Acclimation experiment of sub-adult Chinese sturgeon(Acipenser sinensis Gray)from fresh water culture in sea water

Acclimation experiment of sub-adult Chinese sturgeon Acipenser sinensis in sea water was carried out in 2000.The fish used in the test was the first filial generation and had been bred in fresh water for about 3 years,its total length and body weight being 127.6±13.1 cm(105~149 cm,N=20)and 10.7±2.88 kg(5.8~15.0 kg),respectively.The salinity in test water increased by 5 per 5 days in the test period.After 20 days,the salinity reached 23,and the average survival rate of test fish was 93.9 %(92.1 %~95.7 %).Abnormal behaviors of Chinese sturgeons were not found as the salinity in test water became raised gradually.Obviously,the fish could endure the increased salinity and live normally in the seawater.The results also showed that Chinese sturgeon could adapt well to the wide salinity range in water.In addition,the ability of Chinese sturgeon to adapt to salinity variation was possibly related to the body size,viz.,the bigger the body of the fish,the stronger was its ability to adapt to the variation of salinity.