Morphological development of the digestive system of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. in the Umba farm during the endogenous feeding

The morphological and histological characteristics of the digestive system ontogenesis in hatchery of the Atlantic salmon larvae during the endogenous feeding period have been given. An analysis of a number of articles updating information on modern studies of the digestive system in the early ontogeny of various groups of fish has been carried out. The samples were collected at the Umba hatchery in 2015-2016. The authors have performed morphological and histological analyses of embryos and larvae, histological examination of the digestive system of larvae during the transition to exogenous nutrition, the establishment of biological age at the time of certain events in the ontogenesis of the digestive system. Actual values of the biological age of Umba hatchery larvae, at which they shift to the mixed (580 tau-somite) and exogenous (630 tau-somite) feeding have been determined. The obtained results have been compared with the literature data when development of Atlantic salmon larvae takes place in conditions with controlled temperature. Variation in biological age values, when formation of the digestive system structures takes place, has pointed at the functional and morphological differences in ontogenesis of the Atlantic salmon from natural and artificial water circumstances. Development of the Atlantic salmon larvae after hatching in cold-water conditions (3-4 °С, the Umba hatchery), sequence of the digestive system structures composition, and establishment of the functional readiness to food assimilation has been shown. In this period the growth rate of larvae has been evaluated. The organs responsible for exogenous feeding have been divided into 3 groups, and analysis of their ontogenesis has been performed. It has been recommended to start exogenous feeding with 15-20 % of yolk in presence, at the biological age of 540 tau-somite, 45-48 days after hatching in our case.