommended. At night, bream wait closer to the shore.

 It is important to remember that the bream does not like the noise on the shore,

because after hearing it, he will not come close to the bait. Respect for complete silence is a

guarantee of successful fishing and a good catch.

Fishing methods

There are several main directions for catching bream: bottom and float fishing.

Fishing of bream in such ways is carried out throughout the year, including the permissible

fishing from ice, picking up only a fishing rod of a certain type and size. Float rigs are

mounted on fly, bologna and match rods. Bottom fishing occurs when rigging spinning rods

with special methods, using classic bottom gear in the form of a donkey-gum or a seine.

Bream is caught both from the shore and from the boat. A bream is a cautious

fish, which is why a fisherman has to use delicate gear using diameter-limiting woods, which

makes special requirements for equipping fishing rods with reels with fine-tuning the friction

clutch and using shock absorbers in the form of a feedergam on gears.

 In the summer, bream are caught from the shore in complete silence, without

unnecessary movements and conversations. Approaches to places of fishing from a boat

are carried out only at low speed and against the current. Even if the fisherman is extremely

careful and accurate, in the place of fishing after the location and installation of gear the

bream will start to peck no earlier than an hour later.

Lures and bait

Professional fishermen use a variety of lures, various tackle, based on the

season, the characteristics of the reservoir and feed for bream fishing.

The most common are the following:

 combined options, “Sandwiches” (barley with maggot, corn with a worm, etc.);

 vegetable lures (pea mastic, pearl barley, potato, corn, semolina);

 animal lures (maggot, bloodworm).

Practice shows that in the spring, the most effective use of plant and combined lures. In

summer, it is preferable to fish using animal food. In autumn and winter, experienced fishers

experiment with feed, because in these seasons the fish are overly careful, weak nibble.

For fishing use float and bottom fishing rods with various hooks, fishing line of

different thicknesses, an additional tool.

Breeding and growing

Due to the fact that the basis of the diet of bream is freshwater benthos, it is

most advisable to engage in fish farming in shallow ponds or lakes with a muddy bottom or

abundant underwater vegetation.

 Often bream bred in polyculture with carp. Moreover, carp is the main species

that gives more salable fish, and bream is auxiliary. The total fish productivity of a

polyculture is always significantly higher than the productivity of bream breeding separately.

The reason lies in the fact that when joint breeding, common carp and bream use the feed

base much more fully.

The exact productivity is highly dependent on the reservoir itself. Due to the

breeding of this fish without artificial feeding, the rate of gain in live weight is determined by

the density of planting and the amount of natural food supply, as well as its ability to

independently recover during the season.

Juveniles are obtained using small spawning ponds, into which bream are

allowed only for the duration of breeding. The average bream producer weighs about 750

grams, its length is a little more than 30 centimeters. Spawning ponds should be pits with

soft meadow vegetation. Ponds are filled with water a few days before spawning. After the

end of spawning, bream-producers are caught from the spawning grounds and sent to

ordinary fallopian ponds.

After the young hatch from the eggs, it remains in the pond until it gains weight

up to 2-3 grams. Then they discharge water from the pond together with the young animals

into the main feeding pond, in which constant monitoring of the food supply should be

conducted. If necessary, feeding ponds are fertilized. For 3-4 years, bream acquires

marketable mass, after which it is caught. The average survival of bream does not exceed

10%.

What kind of fish can be confused with?

Adult bream differs significantly from other related species (silver bream,

bluebird, sop) with its high body. A species similar to it does not exist. Often, fishermen
confuse bream with bream, especially if the individual is young or small. The difference

between the silver bream and the scavenger, with a general visual similarity, lies in the color

of the fins. The scavenger is much darker. Also, the shape of the body varies in these

species: in the scavenger it is rounded, in the buster it is more elongated.

The main distinguishing feature of the bream is the caudal fin, in which the lower

part is much longer and larger than the upper.

Sopa and Sintz have a bright, elongated body. Sinets has an iridescent blue-

green hue. The white-eye has a completely light color, only the back is darker. Its anal fin is

longer than that of a bream.

Health hazards

Bream is a product that has no contraindications. Only some people have

individual intolerance to freshwater fish, including bream. The following factors can become

a danger to human health:

ad

 Omnivorous fish. The bream is an omnivorous fish, therefore, if the reservoir in

which it lives is highly polluted, harmful substances will certainly be in the fish. To

protect yourself from this problem will help only confidence that the fish was caught in

a clean reservoir.

 Small bones. Small fish bones more than once became the consequence of a fatal

outcome. Eating bream is required carefully so as not to accidentally choke on the

bones. Or it is recommended that you pre-marinate the fish meat before cooking. It is

undesirable to feed the bream of young children.

  Parasites. The bream is often affected by parasites, which is easily detected during

cleaning. The presence of a wide ribbon in the innards of a bream is a rare

occurrence. Such fish should not be eaten even when cooked. Immediately boil the

knife and carefully process the cutting board with soap.

Ribbon eggs are very small and tenacious. If it is a pity to throw away the fish, it

is prepared very carefully, after a good gutting and washing. More often in the insides of the

bream there is another parasite - Ligulidae, which is not dangerous to human health.

