Black Sea bass

I took this picture while I was at work at the UNCW Aquaculture Facility on Harbor Island. The fish in this picture are black sea bass, their scientific name is Centropristis striata. These fish are currently being put on a photoperiodism. Photoperiodism allows aquaculture facilities to create different day lengths by controlling the lights inside the tanks. Fish use day lengths to prepare for different developmental components of their life. The black sea bass in these tanks are our current brood stock and are being prepared to breed. By artificially creating longer day lengths in the tank the fish will begin to create eggs and sperm for mating. One of the definitions in ecology we learned was, the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Aquaculture shows us how fish can react to different physical surroundings. Since these fish are being exposed to more light, their bodies believe breeding season is about to begin.

Done