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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337578
Research Project: Genetics, Breeding and Reproductive Physiology to Enhance Production of Catfish

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: Incubation water temperature and parental effects on the hatching success and progeny performance of Channel catfish

Author
item Chatakondi, Nagaraj

Submitted to: American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/21/2017
Publication Date: 2/22/2017
Citation: Chatakondi, N.G. 2017. Incubation water temperature and parental effects on the hatching success and progeny performance of Channel catfish. American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting. P.19.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Channel x blue catfish are exclusively produced by hormone-induced spawning of channel catfish and the stripped eggs are fertilized with pooled blue catfish sperm in hatcheries. Even though hybrid fry production has increased in recent years, variable and inconsistent hybrid catfish fry production is evident in commercial hatcheries. Channel catfish spawning season extends 6 to 10 weeks during spring with water temperatures ranging from 72 to 94 °F, with optimal temperatures being 80 to 82 °F. Maturation and ovulation are not synchronized in channel catfish and variations exist in egg quality and hatching success of individual fish. This study was conducted to assess the Influence of incubating temperatures (to mimic optimal and extreme temperatures) and parental fish on hatching success and progeny performance of catfish. Eight gravid channel catfish females were induced to ovulate with 20+80 µg LHRHa/Kg BW and a portion of the stripped eggs from each female were either fertilized with either channel catfish sperm to produce a channel catfish family or pooled D&B blue catfish sperm to produce a hybrid catfish family. Half-sib channel catfish family and hybrid catfish families were incubated either in 80 °F or 90 °F waters until hatch. Survival of fry in families was recorded at 0, 5, 25, and 50 days. A six-week growth of 120-day old fish representing select families was conducted in a replicated 80 L aquaria. The fish were fed with 35% protein floating feed once daily to satiation.