Abstract: In this study, the cold shock treatment was used to induce triploid yellow drum (Nibea albiflora) and the ploidy was determined. The histology and gene expression analysis of reproduction-related genes were further used to characterize the gonadal development in triploid yellow drum. Firstly, the fertilized eggs were subjected to the cold shock treatment implemented at 3℃ for a period of 10 min commencing at post-fertilization 2.5min, and the fertilization rate and hatching rate in the cold shock treatment groups were (70.31±4.49)% and (21.5±6.63)%, respectively, which were significantly lower than that of diploid. Secondly, we found that the DNA relative content of triploid was 1.5 times larger than that of diploid by flow cytometer analysis, and the number of the chromosome in the triploid was 72, whereas the number of the chromosome in the diploid was 48 shown by karyotype analysis. The rate of the triploid was 100% in the present study. Thirdly, the gonadosomatic indexes of the triploids were significantly lower than that of the diploids. Histological results showed that the gonadal development of the triploids was slower than that of the diploids. At the age of 12 months, the testis and ovary of the diploids were both at the stage Ⅴ, while the testis and ovary of the triploids were at stage Ⅲ and stage Ⅰ, respectively. Fourthly, the dmrt1 and vasa expression in the triploid testis and cyp19a expression in the triploid ovary were significantly lower than those in the diploid gonads (P<0.05), and the vasa expression in the triploid ovary was also lower than that in the diploids (P>0.05). The results indicated that the triploid yellow drum could be successfully induced by the cold shock treatment, and the gonadal development of the triploids was retarded. The results of present study will lay a basis for the application of the triploid in germ cell transplantation and the genetic improvement of yellow drum.