Temperature preference of juvenile dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus (Pisces: Sciaenidae)

Abstract

The final temperature preference of cultured juvenile dusky kob is determined to provide an indicator of their optimum temperature for growth. Trials were conducted over a five-day period in horizontal temperature gradients ranging from 21°C to 27°C. Control trials were run for the same duration, in isothermal conditions. The final temperature preference of the juvenile fish was 25°–26.4°C. This falls within the upper end of the temperature range of 12°–28°C that juvenile kob experience in the wild and has important implications for the optimal location of kob farms in southern Africa.