Methods for Fish Biology, 2nd edition

Chapter 11: Growth and Development

Michael D. Kaller, Christopher C. Green, and Alf H. Haukenes

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874615.ch11

Kaller, M. D., C. C. Green, and A. H. Haukenes. 2022. Growth and development. Pages 347–398 in S. Midway, C. Hasler, and P. Chakrabarty, editors. Methods for fish biology, 2^nd edition. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.

 

Describing fish growth and development is integral to studying fish in natural systems, aquaculture, and research settings. Growth and development can offer profound insights into fish responses to (1) management actions (e.g., stocking strategies; Bonvechio and Rydell 2016; Varkey et al. 2018), (2) fish production strategies (e.g., stocking densities and rearing methods; Tartara et al. 2009; Watts et al. 2016), (3) environmental and anthropogenic stressors (e.g., thermal cycles and forestry impacts; Eldridge et al. 2015; Hartman and Kaller, in press), and (4) variations in natural phenomena (e.g., emergence timing impacts on later growth and development; Cogliati et al. 2018). The guiding characterization for growth in this chapter will build from the definition of any change in size or amount of body material, regardless of whether the change is permanent, temporary, positive, or negative, which was proposed in the previous edition (Busacker et al. 1990).