GROWTH OF WILD STUNTED ARCTIC CHAR AFTER TRANSFER TO A COMMERCIAL REARING SYSTEM

We analyzed the growth of wild stunted Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus under intensive rearing conditions. Arctic char were caught with funne l traps in a Norwegian lake. They were acclimated for 3 weeks to hatch ery conditions and prepared food, then individually marked with T-bar tags and stocked in a 3-m2 tank at a density of 20 kg fish/m3 water. T he fish had a mean age of 5.1 years (SD, 1.45; range, 3-10 years) and a mean weight of 27.9 g (SD, 12.59; range, 8-94 g). After 104 d, the f ish had increased to a mean weight of 137.0 g (SD, 64.55; range, 30-39 4 g). Mean specific growth rate in weight during the period was 1.52%/ d (SD, 0.315; range, -0.10 to 2.27%/d). Only 1.4% of Arctic char showe d little or no growth, and mortality was insignificant. Specific growt h rates were independent of age and maturity during the first months i n culture. Wild stunted Arctic char seem well suited for rearing in in tensive aquaculture.