Reproductive Performance of Hatchery-Originated Black Sea Salmon Broodstocks' (Salmo labrax PALLAS, 1814) F5 and F6 Filial Generations

Abstract

In this study, reproductive performances of F5 and F6 generation hatchery-originated female Black Sea salmon (Salmo labrax) were evaluated to determine the effects of the ongoing selective breeding program. The study was conducted in freshwater pools and marine cage systems between 2018 and 2021. For the study, 53 specimens from F5 generation females with an average length of 52.71±7.08 cm and weight of 1561.29±639.76 gr, and also 56 broodstıcks specimens from F6 generation females with an average length of 51.92±5.35 cm and weight of 1506.12±417.28 gr were used. Gonad maturity controls and spawning studies were carried out in the 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 breeding periods along the entire season, lasting from November to January. The number of ovulating females, their fecundity, egg diameters and fertilisation rates of eggs were recorded. In all seasons, 36.17% of F5 females ovulated in November, and the remaining females (63.83%) ovulated in December. Ovulation time in F6 females also showed a similar pattern of 1/3 of females (37.40%) ovulating in November and the remaining majority (62.60%) ovulating in December. According to the results, total egg yields as 4439.31±1675.69 and 4112.08±1041.16 egg/broodstock, relative egg yields as 2313.44±278.48 and 2345.76±516.30 egg/kg, egg diameters as 5.08±0.19 and 5.21±0.17 mm, and fertilisation rates as 96.78±3.24% and 96.63±3.73% were determined for F5 and F6 generations, respectively. In both generations, as the size of the broodstock increases, the total egg production increases (F5: r=0.9169, F6: r=0.74254), while the relative egg production (F5: r=-0.2526, F6: r=-0.3486) decreases. When the total egg yields and fertilisation rates were compared, the difference between the F5 and F6 groups was insignificant (p≤0.05). The condition factors of the two generations were found to be statistically similar (p≤0.05).