Controlled breeding uses photothermal and hormonal manipulation to control gametogenesis and spawning both in- and outside of the natural breeding season for year round production of fry.  Current research includes the development of improved strains through interspecific hybridization and chromosome manipulation (e.g. gynogenesis) and to produce faster-growing monosex female populations, biochemical analyses of egg phosphorus and fatty acid composition as determinants of quality, and the effects of broodstock nutrition on egg quality as a basis for husbandry practices that generate healthier fry.  Flounder embryos and larvae produced at UNCW are shipped to the Carnegie Institution in Washington for studies on cranio-facial remodeling during metamorphosis.

[Click on any image above to view controlled breeding gallery.]