YELLOW PERCH (YP) FEMALES GROW SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER AND REACH LARGER BODY SIZES THAN MALES AND AMONOSEX CULTUREHOLDS A GREAT POTENTIAL AS A METHOD TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY OF PERCHFOOD AND RECREATIONAL AQUACULTURE BY IMPROVING GROWTH RATE, AND ELIMINATING THE PROBLEM OF PROLIFIC REPRODUCTION, PRECOCIOUS MATURITY AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ADVANCE THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION(NCR) AND GREAT LAKES REGION (GLR)YELLOW PERCHAQUACULTURE FOR WHICH A FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND ACTIVITY CURRENTLY EXISTS BUT WHERE SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS REMAIN. TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL, WE WILL PURSUE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:1) REFINE A TECHNOLOGY OF COMMERCIAL-SCALE PRODUCTION OF GENETICALLY FAST-GROWING MONOSEX FEMALE YP POPULATIONS;2) TRANSFER THE TECHNOLOGY OF PRODUCING FAST-GROWING MONOSEX SEED (FERTILIZED EYED-EGGS AND FRY) IN YP TO INDUSTRY THROUGH WORKSHOPS AND HANDS-ON TRAINING;3) PROMOTE MONOSEX AQUACULTURE AND RELATED TRAINING BY DELIVERING MONOSEX FISH TO FISH FARMS AND PERFORMING ON-FARM AND ON-STATION DEMONSTRATIONS OF GENETICALLY ALL-FEMALE YP POPULATIONS VS. MIXED-SEX GROUPS IN THE NCR AND GLR;4) DISSEMINATE DEMONSTRATION RESULTS TO AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY AND TO END-USER CUSTOMERS VIA FACT SHEETS, SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS, AND AN ON-FARM FIELD DAY.BY THE END OF THE PROJECT, WE WILL EXPECT TO PROVIDE FERTILIZED EYED EGGS TOFINGERLING PRODUCERS AND TRAIN THEM TO PRODUCE MONOSEX SEED/FRY IN THEIR OWN FARMS OR HATCHERIES FOR DISSEMINATION OF IMPROVED FINGERLINGS TO COMMERCIAL GROW-OUT PRODUCERS.THEOUTCOMES WILL ENABLE US OR FARMERS TO PRODUCE AND USE HIGH QUALITY FAST-GROWING MONOSEX FINGERLINGS. THEREFORE, THIS WILL BENEFIT FISH FARMERS BY INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY OF YELLOW PERCH AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION IN THE U.S.