Strain evaluation of striped bass ( Morone saxatilis) under controlled conditions

Abstract

Commercial hybrid striped bass production is one of the fastest growing segments of the US aquaculture industry. However, broodstock domestication and selective breeding on a production scale have yet to be exploited. We reared progeny from five wild striped bass ( Morone saxatilis) populations representing New York to Florida at two facilities (Horn Point Laboratory (HPL), Cambridge, MD and AquaFuture (AFI), Turners Falls, MA). Some 19 families were grown for approximately 150 days in recirculating aquaculture systems and evaluated for differences in growth rate. Maryland and Florida Blackwater populations exhibited higher growth rates than the South Carolina and New York strains ( P<.05) with Florida St. John's fish showing intermediate growth. All strains grew significantly faster at AFI than HPL ( P=0.001) with absolute growth rate (g/day) strongly correlated at the two facilities (SCC=0.823, P=0.0001).