The striped bass is a well-studied species and there is a voluminous literature 
relating to its biology (30). Relatively little attention, however, has been paid 
to the ecology of early life stages, the period during the life of the animal 
which is most important in the determination of year-class strength. Mansueti 
(22) presented descriptions of the eggs and larvae from collections from the 
Roanoke and Patuxent Rivers, and provided observations on the feeding and 
early growth of larvae in captivity. Doroshev (8) reviewed aspects of egg and 
larval development and added anecdotal observations on metabolic rate and 
graying rates of larvae. Bayless (2) provided a manual of culture methods as 
practiced in South Carolina hatcheries, but did not give many details of larval 
requirements beyond the yolk sac stage. Short term lethal temperature levels 
for eggs and larvae were presented by Albrecht (1), Davies (7), Shannon and 
Smith (32), Shannon (31), and Morgan and Rasin (28). Observations of prey 
selectivity among late larvae were reported by Meshaw (27) and Gomez (10). 
Daniel (6) presented data on the effect of food density on larval survival. 
In many spawning rivers on the Atlantic coast, major conflicts have arisen 
over the effect of power plant operations on striped bass recruitment, as a 
result of the entrainment of eggs and larvae in cooling water intakes, and later 
the impingement of juveniles on intake screens. Entrainment losses are highest 
among striped bass under approximately 3 cm in length. The duration of the 
period of major entrainment losses is a direct function of the time required for 
young bass to develop from semiplanktonic eggs to early juveniles large enough 
to escape intake currents. An assessment of plant impact must take into 
account the duration of entrainable life stages. To date, only crude estimates 
have been used in plant impact models involving striped bass (e.g., 21,36). 
The purpose of the present study was to determine in what way 
temperature and an initial delay in the onset of active feeding work together to 
affect the rate of survival and growth of striped bass larvae. Temperature is a 
controlling factor which may be expected to have a profound effect on the 
metabolic demands of the developing larva. The availability of food determines 
the extent to which these demands can be met. Temperature and delayed first 
feeding may be expected to interact in a manner which would largely 
determine the life span and early growth trajectory of the developing larva. By 
observing how water temperature and feeding level affect growth, better 
predictions of stage duration, hence vulnerability to power plant entrainment, 
may be made. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
Source of Study Material 
Eggs from Maryland used in the 1976 experimental series were netted from 
the Nanticoke River during the spawning season, using a 1 x 2 meter, 947 
237 
