Potency of blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus (individual vs pooled) sperm to fertilize stripped channel catfish, I. punctatus eggs on the production and performance of progeny

Authors: Chatakondi, Nagaraj; Waldbieser, Geoffrey - Geoff

Submitted to: Annual Meeting World Aquaculture Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2015
Publication Date: 2/22/2016
Citation: Chatakondi, N.G., Waldbieser, G.C. 2016. Potency of blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus (individual vs pooled) sperm to fertilize stripped channel catfish, I. punctatus eggs on the production and performance of progeny. Annual Meeting World Aquaculture Society. P. 18.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Channel x blue hybrid catfish is the desired genotype for US farm-raised catfish industry. Induced spawning of gravid channel catfish, followed by fertilization of stripped eggs with blue catfish sperm is the only reliable means to produce hybrid catfish embryos in hatcheries. Hybrid catfish fry production has been variable and inconsistent in hatcheries. Hence, practices and protocols that improve hatchery production need to be identified and developed. It is a common practice to pool sperm from multiple blue catfish males in commercial hatching facilities for spawning efficiency, but the effects of pooled sperm on hatching success and progeny performance are not known. Hence, the objectives of the present study are to determine the effects of fertilizing sperm solutions from individual and pooled sperm on the hatching success, potency, and progeny performance. It was hypothesized that blue catfish sperm when pooled in equal proportion to sire with catfish eggs would result in similar proportion of progeny in a family. Stripped eggs from five channel catfish females were fertilized either with sperm solutions from four individual blue catfish males or pooled sperm (mixture of four blue catfish males in equal proportion) to produce 25 families (20 individual and 5 mix hybrid catfish families). The fertilized eggs for a family were hatched in two replicated baskets suspended in a flow-through aquaria. Percent hatch of hybrid catfish embryos differed (P=0.01) among five channel catfish female eggs fertilized either with individual or pooled blue catfish sperm, however, the percent hatch of hybrid catfish eggs did not differ (P=0.71) among four blue catfish males sired individually. Average weight gain of hybrid catfish at the end of 8 week aquaria growth studies differed (P=0.01) among families, where individual channel catfish were sired either with individual or pooled blue catfish sperm. However, average weight gain of hybrid catfish did not differ (P=0.78) among the families, where blue catfish males were individually fertilized with stripped eggs from five channel catfish females. The average weight gain of hybrid catfish in families sired by individual blue male catfish was (23.0 + 2.17) g was higher (P=0.029) than the average weight gain of hybrid catfish families sired by pooled blue catfish sperm (14.1 + 6.1) g. Offspring (76-96) representing each of the 5 mix hybrid catfish families sired by four blue catfish males were genotyped with by 21 DNA microsatellite markers resulting in 13.4 to 38.9% progeny. Reduced weight gain and disproportionate percent of progeny produced from fertilizing stripped channel catfish eggs with pooled blue catfish needs to be further examined before recommending the findings for possible adoption in production facilities.