Fish hybrid: the advantages over pure forms. The Benefits of Hybridization

Together with pure species, the hybrid fish is also of great use today in aquaculture. It is of great value due to its activity in the search for food, rapid growth and resistance to many diseases.

Hybridization of fish

In nature, there is sometimes a crossing of various species of fish naturally. However, these hybrids do not have the necessary qualities. Conducted by breeders, working with observance of certain rules allows to obtain new breeds of fish that have many advantages over pure species.

At first, the crossbreeding subjects were mainly representatives of the carp family, then a fish appeared - a hybrid of beluga with sterlet, with sturgeon, etc.

The importance of hybridization

Recently, thanks to the increase in hydropower construction, there has been a change in the water regime on the rivers, which leads to a decrease in the population of some fish, especially sturgeon. In this situation, hybridization is of great importance for the conservation of their most valuable species. Hybrids of sturgeon obtained as a result of breeding work have higher viability and rapid growth. This makes their industrial breeding profitable, allowing them to obtain high quality fish only after 2-3 growing seasons.

The created new breeds are so productive and enduring that they can be used for fish farming in such water bodies, the conditions of which can not be called favorable for fish of pure species. They are much better adapted to the new circumstances. For example, mirror carp and Amur carp when crossing allowed to produce offspring, which possesses high winter hardiness. The fact is that in hybrids the fat accumulates very intensively, therefore the cold is transferred by them much easier. Thanks to the rapid growth to the onset of winter, they are already growing considerably and are meeting it already strong. A hybrid fish, unlike pure forms, can live and develop in water bodies located much farther north.

Common carp hybrids

The most interesting is a hybrid of carp and crucian carp. This fish is much more durable, less susceptible to disease than carp, grows faster and has a very tasty fillet, not inferior in quality to fish fillets of pure species.

Spawning of the silver crucian carp coincides with the period of reproduction of other fish. This usually happens in May-June. At this time, there is often a natural cross between carp and carp. Only new forms obtained in this way do not possess the required qualities.

A hybrid of carp and Dnepro carp was created for the purpose of breeding fish in rice fields, the depth of which is not sufficient for ordinary carp with high back. The offspring inherited the low back of the carp and the living conditions in the rice fields for them were quite favorable. The hybrid of carp and carp is also more adapted to life in the northern regions, since caviar and fry of them have a resistance to low temperatures inherited from carp.

In rural water bodies, due to the high fertility, the crucian is the most common. It often displaces carp and other fish.

Hybrids of sturgeon

Very high viability was shown by a hybrid, bred by breeders in 1950 from crossing sterlet with sturgeon. About 180 kg reached its weight in 10 months.

Beluga, being the largest fish from sturgeon, and sterlet as the smallest allowed to get a new species called Bester. Having this peculiarity of the body structure and mass of the beluga, this hybrid fish can be successfully grown in freshwater reservoirs. This species was first obtained in Russia in 1952 and launched into the Proletarian Reservoir and the Sea of Azov. Bester got many of the best qualities from the beluga, and from the sterlet he inherited very tasty and nutritious meat. By the age of three, this hybrid reaches a weight of 3 kg.

Many reservoirs where progressively sturgeon species have disappeared, thanks to hybridization, have received a new form of fish from crossing the thorn and stellate sturgeon. This hybrid mass of up to 30 kg matures much faster than the parent forms. Young growth is more viable than all other species of sturgeon. Today this hybrid fish in the middle Volga is grown in many fish farms.

Conditions for hybridization of sturgeon

Successful cultivation of sturgeon hybrids requires certain conditions to be met. These fish do not like shoal, so the depth should be considerable. Also, there should not be too much vegetation in the water, especially the filament, which sometimes grows ponds, as fish can get entangled in it. Reservoirs with a muddy bottom are also not suitable for sturgeon, because they usually feed from the bottom.

To eliminate competition in food, it is recommended to breed sturgeon along with herbivorous species, such as, for example, silver carp and white cupid. A hybrid fish should be distributed among water bodies in consideration of size and age, because often adult specimens are eaten by young animals.

Disadvantages of hybridization

Cultivation of hybrids requires favorable conditions. The slightest deviation from these requirements can lead to the appearance of defects in the structure of the skull or gill cover. With insufficient nutrition when fish are dwelling in ponds with a muddy bottom, there are various flaws in many other indicators.

The method of crossing is also important. So, for example, when carp caviar is fertilized with carp milk, good results are achieved on the winter hardiness of the hybrid. But when the crossing was made, fertilizing the spawn of carp, such properties can not be achieved.