Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) spawning dynamics and early growth in the lower River Murray, South Australia / Benjamin B. Smith.

Abstract

"This thesis extends and summarises Australian data on carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) reproductive biology and early growth. Specifically, it (1) validates the aging of larval and early-juveniles via daily otolith increment counts, (2) provides regression equations to account for shrinkage that occurs upon preservation of young-of-the-year (YOY) carp in 70 and 95% ethanol, (3-4) investigates the timing, frequency and duration of spawning via gonad staging and via a combination of gonad staging and YOY sampling, and (5) investigates relationships between YOY recruitment and nine hydro-climatic parameters, and examines spatial and temporal variation in YOY growth."