Technical Abstract: In order to understand physiological changes that occur in fish under stress or in different environments it is necessary to have a sensitive method to monitor physical variations. While sequence mapping and cellular studies have greatly improved our understanding of cellular mechanisms and transcriptional changes involved with certain experimental and domesticated stocks, these methods have yet to be applied to wild stocks. Because prior studies have shown a correlation in gene expression with physical changes, studies were initiated to analyze gene expression levels in the tissues of animals under different experimental conditions. The research performed at this facility pertains to both aquaculture as well as wild conserved species, therefore initial analysis were performed examining traits such as growth on formulated fish diets using alternative protein sources, disease resistance, and health issues related to different diets and environmental conditions. Utilizing knowledge gained from previous work in fish and other animals, and the availability of sequence, certain transcribed genes relating to growth and health such as myosin, lysozyme, IL-8, and TNF were chosen for analysis using real-time PCR.