A scientist from the Dirección General de Recursos Marinos y Costeros of Panama, working with Laboratory staff and visiting Japanese scientists, established spawning broodstock populations of polla drum (Umbrina xanti), a species of corvina, and spotted rose snappers (Lutjanus guttatus) in 1996 and 1997.  This represents the first successful spawning in captivity for both of these species.  Currently, the polla drum broodstock fish are being replaced with a larger, more commercially valuable, species of corvina.

The snapper broodstock have been spawning naturally since 1997.  Their spawning season peaks from May through September, and they continue to spawn intermittently during the rest of the year.  A group of 70 fish, hatched in captivity in October 1998, is being held in two 12,000-L tanks.  On average, these fish were about 50 cm long and weighed about 1.4 kg each at the end of 2001.  The objective is to complete the life cycle of this species in captivity and to study the growth patterns and feeding requirements of the juveniles.