Mating behaviour

Abstract

This chapter describes the successful mating behaviour of wild fish held in captivity. It examines the unsuccessful mating behaviour of hatchery fish and discusses the cause of the reproductive behavioural dysfunction and future research aims. Unsuccessful mating behaviour was studied in a broodstock of hatchery Senegalese sole that infrequently liberated eggs that were not viable when collected. The hormones used are applied to induce the final stages of maturation and in many examples also induce mating behaviour with successful spontaneous spawning. To differentiate between the behavioural capacities of hatchery males and females, experiments were undertaken that mixed the sexes by origin of wild or hatchery. Genes capture instinctive or innate behaviours that are required for the survival of the species and provide a structure to adjust and learn behaviours in response to the changing environment. A reproductive behavioural dysfunction in hatchery males is responsible for the failure to produce viable eggs from stocks hatched and reared in captivity.