The spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a euryhaline finfish candidate for marine aquaculture in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Aquaculture of this species currently uses salinities of 25 psu or greater making production challenging in areas where high salinity water is not available. This study aimed to document the effects of salinity on zootechnical performance of spotted seatrout embryos, early larvae, and juveniles in recirculating aquaculture systems to assist with the development of protocols for low salinity culture.
Embryos obtained from a volitional spawn at 29 psu were incubated at three salinities (12.5, 18.75, or 25 psu) until unfed larvae expired. The neutral buoyancy salinity of embryos was 25 psu in all groups. Hatch rate was reduced in the 12.5 psu group where embryos tended to fall out of suspension, but larval survival post-hatch did not differ between treatments. Vitelline reserves were utilized more slowly in the lower salinity treatment groups than in the high salinity treatment.
Juveniles from two age groups (42 and 210 days old) were cultured in parallel for 267 days at four salinities (10, 15, 20, 25 psu). The 15 psu group was lost due to a parasitic infection early in the experiment. Survival in the other groups was low (average ~12%) but did not differ between treatments. Total length was highest in the 10 psu group. These results suggest that embryos and newly hatched larvae tolerate low salinity culture after hatch, and that grow out of juveniles at low salinity would be beneficial.
","abstract_html":"<p>The spotted seatrout (<em>Cynoscion nebulosus</em>) is a euryhaline finfish candidate for marine aquaculture in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Aquaculture of this species currently uses salinities of 25 psu or greater making production challenging in areas where high salinity water is not available. This study aimed to document the effects of salinity on zootechnical performance of spotted seatrout embryos, early larvae, and juveniles in recirculating aquaculture systems to assist with the development of protocols for low salinity culture.</p> <p>Embryos obtained from a volitional spawn at 29 psu were incubated at three salinities (12.5, 18.75, or 25 psu) until unfed larvae expired. The neutral buoyancy salinity of embryos was 25 psu in all groups. Hatch rate was reduced in the 12.5 psu group where embryos tended to fall out of suspension, but larval survival post-hatch did not differ between treatments. Vitelline reserves were utilized more slowly in the lower salinity treatment groups than in the high salinity treatment.</p> <p>Juveniles from two age groups (42 and 210 days old) were cultured in parallel for 267 days at four salinities (10, 15, 20, 25 psu). The 15 psu group was lost due to a parasitic infection early in the experiment. Survival in the other groups was low (average ~12%) but did not differ between treatments. Total length was highest in the 10 psu group. These results suggest that embryos and newly hatched larvae tolerate low salinity culture after hatch, and that grow out of juveniles at low salinity would be beneficial.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gigli, Eric"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Eric Saillant","Reginald Blaylock","Jeffrey Lotz"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:12Z","subjects":["Finfish","Culture","Mariculture","Physiology","Vitelline","Production","Animal Experimentation and Research","Aquaculture and Fisheries","Laboratory and Basic Science Research","Marine Biology","Other Physiology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/649","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Eric Saillant","Reginald Blaylock","Jeffrey Lotz"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gigli, Eric"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-03-27T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Finfish","Culture","Mariculture","Physiology","Vitelline","Production","Animal Experimentation and Research","Aquaculture and Fisheries","Laboratory and Basic Science Research","Marine Biology","Other Physiology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/649"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a euryhaline finfish candidate for marine aquaculture in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Aquaculture of this species currently uses salinities of 25 psu or greater making production challenging in areas where high salinity water is not available. This study aimed to document the effects of salinity on zootechnical performance of spotted seatrout embryos, early larvae, and juveniles in recirculating aquaculture systems to assist with the development of protocols for low salinity culture.
Embryos obtained from a volitional spawn at 29 psu were incubated at three salinities (12.5, 18.75, or 25 psu) until unfed larvae expired. The neutral buoyancy salinity of embryos was 25 psu in all groups. Hatch rate was reduced in the 12.5 psu group where embryos tended to fall out of suspension, but larval survival post-hatch did not differ between treatments. Vitelline reserves were utilized more slowly in the lower salinity treatment groups than in the high salinity treatment.
Juveniles from two age groups (42 and 210 days old) were cultured in parallel for 267 days at four salinities (10, 15, 20, 25 psu). The 15 psu group was lost due to a parasitic infection early in the experiment. Survival in the other groups was low (average ~12%) but did not differ between treatments. Total length was highest in the 10 psu group. These results suggest that embryos and newly hatched larvae tolerate low salinity culture after hatch, and that grow out of juveniles at low salinity would be beneficial.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Effects of Salinity on Zootechnical Performance of Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Eric Saillant","Reginald Blaylock","Jeffrey Lotz"],"dc:creator":["Gigli, Eric"],"dc:date.available":["2019-03-27T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a euryhaline finfish candidate for marine aquaculture in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Aquaculture of this species currently uses salinities of 25 psu or greater making production challenging in areas where high salinity water is not available. This study aimed to document the effects of salinity on zootechnical performance of spotted seatrout embryos, early larvae, and juveniles in recirculating aquaculture systems to assist with the development of protocols for low salinity culture.
Embryos obtained from a volitional spawn at 29 psu were incubated at three salinities (12.5, 18.75, or 25 psu) until unfed larvae expired. The neutral buoyancy salinity of embryos was 25 psu in all groups. Hatch rate was reduced in the 12.5 psu group where embryos tended to fall out of suspension, but larval survival post-hatch did not differ between treatments. Vitelline reserves were utilized more slowly in the lower salinity treatment groups than in the high salinity treatment.
Juveniles from two age groups (42 and 210 days old) were cultured in parallel for 267 days at four salinities (10, 15, 20, 25 psu). The 15 psu group was lost due to a parasitic infection early in the experiment. Survival in the other groups was low (average ~12%) but did not differ between treatments. Total length was highest in the 10 psu group. These results suggest that embryos and newly hatched larvae tolerate low salinity culture after hatch, and that grow out of juveniles at low salinity would be beneficial.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/649"],"dc:subject":["Finfish","Culture","Mariculture","Physiology","Vitelline","Production","Animal Experimentation and Research","Aquaculture and Fisheries","Laboratory and Basic Science Research","Marine Biology","Other Physiology"],"dc:title":["The Effects of Salinity on Zootechnical Performance of Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:12Z"}