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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308601
Title: Comparison of growth between Morone hybrids (palmetto & sunshine)in earthen ponds

Author
item McEntire, Matthew - Matt
item SNYDER, SCOTT - Clear Springs Foods, Inc
item FREEMAN, DONALD - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Journal of the World Aquaculture Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/12/2015
Publication Date: 10/13/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/4220268
Citation: McEntire, M.E., Snyder, S., Freeman, D. 2015. Comparison of growth between Morone hybrids (palmetto & sunshine)in earthen ponds. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. 46(5):557-563.

Interpretive Summary: Palmetto bass are produced by crossing the female striped bass with the male white bass; whereas, the sunshine bass are the opposite; female white bass and the male striped bass. The hybrid striped bass industry is primarily based on the sunshine bass because of the ease of handling, availability, and early maturation of female white bass. Most commercial production of hybrid bass occurs in earthen ponds where growth performance is assumed similar between the two crosses. However, we compared sunshine bass against palmetto bass in a pond study to test this assumption. Both crosses reached market size within 15 months when stocked at 3,000 fish/ac with an average yield of 4,033 lbs/ac. The net production between the crosses was not significantly different and averaged 3,901 lbs/ac. Food conversion ratio of sunshine bass 1.70 pounds of feed per pound of fish was better than that of the palmetto 1.76. Processing characteristics of each of the crosses through a commercial facility demonstrated significant differences, with sunshine bass exhibiting lower frame waste than palmetto bass. The differences in processing between the two hybrids are probably due to differences in body shape of market size fish (1.4 lbs).

Technical Abstract: Palmetto bass are produced by crossing the female striped bass, Morone saxatilis with the male white bass, M. chrysops; whereas, the sunshine bass is the reciprocal cross. The hybrid striped bass industry typically rears sunshine bass in earthen ponds, because of the ease of handling, availability, and early maturation of the white bass female broodstock. Growth performance has been assumed similar between the crosses. Under commercial pond conditions sunshine bass, 19.8 +/- 0.4 g (mean +/- SEM) and palmetto bass, 23.2 +/- 0.3 g were grown to market size (617.0 +/- 17.2 g sunshine and 620 +/- 3.6 g palmetto) within 15 months; yielding 4,532.6 kg/ha. The net production between the crosses was not significantly different and averaged 4,373.4 kg/ha. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of sunshine bass, 1.70 was better (P = 0.0158) than palmetto bass (FCR 1.76). Commercial processing metrics of each cross demonstrated significant differences, with sunshine bass exhibiting lower frame waste (P = 0.0457) than palmetto bass, probably due to fish body shape or conformational differences at this size. Without growth performance differences between the hybrids, there might be an advantage to rearing sunshine bass due to the slightly better FCR and increased skinless boneless fillet yield.