Production of all-female and sterile coho salmon, and experimental evidence for male heterogamety
Hunter, GA.; Donaldson, EM.; Goetz, FW.; Edgell, PR.
Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 1113: 367-372
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-8487
DOI: 10.1577/1548-8659(1982)111<367:poaasc>2.0.co;2
Accession: 021606805
In May, 1977, groups of coho salmon O. kisutch were immersed in 17.beta.-estradiol or 17.alpha.-methyltestosterone in the eyed-egg and alevin stages. Treatments were continued during the early fry stage via administration of a diet containing the steroids. The estradiol groups and the control were spawned in Dec., 1979. The estradiol groups contained 96-100% females compared with 54% female fish in the control. The methyltestosterone groups were comprised primarily of sterile fish. The ova from 23 females in each of the estradiol groups and 22 control females were fertilized with normal milt and offspring were reared to 9 mo. of age, at which time male:female ratios were determined. There was no significant difference in survival between treated and control families. Half of the families from estradiol-treated fish had a 3:1 male:female ratio, indicating male heterogamety. The 2 methyltestosterone-treated groups continued to grow during the 1-yr period following the spawning of the control group.