The effect of light intensity and green water on survival and growth of cultured larval California yellowtail (Seriola lalandi)

Environmental parameters, such as light intensity and turbidity, have been shown to significantly influence the growth and survival of cultured larval finfish. Here, we study three light intensities (low: 360 lx; medium: 1675 lx; and high: 14,850 lx) and two turbidity conditions (with and without green water) to determine optimum growth and survival for California yellowtail (Seriola lalandi) larvae. The study lasted from 2 thru 16 days post hatch (dph). The high light intensity, green water treatment produced the largest larvae (865 ± 165 μg dry weight; 7.01 ± 0.07 mm notochord length), had the highest survival rate (9.2 ± 3.1%), and had the highest incidence of swimbladder inflation (68.8 ± 3.1%) among all treatments in this study. The low and medium light intensity, clear water treatments produced the smallest larvae (183 ± 60 μg dry weight; 5.58 ± 0.07 mm notochord length) and the lowest survival rate (0–0.10%). These results indicate that light intensity and turbidity are significant factors that affect growth and survival of Seriola lalandi larvae up to 16 dph.