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Development of Yellow Perch Broodstocks for Genetic Selection: Assessing Reproductive Performance and Manipulation for Out-of-Cycle Spawning
Yellow perch are an important food fish in the midwestern United States, and given the reduced supplies of wild perch, there is a strong impetus to develop aquaculture of this species. However, the slow growth of perch is a significant bottleneck to aquaculture. The overall goal of the proposed research is to continue the development of genetically defined yellow perch broodstocks initiated in a past Sea Grant project. The first brood-stock generation has now been produced from four wild North American perch population sites. Embryos, larvae, and fry were raised under identical conditions, and at 70 days postfertilization, their performance will be evaluated in a growth trial conducted under conditions mimicking intensive recirculation systems. The top performers from each of the four sites will be genotyped and used to produce second generation stocks that will be evaluated for reproductive performance including fecundity, fertility, hatching success, and fry/larval survival. Since year-round fingerling production is desirable for commercial production, the ability of these strains to be photothermally manipulated to achieve out-of-cycle spawning will also be evaluated.
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