Survival and development of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) eggs at various incubation temperatures

Abstract

Lake herring eggs stripped and fertilized from a local stock were incubated in a constant-flow incubator at constant temperatures ranging from 0 to 12.1° C. Rate of development, percentage survival, percentage of abnormal and normal hatching, and length of fry at hatching were determined. The average incubation time from fertilization to 50% hatch varied from 37 days at 9.9-10.3° C to 236 days at 0.5° C. The optimum temperature range for normal development was approximately 2 to 8° C. Eggs incubated at 0 and 12.1° C developed but did not hatch. Mortality was high among eggs incubated at 0.5 and 10.0° C. Most of the mortalities came during the early stages of development. The incidence of abnormalities was highest among fry hatched at 10° C, and was high in the one incubation series in which the eggs were rolled because of a high flow rate. Total length of fry at hatching decreased with increased incubation temperature. A comparison of survival and development between lake herring and whitefish ( Coregonus clupeaformis ) at various constant incubation temperatures suggests that lake herring have a higher optimum temperature (5.6 °C) than whitefish (0.5 °C) for successful development.