Selection of brood stock

• Brood fish means the sexually matured male and female fish which are able to reproduce.
• The characteristics of good brood fish are:

I. Well-proportioned form and unbruised.

ii. Lively and active.

iii. Free from parasites and diseases.

iv. Well-developed gonad.

• It is not advisable to select from the same brood stock or their offspring, as this may lead to inbreeding depression of growth rate and a predominance of deformed fry.
• Generally, 2-4 years fish weighing about 2-4 kg are used for breeding, and they can be bred every year for several years.