Effects of Salinity and Temperature on Survival and Development of Larval Atlantic Menhaden,Brevoortia tyrannus

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Abstract
Controlled laboratory experiments were conducted with larvae of a euryhaline clupeid fish to determine survival time at different salinities and temperatures. Larvae were acclimated at 10 or 15 C, then tested at temperatures of 2 to 6 C (by 1-degree intervals) and salinities of 0%o to 30%o (by 5-%o intervals). Results of the 10 C acclimation series indicated that under natural conditions larvae can be expected to survive for approximately 1 day in water of 2 C and 10 to 25%o salinity, and 2 or 3 days at 3 C and 10 to 20 %o salinity. Larvae probably would live for only a few hours at temperatures of 6 C and below in fresh water (0%o)> whereas the probability of survival generally would be good at temperatures of 4 C and above, and salinities between 5 and 30% ,. Larvae acclimated at 15 C and held at 2 C survived almost 2 days in a salinity of 10%o and 1 day in 15%o. Survival at 2 C was less than 1 day in other salinities tested. At 3 C, larvae survived approximately 2 days in salinities between 5 and 20% . As in the 10 C acclimation series, larvae survived only a few hours in 0%o salinity. In both acclimation series, the lower and upper limits of salinity tolerance increased with increasing temperature. Another experiment in which young fish were held at salinities of 14, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40%o revealed that larvae will transform into normal juveniles at higher salinities than are found in most nursery areas that occur along the east coast of the United States.

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