PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF STRIPED-BASS X WHITE-BASS AND STRIPED-BASS X YELLOW-BASS HYBRIDS

The potential for commercial culture of hybrid striped bass is promisi ng in many areas of the United States, While several different striped bass hybrids are candidates for culture, differential performance has not been thoroughly evaluated, Comparative performance of two striped bass hybrids was evaluated in six, 757-L, fiberglass tanks receiving a continuous flow of ambient pond water for 397 d, Three replicate tan ks were stocked with 50 fingerlings (66 fish/m(3)) of either striped b ass female x white bass male (mean weight 23 g) or striped bass female x yellow bass male hybrids, Fish were fed a 35% protein ration throug hout the study, and weight was recorded for all fish at stocking and a t 21-d intervals, White bass hybrids grew significantly faster (0.94 g /d) than yellow bass hybrids (0.59 g/d), Survival to harvest averaged 65% and 44% for yellow bass and white bass hybrids, respectively. A si gnificant difference from the expected 1:1 sex ratio occurred for yell ow bass hybrids (100% female), but not for white bass hybrids (56% fem ale), Mean condition factor, 1.63 and 1.39, and fillet percentage, 30. 7% and 28.4%, was significantly higher for white bass hybrids compared to yellow bass hybrids.