Development of Large-Scale Sperm Cryopreservation Techniques for Striped Bass Aquaculture

Hybrid striped bass (HSB) aquaculture has become the fourth largest form of U.S. finfish production, trailing only catfish, trout, and salmon in market value. To compete effectively with low-cost foreign imports, U.S. HSB producers need to develop advanced strains that grow more rapidly and convert feed more efficiently. However, HSB are produced from two parental species (white bass and striped bass) that have little overlap in their seasonal reproductive cycles. Producers and government and university scientists recently formed the National Breeding Program for the HSB Industry, a collaborative effort to facilitate development of superior strains. To take advantage of the new strains, methods of reliable storage and distribution of broodstock gametes are needed. Advanced cryopreservation techniques may be of considerable use in the management of striped bass broodstock. The purpose of this research is to develop efficient, large-scale sperm cryopreservation and storage technologies for use in the HSB industry. The large-scale techniques we propose to develop are similar to those used in the dairy industry, where sperm cryopreservation has become an indispensable component in breeding and genetic improvement and has created an entirely new commercial industry.