W. E. Jenkins

White bass (Morone chrysops) were reared to maturity and spawned in 2 consecutive years to evaluate their hatchery performance and potential for reuse. Egg production and hatching could not be statistically compared between 2- and 3-year-old fish due to estimation of size data and pooling of hatch data in 1994. Three-year-old virgin females had a mean production of 81,413 larvae/kg body weight and an egg hatching level of 62.9%. No statistical differences (P ≤ 0.05) in latency, egg and fry production, or hatching were detected between 3-year-old virgin and previously strip-spawned fish....

Research and development studies involving red drum and hybrid striped bass culture in coastal ponds have been seriously impacted by avian predators, especially when overwintering was required. Studies were conducted at the Waddell Mariculture Center to document the effect of predation by birds and also to test various non-lethal control techniques. Use of pyrotechnics, flash tape, "evil-eye" balloons, aerial balloons, and various wire grid patterns over a pond offered only short term protection. Mortality of fish in ponds protected by these devices ranged from 42.0% to 99.7% depending...

The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) x white bass (M. chrysops) hybrid is widely stocked to support recreational fishing and is of interest as a commercial aquaculture candidate. Nevertheless, there is little information concerning the relative performance of these hybrids in various salinities. A replicated 126-day study compared growth, survival, standing crop, and feed conversion ofjuvenile hybrid bass (mean size 5.8 g) reared under controlled conditions at 0, 7, 14,21, 28, and 35 ppt salinity. Results indicated that growth was similar at all salinities and that fish survival was high (...

Shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum, range from Canada to Florida and are listed as an endangered species in the United States. During 1985, a cooperative state/federal program focused on development of nursery systems for production of stockable size juveniles. Mortality was high (80%) during the first 2-3 months of tank rearing trials in spite of the use of various disease control agents and differing culture techniques. However, once a size of -180 mm T.L. (30 g) was attained, mortality essentially ceased. Indoor intensive tank systems were more suitable than ponds for producing...

Controlled spawning techniques for cultured striped bass (Morone saxatilis) to produce striped bass and striped bass/white bass (M. chrysops) hybrids were demonstrated. Some striped bass males matured at age 2 while almost all were mature by age 3 (mean weight 2.3 kg, 550 mm TL). In contrast, no female striped bass were mature at age 2 and only 16% were ripe at age 3 (3.4 kg, 623 mm TL). By age 4, an estimated 59% of the females were mature (4.9 kg, 692 mm TL). In 1985 and 1986, striped bass were conditioned using controlled temperatures and photoperiod regimes to spawn 1-3 months before...