Reproductive Performance of Wild and Hatchery-Reared Black Sea Salmon

Abstract

Spawning period, total fecundity, egg size, and fertilization and hatching rates of wild and hatch- ery-reared Black Sea salmon (Salmo trutta labrax Pallas, 1811) were investigated. Wild brood- stock consisted of 15 females (4-5 years old) with a mean weight of 1773.2±1014.4 g. Hatchery- reared broodstock consisted of 28 females (3 years old) with a mean weight of 869.5±319.6 g. The spawning period lasted from mid-November to the beginning of January. Mean total fecun- dity was 3524.6±2106.9 and 1931.3±915 eggs/female for wild and hatchery-reared broodstock, respectively, and mean egg diameters were 5.2±0.20 and 5.0±0.24 mm. Fertilization and hatch- ing rates were 98.4±1.71% and 88.1±8.78% for wild broodstock and 97.9±1.84% and 83.1±15.77% for hatchery-reared. The reproductive parameters of wild and hatchery-reared Black Sea salmon in northeastern Turkey were similar to those of other salmonid species.