Abstract:In order to study the effects of salinity on the survival, growth and antioxidant status of juveniles Scatophagus argus, fish with average body weight of (6.27±0.28) g were exposed to different salinities groups (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 35) and reared for 60 days, and the survival rate and growth status were counted. The superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities, glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in liver, gill and muscle tissues were determined. The results showed that:The survival rate was 97.78%~100%, and there was no significant difference among the different salinities groups (P>0.05). When the salinity was 5, the final body length, body weight and weight gain rate showed the maximum, while these values showed the minimum when the salinity was 35. The specific growth rate (SGR) was (0.96±0.01)% at the salinity of 5, which was significantly higher than other groups (P<0.05). The optimal breeding salinity of juvenile Scatophagus argus with body mass of (6.27±0.28) g was 7.5, obtained by the quadratic regression model fitting based on the SGR. The SOD and CAT activities in the liver of fresh water group and salinity 35 group were significantly higher than those in other groups (P<0.05), the GPx activity and MDA content in liver were also at a higher level. There were no significant differences in the activity of GST and GSH content among different salinities (P>0.05). The results showed that:The survival rate of Scatophagus argus juveniles was high in the salinity range of 0-35, but juvenile Scatophagus argus grew faster in the low permeability environment; The fresh water and hypertonic environment caused a certain degree of oxidative stress in fish. It is recommended to raise young juvenile Scatophagus argus in the salinity range of 5-10.