| Abstract: | Stress induced by severe confinement in cages and by simulated transport was evaluated in reciprocal white bass × striped bass hybrids (Morone chrysops × M. saratilis) after acclimation to various calcium concentrations in freshwater (5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/L calcium) and various salinities (1, 8, 16, and 24%o) at 25 C. Survival was monitored in both confinement and transport events. In confinement events, changes in plasma osmolality were used as an indicator of osmoreg-ulatory dysfunction. After 6 h of severe confinement in cages, survival was significantly affected by treatments in both freshwater (FW) and saltwater (SW) events. Survival was greatest in 80 mg/L calcium in FW treatments and 8%o in the SW treatments. Simultaneous analysis of both FW and SW confinement data revealed that, after compensating for fish weight, survival increased as environmental ionic content increased (up to 8%o) then decreased with increasing salinity. Plasma osmolality decreased significantly from baseline levels with respect to confinement time in all FW treatments. Significant differences in plasma osmolality were observed among SW treatments: plasma osmolality of fish confined in 1%o decreased while those confined in salinities of 16 and 24%o increased. The plasma osmolality offish confined in 8%o remained near baseline levels. Almost no mortality (<5% in all treatments) occurred during (12 h) and after (5 d) transport in both FW and SW. Fish were in good condition and acclimated to transport water quality prior to transport events which may have been a major reason for high survival. Results from this study indicate that detrimental effects due to handling and transporting hybrid striped bass are reduced in FW environments that provide sufficient calcium and in SW environments which are near isoosmotic with the plasma. |
