Comparative utility of egg blastomere morphology and lipid biochemistry for prediction of hatching success in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L

Six blastomere morphology parameters indicative of cell development abnormalities, egg diameter, dry weight, total lipid, lipid classes and fatty acids were determined for egg batches collected daily from three Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) broodstock groups over the course of one spawning season. Egg batches were incubated to hatch and each morphological and biochemical parameter was tested as a predictor of hatching success. Five of the six blastomere morphology parameters were significantly positively correlated with each other. Correlation coefficients among several fatty acid parameters were also significant but correlation coefficients among the various lipid classes were mostly not significant. No significant correlations were found between blastomere morphology and lipid class or fatty acid parameters. Egg dry weight was negatively correlated with cell clarity, %docosahexanoic acid (DHA), DHA:eicosapentaenoic acid, and Σ polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fertilization success was not significantly correlated with any of the morphology or biochemistry parameters. Within‐population variability in several morphological and fatty acid parameters was related to elapsed time since onset of first spawning. However, the occurrence of such relationships with elapsed time was highly variable and inconsistent among the three broodstocks, typically being significant for only one or two broodstocks but not all three. Mean hatching success rates were high (>75%) in all three broodstocks but hatching success was not significantly related to any of the morphological or biochemical parameters nor to elapsed time from onset of first spawning. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of the utility of the various morphology and biochemistry parameters as measures of egg quality in marine finfish hatcheries.