Long-Term Plan for Domestication of the White Grouper (Epinephelus aeneus) in Israel

The objective of this article is to highlight culture problems, bottlenecks to broodstock management, and possible genetic consequences to be taken into consideration when planning the domestication and captive breeding program for white grouper (Epinephelus aeneus) in Israel. Taking into account the biological features and genetic background of the white grouper, we suggest developing industrial cultivation in several stages. In stage 1, the establishment of broodstock and first steps towards domestication, emphasis should be placed on avoiding inbreeding in captive populations. Establishment of foundation population(s) is the most important step in broodstock management and determines the amount of genetic variation and culture potential of future domesticated generations. In stage 2, existing populations and strains will be tested under experimental and commercial growout conditions. In stage 3, traditional selective breeding methods including mass selection and crossbreeding will be implemented. In stage 4, development of marker-assisted selective breeding molecular techniques will enable assigning parentage to individual fish in mixed-progeny groups and design of an efficient genetic improvement program. Finally, in stage 5, organized and supervised domestication and selective breeding programs will provide Israeli farmers more control of broodstocks and sustainable development of white grouper aquaculture.