The YSFRI-FIO cooperation project ‘Family Lines Establishment and Culture of starry flounder Platichthys stellatus’ passed the expert review in Penglai Zongzhe Breeding Co. Ltd on 31 July, 2015. The experts from Ocean University of China, Institute of Oceanology IOCAS, and Penglai Science and Technology Bureau, listened to the work report from the project manager Yongsheng Tian Ph.D., checked the related records, and measured the samples of the breeding families.

In this project, three populations of P. stellatus were collected and 350 breeding individuals reached sexual maturity after artificial cultivation. 32 families were established, including 10 maternal half-sib families and 3 interspecific hybrid families between P. stellatus and the stone flounder Kareius bicoloratus. Finally, more than 30,000 larval fish were obtained, and a total of 15,092 larval fish were maintained after standardization, at lengths of 3.51-6.88 mm and weights of 1.64-6.12 g. The results of family traits measurement showed that the growth rates of 5 inbred families and 2 hybrid families were higher, which provides a basis for the study of the germplasm resource and genetic and breeding in P. stellatus.

The starry flounder P. stellatus belongs to the genus Platichthys, constituting the family Pleuronectidae in the order Pleuronectiformes. It is distributed in Asia-North Pacific and along the American coast, mainly in Canada, the United States, Russia, China, North Korea, Japan, and etc. It is an important aquaculture species with high growth rate and high survival rate (> 95%), colorful body and high economic value. It has a good adaptation to a wide range of water temperature and salinity, a strong resistance to stress and hypoxia.

Study on breeding technology for P. stellatus started in 2004 in China. Land-based industrialized farming and fishpond culture has been carried out in Shangdong Province (Rizhao and Weihai city), Jiangsu Province (Ganyu) and Tianjin City. In 2009, P. stellatus ranked 4th in the production of flounder paralichthys, with the aquiculture area of 47,920 m2 and the production of 483 tons. Korea is the main export market. Meanwhile, more than 3 million larval fish of P. stellatus are released into Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea each year, making it one of the major species in stock enhancement and release.

P. stellatus is widely distributed in natural environment in the world; however, its natural population resource is rare and on the edge of extinction. Therefore, it is urgent to establish a germplasm resource base for the protective development and the collection of the species in coast areas in China and overseas. The studies on the population protection and sperm cryopreservation technology are performed for the long-term preservation of germplasm resource of P. stellatus. In addition, the development of breeding techniques for P. stellatus, especially for the excellent growth traits and stress-resistant traits in P. stellatus, and the exploration and culture of new species would ease the lacking of good species in the aquaculture of flounder paralichthys.

Starry flounder, Platichthys stellatus

Family of Starry flounder, Platichthys stellatus

Expert Check on the Project