The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the reproductive success and egg and larvae quality between wild and first-generation (F1) breeders of Argyrosomus regius. Wild broodstock were adapted to captivity, and good-quality spawns were obtained in 2009-2010, after GnRH treatment. In 2012, the F1 meagre (3 years old) spawned naturally at IPMA's Aquaculture Research Station facilities. From each spawning event, the following parameters were determined: number of floating and non-floating eggs, egg size, hatching success and larval total length. Eggs size and percentage of hatching obtained from F1 breeders (1.04 ± 0.10 mm and 90.5 ± 6.4%) were significantly higher when compared with wild breeders (0.97 ± 0.13 mm and 17.0 ± 12.7%). Although wild breeder spawns exhibited 2.7 ± 0.2 mm for larval total length, F1 breeder spawns presented 2.6 ± 0.2 mm. The wild and F1 breeder spawns exhibit a good egg and larval quality, indicating a promising starting point for a successful meagre hatchery production.
Keywords: Eggs quality; Hormonal induction; Meagre; Natural spawn; Reproduction.