Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbraPallas, 1814) plasma biochemistry and hematology reference intervals including blood cell morphology

Abstract

Plasma biochemistry and hematology reference intervals are integral health assessment tools in all medical fields, including aquatic animal health. As sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) are becoming aquaculturally and economically more important, this manuscript provides essential reference intervals (RI) for their plasma biochemistry and hematology along with reference photomicrographs of blood cells in healthy, fasted sablefish. Blood cell counts and morphology can vary between species, precluding the use of RI’s from other fish species for use in sablefish. Blood was collected for plasma biochemistry and hematology analysis between June 20 and July 18, 2019, from healthy, yearling sablefish, hatched and reared in captivity on a commercial diet. Overnight fast of 16-18 hours did not sufficiently reduce lipids in the blood, which lead to visible lipemia and frequent rupture of blood cells during analysis. Therefore, sablefish should be fasted for 24 to 36 hours before blood is collected to reduce hematology artifacts or possible reagent interference in plasma biochemistry analysis. RI’s may also be influenced by feed, demographics, and production systems, warranting more studies on this topic. In sablefish, lymphocytes are the dominant leukocytes (98%), while eosinophils are rare, and basophils were not detected. Neutrophils are very large cells with Döhle bodies. These bodies are usually signs of toxic changes, but no such association was found in these fish.