Realized heritability and response to selection for fecundity, hatching rate and fry/Kg for channel catfish females (Ictalurus punctatus) induced to ovulate and fertilized with blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) males for the production of hybrid catfish embryos

The objective of the this research was to determine the heritabilities and response to selection for fecundity, percent kg per kilogram body weight for channel catfish females induced to ovulate with luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa) for the production of hybrid catfish embryos. Age and/or environmental effects influences the reproductive traits measured over two spawning seasons. When the fish were three years old the relative fecundity was 10,247 and 10,127 for the select and control lines, respectively. The percent kg per kilogram female for select line was 34.7 and 3,311 and for the control was 35.5 and 3,124, respectively. Realized heritabilities were 0.10, -0.03, and 0.06 for fecundity, percent hatch and fly per kilogram female, respectively. When the fish were four years old, the relative fecundity was 9429 and 8968 for the select and control lines, respectively. The percent hatch and fry per kilogram female for the select progeny was 9.8 and 835 and the control progeny was 13.3 and 1026, respectively. Realized heritabilities were 0.42, -0.13, and -0.06 for fecundity, percent hatch and fly per kilogram female, respectively. A response to selection for fecundity was observed for both years with realized heritability ranging from 0.10 to 0.42. This trait appears to have additive genetic variation and can be improved via selection. Heritabilities for percent hatch and fry/kg were near zero, and likely cannot be improved via mass selection. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.