Mortality of yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea (Storer), eggs: effects of temperature and hormone-induced ovulation

Yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea (Storer, 1839), is a highly marketable fish species that used to be a significant groundfish in the northwest Atlantic region. The potential of yellowtail flounder for mass rearing has recently been investigated, but studies into aspects of mortality during early ontogeny are lacking. We investigated the impact of spawning inducement on mortality of eggs from fertilisation until hatch, and the effects of rearing temperature on mortality and hatching time in this multiple batch spawning flounder. An ash-free dry mass (AFDM) technique for determining mortality was employed. This technique reduced rearing tank disturbances and provided quantitative mortality estimates. We found (1) that spontaneously ovulated (SO) mean egg mass (AFDM 24.84±0.73 μg) was significantly higher than mean egg mass from induced ovulation (IO) (AFDM 20.09±0.54 μg); (2) that mortality of SO eggs was lower than IO eggs (p=0.028), (3) that SO eggs reached a relatively constant (maximum) mortality by about day 3 and IO eggs by about day 5; (4) that there was no significant difference in mortality between eggs incubated at 10 °C and those incubated at 4 °C (p=0.320); and (5) that time to 100% hatch took significantly longer for eggs incubated at 4 °C (256.0±73.5 h) than those incubated at 10 °C (77.9±11.6 h) (p=0.003). There was considerable variation in egg mortality among batches and females; nevertheless, general trends indicate that GnRHa-induction of ovulation tends to decrease egg quality. In addition, the AFDM technique was an easily employed and accurate method of determining mortality. We recommend that unless coordination of spawning is important to a particular rearing protocol, induced ovulation should not be employed.