Gene pool management of hatchery Barramundi Lates calcarifer for production and stock augmentation programmes

The depletion of Australia's wild Barramundi Lates calcarifer fishery pre-empts two future roles for Barramundi aquaculture in Australia: first, the industry is primarily intended to supply meat upon a sustained basis; and second, it will probably serve as the predominant source of genetic material for the augmentation of those wild populations that have been depleted, and in that sense the process becomes somewhat circular and interdependent. This paper considers this relationship in the context of captive gene pool management and suggests an alternative method of conserving Barramundi genetic resources to be used to provide genetically "compatible" stocks for the two activities in conjunction with genetic improvement for commercial operations.