SOURCES OF FAMILY VARIABILITY FOR MATURATION INCIDENCE IN CULTIVATED ATLANTIC SALMON

Two cohorts of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) belonging to several different families were followed from hatching to grilse maturation. Large and concordant differences among families for grilse, post-smolt precocious and precocious maturation rates were observed. These differences appeared to be mainly due to differences among families for the relative allocation of energy into somatic growth versus body reserves maintenance, and to a lesser extent, to differences among families for winter growth capabilities. © 1990.