Four different levels of salinity were set as follows: control (30.5 - 3l.8), 26.0, 21.0, 16.0. Duplicate tanks were established for each salinity level. Eight 1001 transparent polycarbonate circular tanks inside a vinyloid hothouse were used to culture 2000 3-day-old larvae in each of them. The tanks’ seawater temperature was 17.8 - 21.8°C; light density was controlled at 800—1000 h by curtains. Airstones, and flowing water were applied during culture of the larvae, fed on rotifers and Arremia naupli. The volumes of the air current, flowing water, and food, were increased appropriately in accordance with the growth of the larvae. The experiment period lasted 51 days (from Nov. 21th 1993 to Jan. 11th 1994). During the experiment period, 30 individuals were sampled every 7 days (every 5 days from Dec. 22th) to measure the total length of the fishes by profile projector after anaesthesia with MS-222. When the fishes completed metamorphosis and became benthonic (mean total length 18 mm), all were taken out, anaesthetized with MS-222 and preserved in 10% neutral formalin to calculate the numbers of the individuals of normal and abnormal in body color and compare the growth, survival rate and albinism rate. Survival rate (%) = N₂/(N₀-N₁)×100 (N₂ = No. of surviving ind.; N₀ = Beginning No.; N₁ = Sampled No.). The color types were distinguished as follows: Type 1: normal; Type 2: trunk normal, with head albinotic partly; Type 3: trunk normal, with head albinotic; Type 4: head normal, with trunk albinotic partly; Type 5: both head and trunk albinotic partly; Type 6: head all albinotic, with trunk albinotic partly; Type 7: head normal, with trunk all or almost albinotic; Type 8: head partly albinotic, with trunk all or almost albinotic; Type 9: both head and trunk all or almost albinotic.

The results showed that the mean total length of the fishes of each experiment tank was 18.7 - 20.2mm, no distinguished differences in statistics available (P> 0.05). The survival rates of the experiment fishes were as follows: Group 1:26.9% and 27.3%; Group 2: 23.8% and 35.6%; Group 3: 41.2% and 40.2%; Group 4: 62.9% and 42.1%. The albinism rates were: Group 1: 83.6% and 81.5%; Group 2: 76.6% and 75.8%; Group 3: 41.9% and 33.8%; Group 4: 34.8% and 37.6%. The types of albinism could be basically classified into three types: type 4:, type 5 and type 9. Other types of albinism did not existent or were not apparent.

The study showed that from salinify of 16.0 to 31.8: 1. different level of salinity had no notable effects on the growth of the larvae and juveniles of Paralichthys olivaceus; 2. the lower the salinity the higher the survival rate and the lower the albinism rate of the larvae and juveniles of the fish; 3. salinity from 26.0 to 21.0 may be the critical range causing notable differences in the survival rate and albinism rate of the juveniles of the fish.