Hague Rhys A C, Rimmer James E V, James Mark A
School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom.
Department of Mathematics, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2025 May 6;20(5):e0317706. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317706. eCollection 2025.
Sustainable management of crustacean fisheries requires accurate and timely data for population modelling, but many stocks are data deficient. To address this challenge, a novel device using Class 3R 660 nm diode lasers and Artificial Intelligence algorithms for automated data collection is under development. Whilst the safe use of Class 3R lasers is prescribed for the human eye, equivalent knowledge is required to ensure that lasers of this Class can be used without causing ocular damage to crustaceans. Some countries recognise crustaceans as sentient, thus ocular impacts that could compromise welfare and impair the subsequent survival of sampled specimens could be deemed unacceptable. This study investigates the impact of a prototype laser scanning system on the compound eyes of the white-legged prawn, Litopenaeus vannamei. Histological analysis in a controlled laboratory revealed a correlation between laser exposure and markers of ocular tissue damage, suggesting potential cumulative effects associated with repeated exposure. However, there was indication of pre-existing, underlying baseline alterations in some markers, possibly associated with senescence. Further, observations indicated minimal immediate behavioural effects following single scans, though care is warranted in extrapolating these findings to natural populations and different species under commercial conditions. In an operational context, specimens would only be subjected to a single exposure with a conveyor speed four times faster than that used experimentally, which equates to ~0.05 mW total laser energy. The estimated exposure for a single scan used experimentally was ~0.19 mW. At this level, there is no clear evidence of ocular tissue damage. However, fewer than five repeated exposures at the 6.7 cm/s conveyor speed used experimentally, may result in observable changes in some ocular tissue underscoring the need for cautious protocol development. This research highlights potential biological markers for evaluating photothermal damage in crustacean eyes, which could be used in future studies covering a broader range of commercially significant species.
甲壳类渔业的可持续管理需要准确及时的数据来进行种群建模，但许多种群的数据不足。为应对这一挑战，一种使用3R类660纳米二极管激光器和人工智能算法进行自动数据收集的新型设备正在研发中。虽然规定了3R类激光器对人眼的安全使用，但需要同等的知识来确保此类激光器在不造成甲壳类动物眼部损伤的情况下使用。一些国家认为甲壳类动物是有感知能力的，因此可能损害福利并影响采样标本后续存活的眼部影响可能被视为不可接受。本研究调查了一种原型激光扫描系统对凡纳滨对虾复眼的影响。在受控实验室中的组织学分析显示激光照射与眼部组织损伤标志物之间存在相关性，表明重复照射可能存在潜在的累积效应。然而，一些标志物存在预先存在的潜在基线变化迹象，可能与衰老有关。此外，观察表明单次扫描后立即产生的行为影响最小，不过将这些发现外推至自然种群和商业条件下的不同物种时需谨慎。在实际操作中，标本只会接受一次照射，传送速度比实验中使用的速度快四倍，这相当于总激光能量约为0.05毫瓦。实验中单次扫描的估计照射量约为0.19毫瓦。在此水平下，没有明确的眼部组织损伤证据。然而，以实验中使用的6.7厘米/秒的传送速度进行少于五次的重复照射，可能会导致一些眼部组织出现可观察到的变化，这突出了谨慎制定方案的必要性。这项研究突出了用于评估甲壳类动物眼睛光热损伤的潜在生物标志物，可用于未来涵盖更广泛商业重要物种的研究。
