Reproductive Indices of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Females from a Trout Farm

Abstract

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) breeding females have been studied from the standpoint of phenotypic characteristics and breeding indices for establishing future protocols of selection and improvement. The relative fecundation (RF) has been determined to a medium value of 335.88 ± 17.723 g and a variability coefficient of 52.77%. The high value of the variability coefficient is due to the fact that this is the first breeding generation of trout nursery and has not been submitted to any selection and improvement activities up to the present. From the breeding performance standpoint, the medium value of the number of eggs (TNE) obtained has been of 8127.44 ± 478.532, the medium egg weight (EW) has been of 0.06 ± 0.001g, the medium diameter of one egg (ED) = 4.16 ± 0.029 mm and the medium volume of one egg (EV) has been of 65.63 ± 1.223 mm3. The following breeding indices have also been calculated: gonadosomatic report (GR), Behning fertilizing coefficient (BFC) and the Williams absolute fecundity indices (WAFI). The outcome results have been the following: GR = 14.82 ± 0.587; BFC = 16.82 ± 0.563; WAFI = 5.77 ± 0.333. The values of the correlations point out the necessity of breeding selection work in order to improve the breeding performances.