Effect of Salinity on the Survival and Growth of the Larvae and Juveniles of Japanese Grenadier Anchovy Coilia nasus.

The anadromous Japanese Grenadier AnchovyCoilia nasusis a commercially important fish that is mainly distributed in the Yangtze River and its estuarine area. Two trials were performed to determine the effect of acute salinity stress on the survival of earlyC. nasuslarvae at 0 d posthatch (DPH) and 2 DPH. The salinity treatments for these two trials were 0.4, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25‰. A third trial compared the growth of juveniles in 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18‰ salinity. Larvae could only tolerate a limited range of salinity (<5‰). Salinity challenge significantly affected the survival of earlyC. nasuslarvae. When salinity was changed, even a low concentration of 2.5‰ could adversely affect earlyC. nasuslarvae. The growth of juveniles was also influenced by salinity. High salinity (>12‰) caused low survival, and low salinity (<6‰) caused poor growth. The optimum salinity for the survival and growth ofC. nasusjuveniles ranges from 6‰ to 12‰. Received November 30, 2014; accepted April 29, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]