Global warming is intensifying interest in the physiological consequences of temperature change in ectotherms, but we still have a relatively poor understanding of the effects of temperature on early life stages. This study determined how embryonic temperature (T E ) affects development and the activity of metabolic enzymes in the swimming muscle of zebrafish. Embryos developed successfully to hatching (survival ≥88%) from 22 to 32°C, but suffered sharp increases in mortality outside of this range. Embryos that were incubated until hatching at a control T E (27°C) or near the extremes for successful development (22 or 32°C) were next raised to adulthood under control conditions at 27°C. Growth trajectories after hatching were altered in the 22°C and 32°C T E groups compared with 27°C T E controls, but growth slowed after 3 months of age in all groups. Maximal enzyme activities of cytochrome c oxidase (COX), citrate synthase (CS), hydroxyacyl-coA dehydrogenase (HOAD), pyruvate kinase (PK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured across a range of assay temperatures (22, 27, 32 and 36°C) in adults from each T E group that were acclimated to 27 or 32°C. Substrate affinities (K m ) were also determined for COX and LDH. In adult fish acclimated to 27°C, COX and PK activities were higher in 22°C and 32°C T E groups than in 27°C T E controls, and the temperature optimum for COX activity was higher in the 32°C T E group than in the 22°C T E group. Warm acclimation reduced COX, CS and/or PK activities in the 22 and 32°C T E groups, possibly to compensate for thermal effects on molecular activity. This response did not occur in the 27°C T E controls, which instead increased LDH and HOAD activities. Warm acclimation also increased thermal sensitivity (Q 10 ) of HOAD to cool temperatures across all T E groups. We conclude that the temperature experienced during early development can have a persistent impact on energy metabolism pathways and acclimation capacity in later life.