Sperm Repository for a Breeding Program of the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica: Sample Collection, Processing, Cryopreservation, and Data Management Plan

The Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica (Family Ostreidae) is one of the most important fishery and aquaculture species in the U.S. and is a keystone species for coastal reefs. A breeding program was initiated in 2019 to support the fast-growing aquaculture industry culturing this species in the Gulf of Mexico. Oysters from 17 wild populations in embayment along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast from southwest Florida to the Matagorda Bay, Texas were used as broodstock for the program to maximize genetic diversity in the base population. A sperm repository of the broodstock was established to support the breeding project. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the sperm sample collection, processing, cryopreservation, and the data management plan involved in the establishment of a sperm germplasm repository of base populations. The supporting objectives were to: (1) develop a data management plan for the sperm repository; (2) streamline the procedure for sample collection, processing, and cryopreservation; (3) incorporate sperm quality analysis into the procedure, and (4) archive the cryopreserved samples as a repository for future use in the breeding program. This sperm repository included a total of 102 male oysters from the 17 collection sites (six oysters per site). A data management plan was developed with six categories, including sample collection, phenotype, fresh sperm, genotype, cryopreservation, and post-thaw sperm, as guide for data collection. Sperm collection was accomplished by strip spawn, and fresh sperm production, motility, and fertility were recorded for quality analysis. Cryopreserved sperm samples were sorted, labelled, archived, and stored in liquid nitrogen for future use. Post-thaw motility (1–30%) and plasm membrane integrity (15.34–70.36%) were recorded as post-thaw quality parameters. Overall, this study demonstrated a streamlined procedure of oyster sperm collection, processing, and cryopreservation for establishing a sperm repository that can serve as a template for construction of oyster germplasm repositories for breeding programs.

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The Northern Gulf of Mexico

10.1093/oso/9780192843463.003.0007 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 283-342

Author(s):

Jason S. Link ◽

Anthony R. Marshak

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Fisheries Management ◽

Human Population ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Penaeid Shrimp ◽

Marine Species ◽

Eastern Oyster ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management ◽

The U.S

This chapter describes the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) region and the major issues facing this marine fisheries ecosystem, and presents some summary statistics related to the 90 indicators of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) criteria. The region contains high numbers of marine species comprising commercially and recreationally important invertebrate (e.g., penaeid shrimp, blue crab, eastern oyster) and finfish (e.g., red snapper, grouper, red drum, pelagic sportfishes) fisheries, which contribute heavily to national landings and seafood supply. The northern GOM contains one of the nation’s largest marine economies (among the eight U.S. regional marine ecosystems), which is dependent on offshore mineral extractions, tourism, marine transportation, living marine resources (LMRs), and other ocean uses. The GOM provides critical social and economic benefits to the region and the nation, is a region with high numbers of managed species, yet exploitation of these resources and an increasing human population makes the GOM an area subject to significant natural and human stressors, including the highest number of hurricanes in the U.S. Atlantic region, large expanses of hypoxic bottom water, overfishing, and major oil spills like the 2010 DWH event.

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Red Snapper: Ecology and Fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico

Red Snapper: Ecology and Fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico ◽

10.47886/9781888569971.ch14 ◽

2007 ◽

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Population Size ◽

Fishery Management ◽

Fork Length ◽

Management Plan ◽

Red Snapper ◽

Lutjanus Campechanus ◽

Minimal Data ◽

Sexually Mature ◽

The U.S

<em>Abstract.</em>—Red snapper, <em>Lutjanus campechanus</em>, has been fished for over a century, with management beginning in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) in the early 1990s when perceptions of a declining population size surfaced. Red snapper are managed as a unit stock and the fishery management plan is based upon minimal data regarding reproductive output, and size and age at sexual maturation is not certain. Differences in size and age at sexual maturity of red snapper between the northeast and north-central Gulf were evaluated to test whether the population conforms to the unit stock hypothesis. Red snapper were collected during the spawning season in 1999, 2000, and 2001 from the Gulf off Alabama and Louisiana and were used to describe maturation schedules. Progression of oocyte maturation to vitellogenesis was used to define and identify sexually mature females. Combined data showed the smallest mature red snapper was 267 mm fork length (FL) and was two years old. The smallest with hydrated oocytes, indicative of imminent spawning, or postovulatory follicles, indicative of recent spawning, were 285 mm and 297 mm FL respectively, and both were two years old. Red snapper off Alabama reached maturation at smaller sizes and younger ages than those sampled off Louisiana. Growth rates did not differ between the regions. Such differences in maturation schedules may document an important stock response to reductions in population size.

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