ARS | Publication request: Variation in body weight and total length among families of fingerling white bass after communal rearing

Submitted to: Journal of Applied Aquaculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 9, 2009
Publication Date: September 20, 2011
Citation: Fuller, S.A., Mcentire, M.E. 2011. Variation in body weight and total length among families of fingerling white bass after communal rearing. Journal of Applied Aquaculture. 23:250-255.

Interpretive Summary: White bass from 15 families were raised in a pond from fry at 5 days after they hatched for a total of 32 days, when they had become small fingerlings. A sample of these fingerlings was taken, length and weight was recorded for each fish, and genetic markers were used to determine the parents of each fingerling. There were significant differences between the different families for length and weight. Both length and weight had relatively low heritability in these small fish. Future studies will look at length and weight in a larger number of families and also include older fish to see how length and weight between families of white bass change as fish get older.

Technical Abstract: Variation in body weight and total length among 15 families of Phase I white bass Morone chrysops was evaluated in a communal pond. Family pedigrees were determined a posteriori using microsatellite molecular markers and trait heritabilities (h2) were estimated. Fingerlings averaged 36.7 (+ or - 2.6 SD) mm and 0.53 (+ or - 0.10) g across all families after 32 days of communal rearing. The number of offspring identified in our sample per family ranged between three and 28. There were significant differences between families in both traits (P < 0.05). Traits showed low to moderate heritability (h2 = 0.14, length; h2 = 0.08, weight). Subsequent studies in white bass should include assessment of larger fish to obtain genetic estimates at different stages in the production cycle. This study represents the first effort to assess variation among white bass families for any growth-related trait using a communal rearing approach.