Anthony S. Overton, Maryland Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 1120 Trigg Hall, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD 21853; M. J. Van Den Avyle, Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, D. B. Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602

Abstract. Juvenile stages of striped bass, Morone saxatilis, depend on estuarine productivity for rapid growth and the habitat diversity of estuaries for protection from predation. Suitability of estuaries as nursery areas may be influenced by salinity. To examine the influences of salinity, four age groups (67, 91, 112, 133 days) of juvenile striped bass were reared in the laboratory at three different salinities (0, 5, and 10^o/oo and two temperatures (25, 28^oC) to test the effects of salinity on survival, growth rate, and nutritional condition. Nutritional condition was measured by Liver Somatic Index (LSI), lipid cell size, and RNA/DNA ratios. Survival exceeded 98% throughout the entire experiment. Growth rates in 25^oC were highest in 5 and 10^o/oo, but salinity did not affect growth at 28^oC. Cell size was not affected by salinity in any of the tests. Salinity had no effects on mean LSI and RNA/DNA ratio at 25^oC, but those values were lowest at 5^o/oo in 28^oC. Data collected by the Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit show the juvenile striped bass are most abundant on the freshwater side of the freshwater/saltwater interface. Our results suggest that factors other than salinity are probably contributing to the spatial distribution of the juveniles.