Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

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  Article

  Seminal plasma composition, sperm motility, and milt dilution in the Asian catfish Clarias macrocephalus (Gunther) 

  JD Tan-Fermin, T Miura, S Adachi & K Yamauchi - Aquaculture, 1999 - Elsevier

  Ionic composition of the seminal plasma and factors that initiate sperm motility in the freshwater Asian catfish Clarias macrocephalus, were examined to develop an artificial seminal plasma (ASP) that can be used to dilute milt. The optimum ratio of milt:ASP that can reversibly activate the sperm and milt–ASP:ovulated eggs that will result in high fertilization rates were further determined to minimize the number of males to be sacrificed during artificial insemination. Seminal plasma of C. macrocephalus contained 17.8±0.1 mM/l potassium, 164.4±0.6 mM/l sodium, 8.4±0.0 mM/l calcium and 1.6±0.0 mM/l magnesium, and had an osmolality of 269.0±6.4 mOsm/kg, and pH of 7.8±0.2. Sperm motility was highest and longest in all electrolyte (NaCl, CaCl₂, KCl) and non-electrolyte (mannitol) solutions of 200 mOsm/kg. Catfish sperm were motile in all isotonic NaCl–KCl solutions, and were reversibly activated in the ASP (143 mM NaCl, 30 mM KCl, 8 mM CaCl₂, 2 mM MgCl₂, 10 mM HEPES) solutions of pH 6.4–9.4. Altogether, these results suggest that sperm motility in C. macrocephalus was mainly initiated by a decrease in osmotic pressure, rather than ions and pH. High fertilization rates (89–94%) were observed when 10 μl milt, diluted with 1000 μl ASP, was activated with 5 ml of 0.6% NaCl (198.24 mOsm/kg) to fertilize 5 or 10 g of ovulated eggs. Results obtained from the present study provide information on sperm physiology that will lead to more efficient gamete management, and hopefully, an increase in the yield of catfish fry in the hatchery.
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  Article

  Effect of season on oocyte development and serum steroid hormones in LHRHa and pimozide-injected catfish Clarias macrocephalus (Günther) 

  JD Tan-Fermin, CL Marte, H Ueda, S Adachi & K Yamauchi - Fisheries Science, 1999 - Japanese Society of Fisheries Science

  Oocyte and blood samples were taken from gravid female catfish Clarias macrocephalus at 4-h intervals to monitor the stage of oocyte development and serum steroid hormone profiles after injection of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa) and pimozide (PIM) during the off-season (February) and the peak of the natural breeding period (August). Results showed that the onset of final oocyte maturation (12h) and ovulation (16h), and levels of serum estradiol-17β (E₂) did not vary with season in LHRHa+PIM-injected fish. In February, ovulated eggs were stripped from three and two hormone-treated fish at 16h and 20h post-injection, respectively. In August, ovulation was observed in all hormone-treated females (n=5) at 16h post-injection but stripping of the eggs was possible only 4h thereafter. Serum E₂ levels were significantly different only with varying time post-injection; a marked increase occurred at 12h, but the elevation was higher in fish induced to ovulate during the peak (16.8ng/ml) than off-season (7.7ng/ml). Hormone-treated fish showed higher serum testosterone (T) levels during the peak season (17-23ng/ml) than those injected during the off-season (10-20ng/ml) at 4-12h post-injection. Serum 17α, 20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnene-3-one (DHP) levels of hormone-treated fish during the off-season were only about half the level (0.29 and 0.52 ng/ml) of those treated with the same hormones during the peak season (0.54 and 0.9ng/ml) at 8 and 12h postinjection, respectively. Development of oocytes and serum steroid hormone profiles after LHRHa+PIM-induced ovulation provide basic understanding of the processes that mediate final oocyte maturation and ovulation in captive C. macrocephalus.
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  Article

  Optimum low salinity to reduce cannibalism and improve survival of the larvae of freshwater African catfish Clarias gariepinus 

  G Kawamura, T Bagarinao, ASK Yong, PW Sao, LS Lim & S Senoo - Fisheries Science, 2017 - Springer Verlag

  The freshwater African catfish Clarias gariepinus is carnivorous and cannibalistic even during the larval and juvenile stages and this behavior causes economic losses in aquaculture. This study examined for the first time the effect of salinity on cannibalism, survival, and growth of African catfish larvae in the hatchery. Larvae (4 days old, median 7.8 mm TL, 2.8 mg BW) of the African catfish were reared for 21 days at nominal salinity 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 ppt. After 21 days, they grew to 10–39 mm (median 22 mm) and 10–490 mg (median 90 mg), with no significant difference by salinity treatments. Survival ratios were similarly low (24–31%) at 0, 1, 3, and 7 ppt and significantly higher (49–55%) at 2, 4, 5, and 6 ppt. Cannibalism was significantly lower, 15–30% at 4–6 ppt, than the 40–50% at 0–3 and 7 ppt. Size variation was lower at 4–6 ppt and higher at 0–3 and 7 ppt. We recommend hatchery rearing of African catfish at the optimum low salinity of 4–6 ppt rather than in full fresh water at least up to 21 days. This rearing method fosters larval welfare and improves hatchery production.