@article{article_1943054, title={Effects of salinity on growth performance and survival of second-stage juvenile Pontastacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823)}, journal={Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences}, volume={43}, pages={307–312}, year={2026}, DOI={10.12714/egejfas.43.3.15}, url={https://izlik.org/JA27UX79JW}, author={Özdoğan, Hasan Batuhan Emre}, keywords={Pontastacus leptodactylus, salinity, growth performance, survival rate, aquaculture}, abstract={<p>The narrow-clawed crayfish, <i>Pontastacus leptodactylus </i>, is an economically significant species recognized for its high ecological resilience, particularly its ability to thrive in brackish environments. This research investigated the impact of various salinity levels (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 ppt) on the survival and growth metrics of second-stage juveniles during a 25-day experimental trial. A total of 160 individuals (initial mean weight: 0.033±0.001 g) were allocated into four treatment groups, with each group conducted in quadruplicate. The data indicated that growth performance parameters, such as total length, final weight, and specific growth rate (SGR), were not significantly altered by the salinity treatments (p > 0.05), demonstrating that somatic growth was sustained across the tested salinity gradient. In contrast, survival was significantly affected by environmental salinity (p<0.05). The maximum survival rate was recorded at 5 ppt (52.5±2.50%), followed by the 10 ppt (45.0±6.45%) and 2.5 ppt (30.0±4.08%) groups, whereas the freshwater control group had the lowest survival (12.5±9.46%). These results indicate that moderate salinity (5 ppt) can optimize survival in juvenile crayfish without impairing growth performance. Implementing low-salinity rearing strategies could effectively address the high mortality rates often observed during the sensitive nursery phase of <i>P. leptodactylus </i>. </p>}, number={3}