Reproductive Performances of Crossbred and Pure-Strain Channel Catfish Brood Stocks

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Abstract
Pure‐strain and interstrain (crossbred) channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were compared for spawning day, spawning rate (percent of replicate pairs that spawned), fecundity, egg size and hatchability, and survival of offspring. Crossbred fish usually spawned earlier (P < 0.05) than pure‐strain channel catfish. As 3‐year‐olds, crossbred fish had higher spawning rates and fecundity than purebred fish, and their output of juveniles (number surviving 45 days in ponds, per kilogram of female parent) was greater. As 4‐year‐olds, pure‐strain fish improved their performances, and crossbreds lost most of their relative advantages. Brood stock derived from crosses of four strains spawned earlier than those from two‐strain F2 crosses, but their surviving offspring were no more numerous. The main value of cross‐strain breeding is to produce channel catfish that mature earlier in life and spawn sooner in the season than purebreds. Received July 16, 1982 Accepted March 4, 1983

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