Together with pure species, hybrid fish is also widely used today in aquaculture. It is of great value due to its activity in the search for food, rapid growth and resistance to many diseases.
Fish hybridization
In nature, sometimes different species of fish cross in a natural way. However, these hybrids do not possess the qualities necessary for man. The work carried out by breeders in compliance with certain rules allows you to get new species of fish that have many advantages over pure species.
At first, the objects of the crossing were mainly representatives of the cyprinid family, then a fish appeared - a hybrid of a beluga with a sterlet, with a sturgeon, etc.
Hybridization Value
Recently, due to the increase in hydro construction, a change in the water regime on rivers has been occurring, which leads to a decrease in the population of some fish, especially sturgeons. In this situation, hybridization is of great importance for the conservation of their most valuable species. The sturgeon hybrids obtained as a result of breeding work have higher vitality and rapid growth. This makes their industrial breeding profitable, making it possible to obtain high-quality fish after 2-3 growing periods.
The created new breeds are so productive and hardy that they can be used for fish farming in such reservoirs, the conditions of which cannot be called favorable for fish of pure species. They adapt much better to new circumstances. For example, mirror carp and Amur carp when crossing allowed to obtain offspring with high winter hardiness. The fact is that in hybrids, fat accumulates very intensively, so the cold is much easier for them to carry. Due to the rapid growth by the onset of winter, they are already growing up significantly and are already getting stronger. Hybrid fish, in contrast to pure forms, can live and develop in bodies of water located much to the north.
Common Carp Hybrids
Of greatest interest is a hybrid of carp and crucian carp. This fish is much more resilient, less susceptible to disease than carp, grows faster and has a delicious fillet, not inferior in quality to the fillet of fish of pure species.
Silver carp spawning coincides with the breeding season of other fish. This usually happens in May – June. At this time, common breeding of crucian carp and carp often occurs. Only new forms obtained in this way do not possess the required qualities.
A hybrid of carp and Dnieper carp was created with the aim of raising fish in rice fields, the depth of which is insufficient for ordinary carps with a high back. The offspring inherited the low back of the carp, and the living conditions in the rice fields turned out to be quite favorable for them. The hybrid of carp and carp is also more adapted to life in the northern regions, since their eggs and fry have resistance to low temperatures inherited from the carp.
In rural reservoirs, due to its high fecundity, crucian carp is the most common. It often crowds out carp and other fish.
Sturgeon hybrids
A hybrid, bred by breeders in 1950 from crossing sterlet with sturgeon, showed a very high viability. About 180 kg reached its weight after 10 months.
Beluga, being the largest fish of the sturgeon, and sterlet as the smallest allowed to get a new species called bester.
Having features of body structure and mass of beluga, this hybrid fish can be quite successfully grown in freshwater bodies of water. This species was first obtained in Russia in 1952 and launched into the
Proletarskoe Reservoir and the Sea of Azov. Bester received many of the best qualities from the beluga, and from the sterlet he inherited a very tasty and nutritious meat. By the age of three, this hybrid reaches a weight of 3 kg.
Many reservoirs, where gradually passing sturgeon species disappeared, due to hybridization they got a new form of fish from the crossing of a thorn and stellate sturgeon. This hybrid weighing up to 30 kg matures much faster than its parent forms. Young animals, by their vitality, exceed all other sturgeon species. Today, this hybrid fish on the middle Volga is grown in many fisheries.
Sturgeon Hybridization Conditions
To successfully grow sturgeon hybrids, certain conditions must be met. These fish do not like shallow water, so the depth should be significant. Also, there should not be too much vegetation in the water, especially the thread, which sometimes ponds overgrow, is especially undesirable, since fish can get entangled in it. Ponds with a muddy bottom are also not suitable for sturgeons, because they usually feed from the bottom surface.
To eliminate competition in food, it is recommended to breed sturgeons along with herbivorous species, such as silver carp and grass carp. Hybrid fish should be distributed across water bodies, taking into account size and age, because often adult specimens eat young animals.
Hybridization Disadvantages
Growing hybrids requires favorable conditions. The slightest deviation from these requirements can lead to defects in the structure of the skull or gill cover. With insufficient nutrition, when fish live in ponds with a muddy bottom, various flaws arise in many other respects.
Crossbreeding is also important. So, for example, when carp is fertilized with carp milk, good results are achieved in winter hardiness of the hybrid. But when the crossing was carried out, fertilizing the eggs of carp, such properties cannot be achieved.