EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY ON THE SURVIVAL ANH GROWTH RATE OF LARVAE OF THE ORIENTAL RIVER PRAWN (Macrobrachium nipponense, de Haan 1849)

Abstract

The oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense, de Haan 1849) is a freshwater crustacean species of high economic value and is included in the list of aquatic species permitted for commercial use in Vietnam. However, seed supply is currently mainly dependent on wild capture and has not yet met production demands. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of salinity and temperature on the survival rate and growth performance of oriental river prawn larvae, thereby providing a scientific basis for improving artificial seed production protocols. Two independent experiments were designed: (i) a salinity experiment with levels of 0, 5, 10, 15‰ and (ii) a temperature experiment with levels of 20, 25, 30, 35°C. Each treatment was replicated three times. The results showed that both salinity and temperature significantly affected larval survival and growth. Salinity levels of 0 - 5‰ resulted in the highest survival and growth rates, which were significantly higher than those observed at salinities of 10 - 15‰ (p < 0.05). Temperatures ranging from 25 - 30°C were identified as optimal for larval rearing, promoting good growth performance and high survival rates. The study recommends maintaining salinity at 0 - 5‰ and temperature at 25 - 30°C during the larval rearing stage to enhance the efficiency of oriental river prawn seed production.