Lorraine Maceda

Age, Growth, and Movement of 2 Morone Hybrids in the Apalachicola River System, Florida

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers were used to distinguish 2 Morone hybrid reciprocal crosses, palmetto bass (Morone saxatilis female x M. chrysops male) and sunshine bass (M. chrysops female x M. saxatilis male), in Lake Seminole and the Apalachicola River, Florida. Individual sunshine bass survived to age 6 and weighed up to 5.9 kg, representing the oldest and largest specimens of this hybrid cross collected from a wild natural system. Hybrids moved downstream >125 km, through 2 dams, to the Apalachicola River. Palmetto bass demonstrated a greater tendency than sunshine bass to...