The bream is a valuable river and lake fish, which is used for cooking in any

form. The bream has distinctive characteristics, due to which it can not be confused with

other species of fish. Fish meat is tasty, tender and nutritious, for which fish is valued.

Habitat of the Bream

Most of the time, these fish live in freshwater habitats. However, they do range

into brackish water on occasion, or areas with mixed salt and freshwater. For the most part,

they prefer living in rivers, large streams, wetlands, or ponds. They often live in muddy or

turbid waters with lots of floating sediment and algae.

Distribution of the Bream

You can find this fish throughout much of Europe. They range from France to

Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The easternmost extent of their natural range reaches the

Ural Mountains, western Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Introduced

populations also live in southern Russia and into Mongolia.

Reproduction of the Bream

 During the months of April, May, and June, this fish breed via spawning. While

spawning, fish release their eggs and sperm and fertilization occurs outside of the body. The

males defend territories, and the females choose the males with the best territories.

Females lay between 1 and 300,000 eggs! It takes about a week for the eggs to hatch and

the young fish, known as fry, to emerge. The parents do not care for the eggs or young in

any way.

Pond Production of Wuchang Bream Fingerlings

Three earthen ponds of size 5.0-mu each at the Jiangsu Ge Hu Wuchang

Breeding Stock Farm in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, were used for the feeding trial.

Pond water depth averaged approximately 1.5 m. All ponds were equipped with water

exchange and stand-by aeration. Fish were 0.1-g wuchang bream fry produced at the

Jiangsu Ge Hu Wuchang Breeding Stock Farm. Wuchang bream were stocked in the

three trial ponds on 20 June at a density of 9,000 fish per mu, together with 1,000 silver

carp fry per mu. Fish in all three trial ponds were of uniform size and age at stocking.

Target fingerling size for the wuchang bream was 50 g per fish. Wuchang bream were

fed the ASA 41/11, soy-based fry feed in crumble form from the time of stocking to fish

size 3.0 g (Table 1). At fish size 3.0 g the wuchang bream were weaned to the ASA 36/7

fingerling feed in extruded, floating pellet form (Table 2). Initial floating pellet size was 1.5

mm. Pellet size was increased as the fish grew, with pellet size maintained at

approximately one-half the full open mouth size of the fish. Fish were fed to satiation
twice daily, with fish in the three replicate ponds receiving an identical amount of feed at

each feeding. The feeds were formulated by ASA and produced by Cargill in Jiangsu

Province. Trial management was based on the ASA 80:20 pond production model. Fish

in all ponds were sampled once per month on approximately the same date each month.

At the conclusion of the trial, all ponds were drained and the wuchang bream and silver

carp in each pond counted and weighed to determine average fish weight, gross and net

production, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and survival.

Production input costs were recorded throughout the trial and net income and

ROI were calculated at the end of the trial. RESULTS Wuchang bream were fed a total of

137 days between 20 June and 5 November 2002. Wuchang bream grew from 0.1 g to

an average weight of 50.8 g during this feeding period (Figure 1; Table 3). Gross

production averaged 305.8 kg/mu (4,587 kg/ha) for wuchang bream and 61.8 kg/mu (927

kg/ha) for silver carp (Table 3). Average wuchang bream and silver carp survival rates

were 66.9% and 42.8%, respectively. Average FCR for wuchang bream with the ASA

soymealbased feeds was 0.93:1. Net economic return averaged RMB 652 per mu at a

market price of RMB 8.0/kg for wuchang bream and RMB 2.4/kg for silver carp (Table 3).

ROI averaged 33.6% for the three trial pond

Wuchang bream exhibited good growth and feed conversion efficiency using the

ASA 80:20 pond production model and the combination of soy-based 41/11 fry and 36/7

fingerling feeds. The soy-based extruded feeds yielded good water quality, reduced
disease, lower labor costs and high economic return. Fish survival was low for both

wuchang bream (67%) and silver carp (43%). The low survival rates were reported to be

the result of under-stocking. Fish stocking was by weight, rather than number, and initial

average fish weight was under estimate

Texture change of Wuchang bream muscle during live transportation

Mechanism on texture change of Wuchang bream (Megalobrama amblycephala)

muscle during live transportation was explored by UPLC-QTOF-MS. The shear force

(hardness) of fish muscle decreased gradually as the transportation time was extended

from 3 to 24 h, with a maximum decrease of 43.49 %. With the extension of the time, the

cellular and ultrastructure of fish muscle fiber were gradually disrupted.

There was a significant difference between metabolites of the samples after

transporting for 6, 12, 24 h versus 3 h, with organic acids and their derivatives

upregulated while nucleotide metabolites downregulated. The texture deterioration might

be related to metabolism of amino acids, purine, histidine, and choline. The results

showed that the deterioration of Wuchang bream texture during live transportation might

be mainly related to the changes of the above metabolic pathways caused by oxidative

stress, which resulting in the destruction of the muscle cells and fibers.

