Effects of Temperature on Growth and Efficiency of Yolk Utilisation in Eggs and Pre-feeding Larval Stages of Atlantic Salmon

Three embryonic stages of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) were subjected to eight constant incubation temperatures (4, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19 and 22 °C) exceeding the range usually experienced in natural conditions. A change in thermal tolerance during the embryonic and larval development was registered: pre-hatching stages showed an upper thermal limit at about 16 °C, while hatched larvae survived until 22 °C. Temperature significantly affects developmental rate, resulting in a faster development and, consequently, lower yolk weight percentage at higher temperatures. We found positive relationships between incubation temperature and body size (length and weight) in the less developed stages, in which some yolk remained, but size decreased at increasing temperatures when yolk was completely exhausted.

[1]  B. Howell,et al.  The influence of egg size and incubation temperature on the condition of Solea solea (L.) larvae at hatching and first feeding , 1996 .

[2]  R. Peterson,et al.  Influence of temperature and salinity on length and yolk utilization of striped bass larvae , 1996, Aquaculture International.

[3]  R. Peterson,et al.  Yolk utilization by Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) alevins in response to temperature and substrate , 1995 .

[4]  D. Marr.  Influence of Temperature on the Efficiency of Growth of Salmonid Embryos , 1966, Nature.

[5]  T. Kane.  Relationship of Temperature and Time of Initial Feeding of Atlantic Salmon , 1988 .

[6]  D. F. Alderdice,et al.  Relation between temperature and incubation time for eggs of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) , 1978 .

[7]  E. Kamler.  Early Life History of Fish , 1991, Fish & Fisheries Series.

[8]  L. Fuiman,et al.  Early life history of fish: An energetics approach , 1995, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries.

[9]  T. Beacham,et al.  Temperature, Egg Size, and Development of Embryos and Alevins of Five Species of Pacific Salmon: A Comparative Analysis , 1990 .

[10]  P. Hodson,et al.  The effect of time from hatch on the yolk conversion efficiency of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri , 1986 .

[11]  A. Sreedharan,et al.  Development of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Eggs and Alevins Under Varied Temperature Regimes , 1977 .

[12]  T. G. Heggberget,et al.  Incubation of the eggs of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar at low temperatures , 1984 .

[13]  J. Blaxter.  The Effect of Temperature On Larval Fishes , 1991 .

[14]  L. Fuiman,et al.  Early Life History of Fish: An Energetics Approach , 1995 .

[15]  D. Crisp.  Prediction, from temperature, of eyeing, hatching and ‘swim‐up’ times for salmonid embryos , 1988 .

[16]  E. Brännäs.  Influence of photoperiod and temperature on hatching and emergence of Baltic salmon (Salmo salar L.) , 1987 .

[17]  P. Rombough.  2 Respiratory Gas Exchange, Aerobic Metabolism, and Effects of Hypoxia During Early Life , 1988 .

[18]  A. Jensen,et al.  Temperature Requirements in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), Brown Trout (Salmo trutta), and Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) from Hatching to Initial Feeding Compared with Geographic Distribution , 1989 .

[19]  P. Rombough.  Energy partitioning during fish development: additive or compensatory allocation of energy to support growth? , 1994 .

[20]  R. Buddington,et al.  6 Yolk Absorption in Embryonic and Larval Fishes , 1988 .

[21]  T. Heming.  Effects of Temperature on Utilization of Yolk by Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Eggs and Alevins , 1982 .