Growth, Physiological Response, and Gill Health of Spotted Rose Snapper (Lutjanus guttatus) Reared at Different Salinities
The physiological and gill health responses of juvenile spotted rose snapper (Lutjanus guttatus) were evaluated at four salinities—8, 16, 24, and 32‰—over a 70-day period. Fish reared at 8‰ exhibited the highest final body weight (126.8 ± 2.6 g), which was significantly higher than their congeners kept at 24‰ (116.0 ± 2.3 g) and 32‰ (116.0 ± 2.3 g). This superior growth at 8‰ coincides with the complete absence of parasitic monogenean infestations. In contrast, parasite prevalence increased with salinity, reaching 87.5% at 24‰, and was associated with gill pathologies like hyperplasia. Plasma osmolality and chloride levels decreased at lower salinities, while sodium and potassium levels showed a compensatory increase. Plasma cortisol and glucose levels remained stable across all treatments, indicating an absence of chronic stress. These findings suggest that the optimal rearing salinity for juvenile L. guttatus is near 8‰. The enhanced growth at this salinity appears to be the result of a net energy gain, stemming from a trade-off between the minor cost of osmoregulation in a hypo-osmotic environment and the major energetic benefit of avoiding parasitic disease.
Authors
- Yanis Cruz‐Quintana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4405-8987)
- Neil Duncan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5456-9217)
- Marcela Suárez‐Esquivel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9174-2656)
- Carlos Víquez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3643-1481)
- Jonathan Chacón-Guzmán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8449-2334)
- Enric Gisbert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7457-8468)
- Junior Pastor Pérez-Molina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3396-0599)
- Adriana Rodríguez Forero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1270-5326)
- Silvia Valverde-Chavarría (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2823-459X)
- Elman Calvo-Elizondo
- Ricardo Jiménez-Montealegre
- Laura Castro-Ramírez
- Tifanny Corrales
- Javier Segura-Badilla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6487-3076)
- Enoc Soto-Alvarado
Institutions
- Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (CR)
- Universidad Nacional (CR)
- University of Magdalena (CO)
- Distance State University (CR)
- Universidad de Costa Rica (CR)
- Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (ES)
- Universidad Técnica de Manabí (EC)
- Marine Technology Unit (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Fishes
- Published
- 2025-09-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10090472
- Primary Topic
- Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Universidad Católica del Norte
- CYTED Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo
- Directorate for Biological Sciences