Length-at-age and weight-at-age of larval herring (Clupea harengus) reared at three temperatures in the laboratory up to 52 days post hatch

Ten female (mean 179 g wet mass (WM) and 25.3 cm standard length (SL) and ten male (182 g WM, 24.5 cm SL) Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) were obtained from Kiel Bight (54°22'N, 010°09'E) and strip-spawned. The eggs were strip-spawned onto polyethylene plates, fertilized and incubated within aerated 250-L tanks containing 16 (±0.2) psu, 10 (±0.12)°C water at a light regime of 14 h (light):10 h (dark). After hatch on April 17, 2007, larvae were reared in semi-static (30% water exchange day−1) 100-L tanks (Ø 60 cm) at 17 (±0.5) psu and either 13.2 (±0.4), 10 (±0.4) or 7.2 (±0.3)°C. Tanks were “greened” with R. baltica (50,000 cells mL−1) and larvae were fed ad libitum rations of newly-hatched A. tonsa nauplii which corresponded to 5 prey mL−1 until a larval age of 13 days post hatch (dph) and then 2 prey mL−1 of early and late naupliar and copepodite stages. During rearing, larval SL- and dry mass (DM)-at-age was monitored every 2 to 3 days.