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Photoperiod and temperature effects on growth and maturation of pre- and post-smolt Atlantic salmon

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Abstract

The present study was undertaken to examine the long-term effect of continuous light and constant temperature and their interaction on growth, feed intake, gill Na+, K+-ATPase (NKA) activity and early sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon pre- and post-smolts. The fish (mean initial weight = 15.9 g ± 0.4 SE) were reared on two photoperiods (continuous light, LL and simulated natural photoperiod, LDN, 60°25′N) and on two constant temperatures (average 8.3 and 12.7 °C) from June to July the following year. This resulted in four experimental groups abbreviated as LL8, LL12, LDN8 and LDN12. Growth in freshwater was highest in the LL12 group and final weight of this group was 70–330 % higher than in the other experimental groups, and our findings further demonstrate that the growth-enhancing effect of continuous light alone corresponds to a 4.5° increase in temperature. Overall, the highest feed intake was registered in the LL12 group, whereas no differences in feed intake or growth were observed between the LL8 and LDN12 groups, and the lowest feed intake and growth in the LDN8 group. Both temperature groups on LL developed peak levels in gill NKA activity in October–November, 4–5 months prior to the natural season for the parr–smolt transformation. Fish at 12 °C showed peak levels in NKA activity 4–6 weeks before the fish on 8 °C. The proportion of mature males was higher at 12.7 °C (66 %) compared to 8.3 °C (11 %). Highest maturation was seen at LL12 (82 %). For the salmon industry, this means that long-term rearing at LL and 12.7 °C will improve growth but also leads to higher maturation proportion. By rearing fish at LL8, it is, however, possible to achieve high growth and low maturation simultaneously.

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Abbreviations

NKA:

Gill Na+, K+-ATPase

LL:

Continuous light

LDN:

Simulated natural photoperiod

SEI:

Sucrose/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid/imidazole

SGR:

Specific growth rate

CF:

Condition factor

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Bjørn Sveinsbø, Gunnar Nyhammer and Camilla Hosfeld for their assistance during this experiment. This study was financed by Grant 122845 from the Norwegian Research Council. The experiment described has been approved by the local responsible laboratory animal science specialist under the surveillance of the Norwegian Animal Research Authority (NARA) and registered by the authority.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 53 A/B, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Albert Kjartansson Imsland & Sigurd Olav Stefansson

  2. Akvaplan-niva Iceland Office, Akralind 4, 201, Kópavogur, Iceland

    Albert Kjartansson Imsland

  3. Uni Environment, Uni Research AS, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Sigurd Olav Handeland

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  1. Albert Kjartansson Imsland
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  2. Sigurd Olav Handeland
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  3. Sigurd Olav Stefansson
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Correspondence to Albert Kjartansson Imsland.

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Albert Kjartansson Imsland and Sigurd Olav Handeland have contributed equally to this work.

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Imsland, A.K., Handeland, S.O. & Stefansson, S.O. Photoperiod and temperature effects on growth and maturation of pre- and post-smolt Atlantic salmon. Aquacult Int 22, 1331–1345 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-014-9750-1

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