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Feeding Ecology and Growth of Young‐of‐the‐Year Paddlefish in Hatchery Ponds
Author(s) -
Michaletz Paul H.,
Rabeni Charles F.,
Taylor William W.,
Russell Thomas R.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1982)111<700:feagoy>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - hatchery , copepod , zooplankton , biology , predation , fishery , plankton , daphnia , ecology , shrimp , calanoida , abundance (ecology) , fish <actinopterygii> , crustacean
Young paddlefish Polyodon spathula raised in hatchery ponds graduated from particulate feeding to filter feeding as they grew past 120 mm. At this body length, gill rakers are about 2 mm long and about 0.1 mm apart, which is sufficient to retain the majority of zooplankton. Particulate feeders were selective for large, slow‐moving prey such as Daphnia spp. Filter feeders did not show a similar selectivity for large prey but tended to consume agile prey (for example, calanoid copepods and copepod nauplii) in lesser proportion than their abundance. Growth of particulate feeders slowed markedly when Daphnia spp. became rare in the ponds. Growth rates later increased when fish reached a size at which they could filter‐feed. Availability of large, slow zoo‐plankton appears important for the propagation of young paddlefish.