White perch (Morone americana) Ovary Transcriptome or Gene expression. Morone americana

White perch (Morone americana) are native to lakes, rivers, and estuaries along the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern seaboards of North America. Given their relatively broad niche distribution, white perch are a key indicator species for ecological monitoring. White perch are temperate basses (Genus Morone), a group of fishes that includes species of economic importance to commercial and recreational fisheries (striped bass, M. saxatilis) and aquaculture (hybrid striped bass, M. saxatilis X M. chrysops). Female reproductive dysfunction (i.e. production of inviable eggs, embryos, and larvae) remains a major obstacle to the expansion of finfish aquaculture and influences recruitment in fisheries and subsequent management practices. The underlying cause(s) of poor egg quality and embryonic mortality of fishes remain unknown. The white perch is a research model for oogenesis of fishes and this ovarian transcriptome is an important resource for future investigations of reproduction and egg quality in temperate basses.