Comparison of the reproductive performance, egg colour and biochemical composition between wild-caught and pond-reared Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) broodstock originated from Yangtze population

The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is an important aquaculture species and food source in Eastern Asia. At the present, pond-reared broodstock are used for seed production of E. sinensis, and the reasonable utilization of wild-caught broodstock is conducive breeding and selection of E. sinensis. Reproductive performance is one of the most important indicators for the evaluation of broodstock quality in aquatic animals. This study was designed to determine and compare the reproductive performance, egg quality, colouration, proximate and fatty acid composition of wild-caught and pond-reared E. sinensis broodstock. The results showed that: ①the wild-caught E. sinensis broodstock had the slightly higher egg production, fecundity and reproductive effort than the pond-reared females, but there was no significant difference between two treatments. The egg diameter, wet weight and dry weight of individual egg were similar between two treatments. ② The eggs from pond-reared E. sinensis broodstock had significantly higher redness (a*), yellowness (b*) and total carotenoids contents than those of the eggs produced by the wild-caught broodstock, however, there are no significant differences for lightness (L*) and colour difference (dE*). ③ As for proximate composition of eggs, no significant differences were found for the moisture, total protein and total lipid contents between the wild-caught and pond-reared treatments. The eggs from wild-caught broodstock had the significantly higher percentages of C18:1n9, C18:1n7, C20:4n6, C22:5n3 and C22:6n3 than the eggs produced by the pond-reared broodstock, but the C18:2n6 and C18:3n3 of the wild caught broodstock were significantly lower than those of the pond-reared broodstock. In conclusion, these results indicated that the reproductive performance and egg proximate composition were similar between wild-caught broodstock and pond-reared broodstock with similar body weight, but significant differences were found on redness (a*), yellowness (b*), total carotenoids content and fatty acid composition in the eggs. These results could provide valuable information for the broodstock selection, evaluation of reproductive performance and artificial breeding of E. sinensis in the future.