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The effects of elevated salinity on river herring embryo and larval survival

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Abstract

River herring (Alewives; Alosa pseudoharengus and Blueback Herring; Alosa aestivalis) populations have undergone dramatic declines in recent years. Although the exact causes for these population declines are unclear, evidence suggests that factors such as habitat loss and dam construction may prevent upstream migration to spawning grounds, resulting in river herring spawning below the head of tide. As below the head of tide spawning may prematurely expose river herring embryos and larvae to saline environments, a series of experiments were conducted to determine the effect of elevated salinity on embryonic and larval survival. Embryos of both species were acutely exposed to salinities of 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 g/L as well as to simulated tidal salinity fluctuations, and survival was assessed. Larvae (1–8 days post hatch; DPH) were acutely transferred to 2.5–30 g/L water, and survival was assessed after 24 h. Larvae (0–12 DPH) were also gradually acclimated to salinities ranging from 2.5–30 g/L, and survival assessed 24 h post exposure. Embryonic alewife survival was high (>97%) at salinities ≤10 g/L while blueback herring embryos displayed a wide salinity tolerance throughout the range. Embryos of both species exhibited high survival in tidal salinity exposures. Survival of acutely-transferred alewife and blueback herring larvae decreased with increasing salinity (>20 g/L). Both species were tolerant of high salinity conditions by 15 DPH. These experiments demonstrate that survival of river herring embryos and larvae may be possible in tidally-influenced areas, depending on the developmental stage and rate of salinity exposure.

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Acknowledgments

Partial funding was provided by New Hampshire SeaGrant and the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This is Scientific Contribution Number XXXX. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agricultural Hatch Project NH00566. The authors would like to thank Catherine Caruso, Kristin Duclos, and Amber Litterer for fish husbandry and sampling assistance. We are grateful to Rob Cinq-Mars for design and construction of the instrumentation for the simulated tide experiments.

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  1. Matthew A. DiMaggio

    Present address: Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 1408 24th Street SE, Ruskin, FL, 33570, USA

  2. Timothy S. Breton

    Present address: Division of Natural Sciences, University of Maine at Farmington, 173 High Street, Farmington, ME, 04938, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 38 College Road, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Matthew A. DiMaggio, Timothy S. Breton, Linas W. Kenter, Calvin G. Diessner, Aurora I. Burgess & David L. Berlinsky

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  1. Matthew A. DiMaggio
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Correspondence to Matthew A. DiMaggio.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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DiMaggio, M.A., Breton, T.S., Kenter, L.W. et al. The effects of elevated salinity on river herring embryo and larval survival. Environ Biol Fish 99, 451–461 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-016-0488-7

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