Effects of ration and temperature on growth of age-0 Atlantic sturgeon

Our objective was to gain insight into the optimum temperature and ration for growth of age-0 Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus in culture. We conducted two trials, each for 8 weeks. Trial 1 started with 60-g fish, trial 2 started with 0 3-g fish. Water temperatures of 15, 17, and 19??C were used separately in each trial. Rations (dry food, wet weight of fish) for 60-g fish were 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% of biomass per day, for 0.3-g fish, rations were 3, 5, and 7% of biomass per day. We set up three tank replicates, of equal fish biomass, at each combination of temperature and ration. The highest growth rate in trial 1 (for 60-g fish) was 0.014/d at 15??C and the 1.5% ration, although this growth rate was not significantly different from the growth rate at 17??C and 1.5% ration or at 17??C and 1.0% ration. The highest growth rate in trial 2 (for 0.3-g fish) was 0.067/d at 19??C and the 7.0% ration. Instantaneous growth at these conditions was significantly different from all other combinations of temperature and ration. Although these results may not completely define the temperature and ration under which fish could achieve maximum growth rate, they provide a solid starting point for further development of Atlantic sturgeon culture.