Salinity Tolerance and Growth Response of Juvenile Oreochromis mossambicus at Different Salinity Levels

Juveniles of Oreochromis mossambicus with initial wet weights of 0.0382±0.0859 g and initial total lengths of 0.735 ±1.425 cm were tested for their salinity tolerance. The juveniles were subjected to five salinity levels for a period of seventy five days. These salinity levels correspond to the salinities found along the creek and in estuarine regions. Each set of experiments was conducted at a fifteen day intervals. The weight, length and survival rate were calculated. No mortality was observed at salinity levels 0, 5, 10 and 15, while the juveniles faced slight mortality at 20 in the same environmental conditions, including the diet. There was no significant difference in specific growth rate at all salinity levels. The juveniles of O. mossambicus could survive up to 20 salinity. These results suggest that this species can grow and be exploited commercially in brackish waters, rivers and estuarine regions.