Have you ever wondered what role sterile game fish—triploids and hybrids—play in fisheries-management plans? A cool story on the Idaho Fish & Game website explains:
The most commonly stocked sterile fish in Idaho is Rainbow Trout. We stock triploid Rainbow Trout, meaning these fish have three complete sets of chromosomes instead of two. This makes them sterile. Hatchery staff induce triploidy by interrupting the early stages of embryo development shortly after fertilization with high pressure (several thousand psi) which causes the egg to retain an extra set of chromosomes and renders the fish sterile. Other times, IDFG uses hybrid combinations such as Tiger Trout or Tiger Musky that are naturally sterile. Sterile fish are an important tool in a fisheries manager’s toolbox because they allow fishery managers to have more direct control over a population’s density and their potential to cause detrimental genetic impacts to wild fish.
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