Abstract

Newly hatched Pacifastacus leniusculus juveniles were obtained in February and March from gravid females trapped in October at Donner Lake, California. During stage 2, these juveniles were placed in individual flow through containers in tanks of freshwater, 12.5% salinity, 25% salinity, and 50% salinity (100% salinity -35%)• The crayfish were fed daily with non-egg bearing brine shrimp and held at a temperature of 17.5 C. Growth, daily consumption, and survival were monitored for stages 3-5 lasting approximately 70 days. Growth decreased with increasing salinity. While daily food consumption also decreased sharply with salinity, food conversion efficiency showed no significant differences between treatments. The difference in growth along the salinity gradient may be a simple consequence of decreased food intake. High mortality in the 50% salinity group suggests that this salinity is near the limit tolerated by newly hatched P. leniusculus.

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