Thread: Striped bass in Clinton?

Originally Posted by ProfessorTang1

Hi Craig,

Thanks again for your info. But I have a question about wiper and saugeye. I thought they are sterile since they are "man-made" hybrid. Some time ago, a wildlife officer was explaining to us about the wipers being stocked at Cheney lake, and said these wipers are sterile, and that's why they have to keep restocking them since they can't reproduce. They will go thru a "fake" spawning run up the river just like white bass and stripers. So I always thought wipers and saugeye are sterile, and their eggs and sperms can't reproduce. If you can clarify that, it will be great!

Again, thank you so much for your hard work!

ProfessorTang1,

While it is true that we must supplementally stock wiper (and saugeye) to maintain fishable populations, it is NOT true that these man-made hybrids are sterile. In regards to these two species, they are capable of reproduction (males and females produce viable egg and sperm) but usually don't successfully pull off the complete spawning rituals to produce offspring. In short, there is a big difference between CAN'T reproduce and DON'T reproduce!

KDWPT has been working with triploid induction for the past several years to produce sterile saugeye (walleye/saugeye hybrids) for stocking in drainages where contamination to pure walleye stocks is a concern. Below is an excerpt from a recent KDWPT news release briefly explaining triploidy.

"In addition to walleye, the Milford Hatchery will produce the saugeye. Saugeye grow faster and larger than sauger and are thought to be less prone to wash-out high flow-through reservoirs than the walleye. To prevent production of fertile saugeye that have the potential to breed with walleye already in a lake — and potentially diluting that walleye population's genetics — a "triploid induction" process is used on some of the saugeye produced. Triploid induction is a technique that allows genetic manipulation of a chromosome number to create a potentially faster-growing, but sterile, saugeye."

I hope this clears things up!