Abstract
In order to compare the effects on reproductive performance of short‐term or prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures during vitellogenesis, female Atlantic salmon Salmo salar were held at a water temperature of 22° C for periods of 4 or 6 weeks during the austral summer and autumn. Plasma levels of 17β‐oestradiol (E 2 ), testosterone (T) and vitellogenin (Vtg) were monitored and reproductive success was compared to that in groups of fish maintained at 14 or 22° C for 12 weeks from mid‐January. Significant endocrine effects were observed within as few as 3 days of the commencement of exposure to 22° C, when plasma levels of E 2 ( c. 0·5 ng ml −1 ) and Vtg ( c. 1·4 mg ml −1 ) were approximately half those observed in fish maintained at 14° C ( c. 1·0 ng ml −1 and 2·7 mg ml −1 respectively). The fertility and survival to the eyed stage of ova from fish held at 14° C exceeded 85 and 70% respectively, whereas ova from fish held at 22° C for 6 or 12 weeks exhibited significantly reduced fertility ( c. 40 and 13% respectively). In spite of significant endocrine effects at all stages, a 4 week exposure to 22° C only generated significant reductions in egg fertility ( c. 30%) when it occurred between mid‐February and mid‐March. Together, these data confirm that high temperature spikes can affect reproductive success as strongly as more prolonged exposures, and indicate that there is a critical period of reproductive sensitivity to elevated temperature in late February and early March in this stock of Atlantic salmon.