But an N.C. State University research team, working with the nation's largest striped bass farm, may have figured out a way to develop a reliable breeding stock. Thanks to the technological advancements in genomics, the NCSU researchers are developing genetic markers for striped bass at their field lab along the Pamlico Sound. Using these markers to connect offspring with their parents, they'll be able to keep the parents that make good breeding stock and get rid of those that don't.

"In all farm production, what is the most reliable way to decrease cost? You breed a better animal," said Craig V. Sullivan, an NCSU zoology professor who is leading the project. "That's what this is all about."

As they identify more genes as markers, they believe they will eventually map the fish's genome. That will allow farmers to spot the genes that lead to high performance traits in the fish while they are still fingerlings, or small fish the size of a human finger.

"Once we do that, we will be able to select fish based on their genetic marker, and not based on performance trials that could take two years or more," Sullivan said. "So this is going to accelerate the breeding program."

Sullivan, 50, calls himself a fish gynecologist and is one of the founders of striped bass farming. For the past 15 years, he and Ronald G. Hodson, another zoology professor who is now the director of N.C. Sea Grant, have developed techniques to manipulate the reproductive cycles of the fish in captivity to increase production and make striped bass feasible for farming.

Today, there are about 50 major farms raising striped bass nationally, with several in North Carolina. The industry produced about 10 million pounds of fish for sale last year. Most of the fish goes to Asian markets for sushi and sashimi, while the rest end up as filets at upscale restaurants here and abroad.

But you rarely see striped bass in supermarkets, as you would such common farm fish as salmon, trout and catfish, and that's mostly because of the production cost. At $3 per pound wholesale, striped bass is about four times as expensive to raise as catfish.

Charlene Couch, a doctoral student working with Sullivan, came up with the idea of using DNA to identify the fish and track their offspring. The entire industry embraced the idea, and industry involvement will take the project coast-to-coast.

NCSU is teaming up with several producers, including Kent SeaTech in San Diego, the nation's largest producer of striped bass, and Keo Fish Farms near Little Rock, Ark., a major supplier of fingerlings.

The project starts with NCSU's 150-acre field lab in Aurora. There, in 16 ponds and 20 tanks, NCSU holds striped bass netted in waters from Canada to the Gulf Coast of Florida. It is the largest and most genetically diverse stock of captive striped bass in the world.

Two years ago, researchers at the field lab began clipping a small piece of fin tissue to identify the presence of certain genes and develop a kind of DNA fingerprint. They do the genetic analysis at Sullivan's lab on the main campus and at the genome research lab on Centennial Campus.

The fish eggs are fertilized in casserole dishes, and then the 3-day-old larvae are shipped to several farms, such as Keo and Carolina Fisheries in Aurora, where they spend the next month growing into fingerlings. Some farms will continue to raise the fish to market size, while other fingerlings will be shipped to still other farms, including Kent SeaTech, to raise them. It takes about a year to 18 months to raise them to market size, about 24 to 32 ounces.

Sullivan said it's critical for the research project to grow the fish in several locales, to try to screen out the effect environment may have on growth. The fish that grow well in most or all locations will best suggest to researchers that there's something in the fish's genes that aid in their development.

As the fish grow to market size, researchers will clip fin tissue to identify the genetic markers passed along by their parents. Sullivan estimates that it will take about five years to begin providing a superior breeding stock, but those farmers taking part in the project should start seeing a more ideal fish in a year or two, as the poorer progeny are culled from the gene pool.

Sullivan said similar techniques for salmon, trout and catfish have led to better breeding stocks that have cut production costs to provide a cheaper product that opens new markets. He said government and industry experts estimate that striped bass production could increase fivefold, to 50 million pounds and $100 million in revenue, if the selective breeding leads to a modest reduction in the market price.

Jim Carlberg, president of Kent SeaTech and past president of the Striped Bass Growers Association, calls the project one of the most important in the industry's history. Kent SeaTech and Carolina Fisheries are among several partners who have committed money and resources to the project, to go along with $750,000 in federal funding. The results will be made public for all producers and researchers.