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Green‐Water Rearing and Delayed Weaning Improve Growth and Survival of Summer Flounder
Author(s) -
Bengtson David A.,
Lydon Lindsay,
Ainley Jeffrey D.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
north american journal of aquaculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.432
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1548-8454
pISSN - 1522-2055
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8454(1999)061<0239:gwradw>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - biology , live food , weaning , hatchery , hatching , paralichthys , aquaculture , zoology , olive flounder , fishery , larva , flounder , fish farming , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology
The advent of an aquaculture industry for summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus requires that optimal methods be identified for hatchery production. Two experiments were conducted to test strategies for larval rearing and for weaning newly metamorphosed juveniles from live to artificial diets. Rearing of larvae in “green water” (with algae added) resulted in better survival (76.1 ± 6.5%) from days 5–42 after hatching than did rearing in “clear water” (no algae added; 27.8 ± 13.6%), although no differences in growth were apparent. When fish were weaned from live feed beginning at day 45 versus day 57 by either a “gradual” method (7‐d weaning period) or an “immediate” method (no weaning period), better survival and growth were obtained with fish weaned at the later age. For both age‐groups, fish weaned by the gradual method exhibited better growth, but not better survival, than those weaned by the immediate method. With these data as examples, commercial hatcheries can conduct cost : benefit analyses of the different rearing methods.