Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) egg production and effects of water temperature, lunar phase, and weather on spawning
by Clemment, Troy, M.S., UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT PINE BLUFF, 2003, 65 pages; EP25754
Abstract:

This study was done to determine the number of eggs produced by golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas) over the spawning season and the relationship of daily egg production to environmental variables. Eight, 5.9 m2 plastic-lined pools were each stocked 15 March, 2000 with 50 golden shiners, 9.2 ± 3.7 g (mean ± SD) in body weight each. Fish were fed once daily at 5% body weight with a 40% protein, 9% fat, extruded (pelleted) feed. A spawning substrate was placed in four randomly selected pools, while mats were not placed in the remaining four pools. For a 111-day period (16 March–4 July), spawning mats were collected daily and replaced with clean ones. Eggs were removed in a 1.5% sodium sulfite bath and the total volume of eggs from each pool was recorded. The mean number of eggs per mL, based on counts of 27, 2-mL samples, was 704 (SD = 109). Spawning commenced within a day of stocking at mean water temperature of 15°C and continued until the daily temperature averaged 30°C. The number of eggs collected daily from individual pools ranged from 0 to 33,792 with season-long averages of 4,986 to 7,284 per day. There were only 4 days when no eggs were collected. The number of days separating peak spawning events varied throughout the season. In some cases high numbers of eggs were produced 2 or 3 days in a row. Egg production peaked in May, when an average of 14,339 eggs were collected daily per kg of golden shiners. The mean number of eggs collected daily increased with water temperature up to a peak at 22°C, then decreased as water temperature continued to increase. Approximately 2.75 million eggs were produced over the 111-day period by 2.4 kg of fish (mean of stocking and harvest weight). Egg production was not correlated with lunar phase, barometric pressure, and rainfall. Fish growth, condition, and gonadosomic index did not differ significantly between fish held with and without spawning substrate.