Impacts of egg and larval size on survival and growth of Atlantic cod under different feeding conditions

Large eggs (1.38 mm) of Atlantic cod reared in the laboratory produced large larvae. However, large larvae had low survival rates. Results also indicated that the first few days' of growth of cod larvae mainly resulted in an increase in mass. Exogenous feeding tended to result in faster growth than endogenous feeding. In the delayed feeding groups (larvae not fed until 67 degree-days), larvae from large eggs grew faster than those from small eggs (1.28 mm) after feeding commenced, while there was no significant difference in growth rate within feeding groups. Compensatory growth was detected in the delayed feeding groups.