SBT:
There is a need to better identify the relationship between hormonal treatment and spawning performance as this will determine the hormonal manipulation strategy. There is also a need to better
understand factors associated with broodstock mortality, as currently 30% of the broodstock die every year and thus need to be replaced.

We need to develop methods of ensuring that all females participate in spawning every year and how to extend the spawning cycle to have eggs for four months of the year.

There is a need to advance the initiation of spawning to October (from the current norm of February) so that the fingerlings are ready to be transferred to sea cages sufficiently early in the calendar year for optimal seawater temperatures.
SBT broodstock reach spawning age at about 12 years of age. There is therefore a need to examine alternative technologies and approaches to obtain tuna seed from younger fish.

YTK:
This genetic management and selection project is needed to maintain a commercial advantage in a highly competitive market and as a management tool to prevent inbreeding.

It is difficult to source wild YTK broodstock, and the current stock are getting older and larger. There is a need to source new broodstock, and it will be advantageous to use selected F1, provided they can be genetically managed.