Wednesday September 25, 2024
NOAA Fisheries —
Scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center have streamlined a method used to determine the amount of energy-rich fat in fish. As a result, the number of fish samples they are now able to analyze has substantially increased.
Scientists have long regarded lipids (or fat) as the most important energy reserve for animals in marine ecosystems. They are more calorie-dense than proteins and sugars and are used to fuel growth. Fish with lower lipid values have slower growth and lower reproductive potential, and are weaker overall. Measuring the total lipid content of fish is widely used as a metric to understand the overall health and condition of a population. Moreover, prey species with higher lipid content contribute to the overall health of the predators that eat them.
Traditional methods for analyzing lipids take a lot of time and produce relatively few results. On average, a technician can produce results from 15 samples in an 8-hour day using gravimetric analysis. Using the new method, a single technician can produce results from 69 samples in an 8-hour day. The new method drastically increases productivity while maintaining very high accuracy and precision. More data generated on a faster turnaround is important for decision-makers to inform fish stock assessments and fisheries management on tighter time scales.