Abstract: The effects of salinity on the growth and survival of juvenile Mercenaria mercenaria of two different sizes were studied by employing indoor culture method. The results showed that the most suitable growth and survival salinity was about 27.8 for juveniles of two different sizes. Juveniles would die within 48 h when the salinity was lower than 14.4. The survival rate (SR) and growth rate (GR) of juveniles increased along with the salinity from 14.4 to 27.8, but decreased when the salinity increased from 27.8 to 35.9. There was stronger resistance to salinity for the juvenile M. mercenaria of larger sizes when compared with the smaller ones. In conclusion, artificial culture of the juvenile M. mercenaria is more suitable in the south coast of China, and adult culture is more suitable in the north coast areas.

Key words: Mercenaria mercenaria, juvenile, salinity, growth, survival