Abstract
Two samples of one-year-old American oysters (Crassostrea virginica Gmelin) obtained from the same inlet two years apart and grown under identical conditions were analyzed for their weight distribution and electrophoretic profiles at several enzyme loci. Although growth in the two years was significantly different, the electrophoretic profiles of the two populations were remarkably similar. On both occasions heterozygosity was positively correlated with mean weight and negatively correlated with the coefficient of variation. In general there was a deficiency of heterozygotes. This deficiency was more pronounced in the slow-growers than in the fast-growers. These observations suggest that growth rate (a limiting factor in current oyster aquaculture) can be improved by genetic manipulation. Use of large scale electrophoretic survey in providing guidelines for genetic improvement are discussed.
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