Broodstock Acquisition/Conditioning

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Broodstock Acquisition/Conditioning

• Dr. Craig S. Kasper
• FAS 2263

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Summary

• Broodstock Facilities (review)
• Broodfish Stocks Selection
• Broodfish Quality
• Broodfish Conditioning (Nutrition)
• Broodfish Care
• Financial Concerns

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Broodstock Holding Facilities

• Always work closely with experts to design and
  manufacture a broodstock system that meets your
  unique needs while assuring a top quality growing
  environment, up to date bio-security and 'best
  of' monitoring and controls.
• Hiring a consulting firm could be an expensive
  process, so choose wisely.
• Consulting experts will often save you costly
  mistakes.

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Broodfish Stocks

• Local state agencies might be a source. They
  turn over fish after several spawning cycles.
• While not the very best,
• they might be free!
• This could be critical if you are
• strapped for cash or dont want
• to shell out the dough for fish
• with which you have little
• experience.

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BroodfishStock Aquisition

• Youve decided to
• breed fish, good!
• Where do I em?

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• You might be able to get them yourself
• Check with local department of natural resources
  
• concerning collection permits.

Atlantic Salmon stock enhancement - collection of
wild broodstock Yeah, but who wants to sort all
those fish??
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Sometimes its a little challenging!
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• Established private producers are a source!
• The advertising is good.

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Broodstock Acquisition (cont.)

• Established research programs will sometimes
  trade them or give them away when research is
  finished.
• Dont count this being an easy sale though.
  Remember, these fish are time and money to people!

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Hey, would you GIVE these away?!?
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Broodstock Selection

• The selection of fish with desirable hereditary
  qualities typical of improved strains such as
  rapid growth potential, higher resistance to
  dissolved oxygen deficiency and adverse water
  quality, strong appetite, omnivorous feeding
  regime.
• The selection of fish with well-developed sexual
  organs.
• The rearing of these selected fish to produce
  healthy potential spawners, with dormant eggs
  well developed in the females.

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Future Breeders Short-list

• (1) good health
• (2) no body wounds
• (3) no parasites
• (4) a typical scale distribution
• (5) no fin or body deformation
• (6) optimal shape and proportions
• (7) neither too fat, nor too thin

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Broodstock Nutrition

• After stripping (when the breeders are stressed
  and before new eggs are formed) they need as much
  protein as they can get, or as you can afford.
  (OTC cant hurt.)
• This helps fish repare tissues and ward off
  diseases.
• During egg development and when the breeders
  await spawning tropicals, carnivors and marine
  fish should receive artificial feeds with a gt40
  protein content (omnis and herbs can get by on
  less.)

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Broodstock Care

• Production of good quality eggs is dependent upon
  the quality of the broodstock.
• For that reason, maintaining a healthy,
  non-stress and disease free environment for
  broodstock is critical to a successful operation.

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This is what you want!!
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Broodstock managementtropical climates

• Multiple spawnings possible!
• Females and males are preferably kept in separate
  broodstock ponds.
• Two sets of ponds ripening males and females vs.
  spent spawners.
• Prevents wild spawning, enables feeding of
  conditioning diet to females, lowers stocking
  density.

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Polyculture within broodstock ponds?

• Yes! Sometimes using a few smaller (100-200 g)
  carnivorous fish is advisable.
• About 200-400 ind/ha (80/100 fish/acre) controls
  emigrants which compete for food with the
  broodstock.
• Similarly, these carnivorous fish will eliminate
  the juveniles born from accidental wild spawning
  (yes, that was a male fish...)
• Of course, if youve stocked carivorous fish,
  this is a mute point.

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What are the external signs of the breeder's
maturity?

• ?- well-rounded and soft or semi-soft belly
  erect, reddish genital papilla (anal opening is
  enlarged and protruding).
• ? -slight abdominal pressure releases milt

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Final Selection

• Select breeders one by one!
• Mature breeders hatchery
• Immature breeders pond
• Unhealthy or invalid fish sold (eat)
• This selection process is especially important
  for the females, whose maturity should be
  thoroughly checked, to ensure the success of the
  artificial propagation.