Genetic component of cannibalism in Asian seabass Lates Calcarifer

Abstract Cannibalism in the early phase of growth development has been a major concern for marine finfish, including Asian seabass Lates calcarifer, as it is one of the key factors determining economic return of commercial hatcheries. This study thus explored genetic variation in cannibalism through estimation of heritability for cannibalism rates recorded at four different time intervals (from stocking to 10d, 11–20d, 21–30d and 0−30d). The study included a total of 18,841 fish produced from 64 full- and half-sib families (41 sires and 56 dams). Threshold mixed model analysis showed that there were significant differences in cannibalism rates (p