Metabolism and its relationship with growth rate of American plaice, Hippoglossoides platessoides Fabr.

Abstract

Low routine oxygen consumption rates were measured for 100 American plaice ( Hippoglossoides platessoides Fabr.) which were taken from St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia, on five occasions (August, November, February, April and June) during 1970–1971. The pooled data for the rate of oxygen consumption R(mg O 2/h) at weight w(g) are represented by the equation R = 0.0582 w 0.8. Over the range 1–6 °C no significant ( P < 0.05) effect of temperature on oxygen consumption was detected. Neither season, sex, state of maturity, nor stage of gonad ripeness had significant effects upon the rate of oxygen consumption. A comparison of the data with those for other species of flatfish gives no evidence for an evolutionary adaptation of metabolic rate to the prevailing subarctic temperatures. An analysis using a growth equation derived from energy principles indicates that the influence of temperature on metabolic rate can account for the differences in growth rate among plaice populations but that characteristics of the food supply may also have an important effect.