Gut peculiarities of feed deprived white sturgeons (Acipenser transmontanus, Richardson 1836)

In the White sturgeon fish farms, some individuals have difficulty in getting access to food: such sturgeons are called “runts”, and they result in a slower growth rate than normally feeding fish. In this paper, we have studied the gut pecu- liarities of runt sturgeons. Utilizing in paralleling an analysis of diatom populations in both the fish gut tissues and the rearing tank waters, we hypothesized a causative relation between the occurrence of runt sturgeons and periodic diatom blooms. In fact, we have observed that the diatom species identified in the aquatic environment were also detected in organs (Fragilaria spp and Rhoicosfenia spp for both glandular body, mid-intestine) of the runt sturgeon’s gut, but not in tissues of normally feeding individuals. Owing to their siliceous wall, diatoms can be responsible for areas of epithet- lial detachment in the mucosal surfaces of the alimentary canal and a catharral inflammation in both the gastric pits and intestinal folds which may be the cause of secondary bacterial diseases. We suggest that diatom blooms may contribute to the occurrence of runt sturgeons in the studied Italian fish farm.