The interaction of temperature and fish size on growth of juvenile turbot

Growth rate of tagged juvenile turbot was significantly influenced by the interaction of temperature and fish size. The results suggest the optimum temperature for growth of juvenile turbot in the size range 25–75 g is between 16 and 19°C. Optimal temperature for growth decreased rapidly with increasing size, and is between 13 and 16°C for 100 g turbot. Although individual growth rates varied highly at all times within the temperature treatments, significant size rank correlations were maintained during the experimental period. The study confirms that turbot exhibit ontogenetic variation in temperature optimum, which might partly explain different spatial distribution of juvenile and adult turbot in ocean waters.