Evaluation Of Hatchery And Growout Factors For The Successful Production And Stocking Of Juvenile Gulf Coast Walleye

Temperature-dependent weight gain of Gulf coast and northern strain walleye Sander vitreus fingerlings was determined by rearing fish in flow-through aquaria at different water temperatures (range 15-32°C). Maximum growth of Gulf coast and northern strain walleye occurred between 20 and 26°C, and weight gain of northern walleye exceeded that of the Gulf coast strain by 1.5 times. An acclimated chronic exposure method to assess upper thermal limits determined that walleye survived 35, 9, and 1 days at 33, 34, and 35°C, respectively. A post pond-rearing feed-training practice (21 d) at a mean density of 6,290 ± 1,247 fish/m3 using formulated feeds was successful (32-85% survival), and walleye continued to consume a formulated diet feed after stocked at densities of 12,250 and 24,700/ha into 0.04 ha earthen ponds. After 125 days, survival in ponds was poor (\u3c 30%) and production varied substantially