Development of Practical Culture Methods for Rainbow Smelt Larvae

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Abstract
Rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax, collected in the wild and strip‐spawned during the 2002 and 2003 spawning seasons, produced fertilization and hatching rates as high as 99% and 86%, respectively. During the 2002 spawning season, embryos were stocked into petri dishes and the effects of temperature (5, 10, 15, and 20°C) and salinity (0, 10, 20, and 30‰) on hatching success were determined. Hatching was significantly greater at 10°C and 15°C than at 5°C and 20°C, regardless of salinity. No hatching occurred at 20‰ or 30‰ salinity at any temperature. In separate experiments, the effects of light intensity, green water (200,000 microalgal cells/mL), temperature, and salinity on larval growth and survival were tested. Growth and survival were significantly improved by the addition of green water, but no significant differences were found between light intensity treatments. In studies conducted during the 2003 spawning season, there was no difference in survival between rainbow smelt larvae reared at 15°C and 20°C or among salinity levels of 2, 10, or 20‰. Larval growth was inversely proportional to salinity level. As salinity decreased, larval growth rates increased significantly. Larvae were reared for 77 d at 20°C and sequentially fed enriched rotifers, nauplii of brine shrimp Artemia spp., and a commercial marine finfish diet. The results from this study suggest that rainbow smelt are tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions and are a good baitfish candidate for culture in the northeastern United States.
Funding Information
  • Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center (02-14)

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