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Abstract

Summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus L., show variance in
total length as they progress through larval development and
metamorphosis, both in commercial aquaculture hatcheries
and in research facilities. This variance leads to serious
problems with cannibalism after settlement, if the fish are
not graded (i.e. separated by size), a labor-intensive process.
In order to document the magnitude of this variation and to
try to understand the basis for it, we conducted a series of
experiments during (a) the larval period and (b) the process of
metamorphosis. The larval experiments were done on fish
reared individually in small bowls and repeatedly measured
during their development. The metamorphosis experiments
were done on fish reared either communally or individually
and repeatedly examined to determine the relationships
between age, growth and stage of development. There was
no relationship between size of larvae at 8 or 9 days after hatch
(DAH) and their subsequent size at 30 DAH. During two
larval trials, significant events occurred around 20–22 DAH:
increased variability in size among offspring from one set of
parents, and increased growth without increased variability
among offspring from another set of parents. These findings
suggest that selective breeding of this species might be a way of
reducing size variability. During the metamorphosis trials, we
found that rates of development and absolute growth in
summer flounder are positively correlated.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Katersky, RS and Schreiber, AM and Specker, JL and Bengtson, DA
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Applied Ichthyology
ISSN:	0175-8659
DOI / ID Number:	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-026.2008.01056.x
Additional Information:	The definitive published version is available online at: http://interscience.wiley.com
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