Short and Long-Term Effects of Early and Late Weaning on Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The study fills a gap in knowledge about the long term effects of weaning strategies. Indeed, it would be good to see more such studies because there may be an implicit assumption that such effects from early rearing do not extend all the way to harvest time.

The manuscript for the vast majority was well-presented and very easy to read. The methods were simple but appropriate. 

Most of my suggestions are minor editorial comments. However, I do query the use of statistical tests and data presentation. These suggestions and questions are included in the reviewed manuscript as comments on the pdf and I do not need to list them here.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. We have tried our best to answer your comments/suggestions.  Hope our answer is acceptable for you.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

I have reviewed your manuscript entitled "Short and long-term effects of early and late weaning on Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua" and found it to be an interesting and valuable contribution to the field of aquaculture. The study is well-designed and executed, and the results provide important insights into the effects of different weaning strategies on the growth, survival, and quality of Atlantic cod. However, there are some aspects of the manuscript that could be improved to enhance its clarity and impact. Below, I provide my comments and suggestions for revision:

1. Introduction: The introduction provides a good background on the importance of Atlantic cod as a commercial species and the challenges faced in their larviculture. However, it would be helpful to provide a clearer statement of the research objectives and hypotheses at the end of the introduction, so that readers can better understand the purpose and scope of the study.

2. Materials and Methods: The methods section is generally well-written and provides sufficient detail for readers to understand the experimental design and procedures. However, it would be helpful to include more information on the statistical methods used for data analysis, including any assumptions made and tests for normality and homoscedasticity.

3. Discussion: The discussion provides a thorough and thoughtful interpretation of the results, with appropriate reference to the existing literature.

- The authors suggest that the higher growth observed in the LW treatment may be due to the higher levels of taurine in the enriched Artemia nauplii. It would be helpful to provide more evidence from the literature to support this claim, as well as to discuss any potential alternative explanations for the observed differences in growth.

Author Response

Thanks you for your comments and suggestions. We tried our best to answer your queries and hope our answers are acceptable for you.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf