Sex differences in circulating steroid hormone levels in the red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus L

Steroid profiles of cultured and captive red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.) were investigated to evaluate the potential use of circulating sex steroid levels as a tool for gender identification in this species. Cultured 18-month-old fish were maintained on a 120-day shortened photothermal cycle to induce precocious maturation. Additionally, wild-caught fish were maintained in captivity under simulated natural photothermal conditions from late spring to early fall. Circulating 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) levels were significantly higher in males compared with females during the early stages of gonadal growth in both cultured and captive fish. Plasma testosterone (T) levels showed a similar trend; however, the differences were significant only when males were already producing sperm. 17β-estradiol (E2) concentrations were low in males and females before gonadal recrudescence but increased significantly with the progression of vitellogenesis in females. These results show that a test using a minimum concentration of circulating 11-KT could be developed to differentiate between sexes in the early stages of gonadal maturation in red drum. Moreover, plasma E2 concentrations could be used to identify vitellogenic females. The two steroids considered together could help avoid possible error in gender identification due to unusually high levels of certain steroids encountered in some individuals.