Effect of egg size on incubation time and alevin and fry size in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Abstract

Variability in hatching time, time of exogenous yolk absorption ("button up") of alevins, alevin size, and fry size was investigated with respect to initial egg size for chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). There was no significant difference with respect to egg size in hatching time of the alevins (stage between hatching and emergence from the redd) or time of exogenous yolk absorption for either species. For both species, alevins hatching from large eggs were longer and had greater amounts of yolk than those hatching from small eggs. Tissue weights of the alevins were not different. The differences in size between these two groups of alevins were maintained throughout the alevin stage and were greater at exogenous yolk absorption than at hatching. Fry (newly emerged, free-swimming young) derived from large eggs had greater tissue weight at exogenous yolk absorption than those derived from small eggs.