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Abstract
The fertilised barramundi eggs were incubated at different salinity levels (20, 25, 30 and 35 ppt) to evaluate the effects of salinity on the development of embryos and newly hatched larvae. Each salinity level was treated in three composite tanks (250 L/tank). The results indicated that there were no significant effects of salinity on the embryonic stages from beginning to somites. The eggs incubated at 30 ppt had significantly longer time to heart beat stage compared to those incubated at 20 and 25 ppt (P < 0.05). The salinity did not affect the hatching rate and survival of larvae at 2 days after hatching (P > 0.05). The salinity had no significant effects on the lengths of larvae at 0, 1 and 2 days post hatching (P > 0.05). There were no difference on monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids of newly hatched larvae, while the C16:0 and total saturated fatty acids were significantly higher in the larvae kept at 30 ppt compared to those at 20 ppt (P < 0.05). Thus, the salinity should be maintained at 30 to 35 ppt during embryogenesis and 25 to 35 ppt for early larval development for this species.