Physiological Responses of Three Species of Fishes to Various Salinities

Abstract

The effects of varying salinity on parameters such as growth, food consumption, food conversion efficiency, and respiration were determined for three species of fish inhabiting the Salton Sea, California. Bairdiella (Bairdiella icistia), orangemouth corvina (Cynoscion xanthulus), and sargo (Anisotremus davidsoni), were subjected to salinities ranging between 29 and 45‰. The optimal range of salinity was between 33–37‰ for all three species. Growth, food consumption, food assimilation, and respiration were adversely affected at the extreme salinities of 29 and 45‰. The results indicate that the fish inhabiting the Salton Sea will experience difficulty in maintaining populations of the current size when the salinity reaches 40‰.