Breeding of a Wild Population of South Pacific Bonito Sarda chiliensis chiliensis (Cuvier 1832) Broodstock under Laboratory Conditions in Pisagua, Northern Chile

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Knowing the biology of fish is fundamental to advance in the culture of wild marine fish species. This is why it is important to form an initial population of broodstock to obtain eggs, larvae, and juveniles of this species for aquaculture research. Therefore, in this research, 24 specimens of “bonito” were captured, transported, and conditioned, and after 14 months in captivity, the fish spawned spontaneously. The eggs were collected and deposited in incubators at 20 °C. By the third day, these eggs had hatched. The newly hatched larvae, as well as the eggs, were characterized during their first morphological changes, which explains that the capture, transport, and conditioning processes were successfully carried out in this research. ABSTRACT: The wild population of South Pacific bonito Sarda chiliensis chiliensis, which has a wide distribution in northern Chile, is considered of importance in Chilean aquaculture. The biological feasibility of cultivation of any marine species begins with the establishment of an initial broodstock population to obtain eggs, larvae, and juveniles. In this work, 22 South Pacific bonito fishing campaigns were carried out in Pisagua, Chile, between spring in November 2011 and the summer in January 2012. At least 74 specimens were obtained of which 24 survived the capture and transport processes. Fish were stocked in a recirculating land-based aquaculture system, and at 14 months under captivity, fish began spawning. Eggs were collected, to describe some stages of development, and were placed in incubators at 20 °C and on the third-day eggs hatched. Larvae reached a total length between 1.435 and 1.7 mm, which were accurately characterized during their first morphological changes. This is the first work that describes the capture, transport, and acclimatization in captivity of a breeding population of wild Pacific bonito in Chile.