Wuchang bream (Megalobrama amblycephala), also known as blunt snout bream,

is native and originated in Liangzi Lake (Ezhou, Hubei province, China). It is a kind of

major freshwater fishes which is wildly farmed in central China due to the advantages of

fast growth rate, strong disease resistance, tender meat and delicious taste, and also

cultural reputation. In 2020, the total output of bream in China was 78.17 million tons, of
which approximate 31.11 % were farmed in Hubei province, while Qinghai, Tibet, and

Hainan provinces accounted for less than 0.03 %. Generally, live Wuchang bream are

retailed in supermarket or used for processing in factories to maintain the fresh flavor

and taste of the fish. At present, vehicle with water tanks are mainly used for cross

regional transportation of live Wuchang bream to achieve a balance between supply and

demand. During the live transportation of Wuchang bream, the fish density is generally

between 1∶1 and 1∶2.5, and the transportation time is 2–24 h (Peng et al., 2021).

Commonly, the main measures such as supplementing oxygen and adding ice to

maintain the water temperature are applied to ensure survival of the live fish during the

transportation.

Stress responses occur during transportation when the fishes are stimulated by

numerous stressors such as starvation, noise, ammonia, road bumps, fish crowding, and

temperature. The stressors activate hypothalamus by stimulating the receptors in the

fish, producing hormonal and electrical signals, which in turn activate the hypothalamic-

sympathetico-chromaffin (HSC) and hypothalamo-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axes of the

neuroendocrine system. As a result, levels of catecholamines and corticosteroids in fish

blood increase, and metabolites (glucose, lactate, glycogen, etc.) in muscle change

(Daskalova, 2019). Muscle is the major edible part of fish. Muscle quality (especially

texture) directly affects the economic value of fish product. Previous studies have shown

that texture of fish muscle changed after the fish are stressed (Refaey et al., 2017, Wang

et al., 2020). According to the reports by Refaey et al., 2017, Wang et al., 2020 that

shear force of fish muscle of catfish (Silurus asotus) and Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser

schrenckii) decreased after the live transportation. On the contrary, transporting rainbow

trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with water for 3 h led to the significant increase of muscle

shear force (Wu et al., 2021). Those studies indicated that the texture change of fish
muscle during live transportation as affected by stress, might vary to fish species and

transportation methods. However, so far reports on the texture changes of Wuchang

bream during live transportation cannot be reached in the literature. Furthermore, the

mechanism by which stress affects texture change during live transportation is unclear.

Metabolomics, mainly includes data acquisition using modern techniques (like

GC–MS, NMR) and statistical analysis by various software, is an effective tool for

qualitative and quantitative analysis of small molecule endogenous metabolites with

molecular weight less than 1 kDa. In the recent years, few papers regarding

metabolomics of fish have been published. Xu, Li, Tian, and Liu (2021) studied the effect

of hypoxia stress on the post-landing recovery of scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) by

using the technique of untargeted metabolomics based on UPLC-QTOF-MS. UPLC-

QTOF-MS metabolomics has also been applied to investigate the phenomenon that

micro-flowing water treatment can effectively remove the earthy smell of high-density

cultured freshwater fishes (crucian carp and grass carp) (Lv, Hu, Xiong, You, & Fan,

2018). The results showed that starvation stress during the purification process led to the

downregulation of ATP levels in fish muscle, which further affected the purine

metabolism, resulting in the accumulation of inosinic acid (IMP) but the reduction of bitter

substances (such as xanthine) and off-flavors (such as trimethylamine oxides) in fish

muscle (Du et al., 2020, Du et al., 2021).

During live transportation, the shear force gradually decreased with the extension

of time, indicating the deterioration of texture, which might be mainly related to the

destruction of cell structure and muscle fiber structure caused by stress such as vibration

and noise during live transportation. Under the stress, Wuchang bream accelerated

energy consumption. Consequently, cell energy supply was insufficient, which changed

amino acid, purine metabolism and choline metabolism, increased

 Conclusion

The process of producing marketable wuchang bream starts with the

placement of fry or juveniles in a nursery, which ensures optimal and quick

growth in order to facilitate harvesting as soon as feasible. wuchang bream come

from wild capture and invasive qualities, thus the fish farmer needs to collect an

adequate number of fish in order to satisfy production goals. In Asia, there are

some countries such as China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan , Indonesia and

Vietnam which commonly culturing wuchang bream that basically one of the

common cultured fish in their regions. However , in the Philippines it is most likely

to culture Wuchang bream since they grow in a deep part of the lake and it is

impossible for them to live since Wuchang bream were not adopted to the

country’s climate . but if they used specialized cultured space this maybe

possible .Finally, depending on the size, depth, and water quality of the nursery,

raising wuchang bream can be intended to produce fry, fingerlings, or even

mature as the end result. wuchang bream are raised in nursery ponds, a

subcategory of rearing ponds, where they are kept during their most vulnerable

and challenging growth periods.

 Recommendations

This paper highly recommend the production of seedling for bream to be

engage in production of bream in the country ( Philippines ) despite of the palatability

choice of the Filipinos. Wuchang bream is a freshwater fish which shows potential to be

culture in the region for the betterment of fishing industry.

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