Influence of Brood Fish Size on the Breeding Performance of Channel Catfish

Influence of the size of 5-year old brood channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) on spawning success, spawn weight, hatchability, swim-up interval, and growth of fry and fingerlings were investigated in a 2-year study. Brood fish that differed in body weight by one standard deviation were classified into three size-classes, large (LG), medium (M), and small (S). Brooders were pair-mated in individual pens and egg masses were artificially incubated. Fry and fingerlings hatched from individual egg masses were reared together as sibling groups in indoor tanks for 40 weeks. Mathematical relationships between parental size catfish and the traits of their offspring were determined by regression analysis. Chi-square analysis indicated that the size of the pair-mated brood fish was associated with spawning success. An increase of 1 kg (2.2 lbs) in body weight of male brooders was associated with a decrease of 15-21% in spawning success. Female size-classes significantly influenced spawn weight and number of days required for eggs to hatch. Growth of the young fry and fingerlings was not affected by the parental size-classes.