Biological and Ethological Response of Black Sea Golden Grey Mullet (Chelon auratus Risso, 1810) Fries to Different Salinities and Temperatures

The aim of this paper was to investigate the biological and ethological response of golden grey mullet Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810) fries collected from Romanian Black Sea shallow waters to different salinities and temperatures, in order to document the optimal conditions for controlled rearing. The species' potential for aquaculture is enhanced by its eurihalyne and eurithermal adaptability, allowing it to grow in a variety of ecosystems, including the Romanian Black Sea area, with its highly variable salinity and temperature specificities. Three experimental set-ups were designed: a salinity tolerance test, with 5 salinity regimes (0.3 parts per thousand, 5 parts per thousand, 10 parts per thousand, 15 parts per thousand and 20 parts per thousand), a temperature tolerance experiment, involving both temperature decrease (down to 8 degrees C) and increase (up to 34 degrees C), and an extreme salinity test, reaching a maximum value of 95%0. The aggregated results obtained from the three experiments indicated that golden grey mullet fries can indeed tolerate a wide range of temperatures (8 degrees C - 36 degrees C) and salinities (5 parts per thousand-70 parts per thousand), with the optimal range between 10 parts per thousand and 30 parts per thousand salinity, at temperatures of 10 degrees C - 25 degrees C. The practical purpose of this investigation was supporting the diversification of local mariculture species, as mullets can be excellent candidates for the enhancement of aquaculture in the area