Abstract:In order to select the most outstanding groups of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) with golden shell color, a total of 25 full-sib families were constructed successfully by using the method of nested design in June 2014. These parental breeders were individuals of C. gigas with golden shell cultured in 2013, which had been selected for four generations by families breeding and populations breeding based on golden shell coloration. In the meanwhile, we produced the control families by using unselected individuals as parents. We measured and compared the phenotypic growth traits and the average survival rates among these families during the larval and juvenile stages. The results indicated that the average values of the growth performances and the survival rates of these golden shell families were greater than those of the control, at the larval stages, the shell height and the average survival rates of all the golden shell C. gigas families were greater than the average values of the control by 2.27%~16.67% and 1.72%~9.40%, respectively; at the juvenile stages, the shell height, shell length and total weight and the average survival rates of all the golden shell C. gigas families were greater than the average values of the control by 10.04%~19.79%, 6.56%~17.78%, 10.44%~32.92% and 0.20%~4.26%, respectively. The differences in growth and survival rates were significant among these full-sib families, based on the great performance of fast growth and high survival, the G19 and G28 were the most excellent families of all the golden shell families of C. gigas in early and medium terms. At the age of 11 months, the shell height, shell length and total weight of G19 and G28 were greater than the average values of the total families by 4.78%, 8.22%, 12.38% and 7.61%, 4.02%, 9.04%, respectively, and were greater than the average values of the control by 15.31%, 15.31%, 24.11% and 18.42%, 10.85%, 20.42%, respectively. The average survival rates of these two families were greater than the average values of the total golden shell families and the control by 11.70%, 12.71% and 11.92%, 12.94%, respectively. Our results suggest that the growth performance superiority of the C. gigas with golden shell coloration is significant and the potential for the selection of the survival rate needs to be studied. The families G19 and G28 can be used as valuable genetic materials for the following breeding and relative research. Furthermore, these results may also provide theoretical supports for genetics and breeding programs of golden shell Pacific oysters.