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Analysis of sexually dimorphic growth in captive reared cobia (Rachycentron canadum) and the occurrence of intersex individuals
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Analysis of sexually dimorphic growth in captive reared cobia (Rachycentron canadum) and the occurrence of intersex individuals

Luke Dutney, Abigail Elizur and Peter Lee
Aquaculture, Vol.468(Part 1), pp.348-355
2017
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url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2016.09.044View
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Abstract

cobia rachycentron canadum sexual dimorphism growth intersex
The growth of three cohorts of captive reared cobia, grown in a combination of flow-though and recirculating aquaculture systems, was progressively measured to determine the existence and extent of sexually dimorphic growth in cobia. Approximately 100 fish from each cohort were individually identified and regularly weighed until the average weight of the fish was approximately 5 kg. The sex of individuals was determined through gonadal observations at the conclusion of each trial and the gender fitted retrospectively to the growth data set. Intersex gonads were observed in the first two cohorts of cobia, with 16.9% incidence in cohort 1 and 6.8% in cohort 2. Cobia is considered a gonochoristic species. This was the first reported observation of intersex gonads in cobia and the first reported occurrence of intersex gonads from a gonochoristic fish species from Australian waters. Only one fish out of the 182 examined in the third cohort was identified as intersex. There was no sexually dimorphic growth in cobia when there was a relatively high incidence of the intersex anomaly, as seen in the first two cohorts of fish. In the relative absence of the intersex condition, female cobia was significantly larger than males from 2 kg onwards. The weight of female cobia was almost 30% more than that of males at 17 months of age when average weight of the cohort was 4.6 kg. It is likely that the first two cobia cohorts were exposed to endocrine disruption in some form, and the possible sources are discussed.

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Fisheries
Marine & Freshwater Biology

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