Use of endoscopy for gender and ovarian stage determinations in Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) grown in aquaculture

Vitellogenin Level in the Plasma of Russian Sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) Northern Israel

“…Fertilized eggs of Russian sturgeon (A. gueldenstaedtii) originating in the Caspian Sea were brought from Russia and reared in the Dan Fish Farms (Upper Galilee, Israel; 31°30'N, 34°45'E) under aquaculture conditions, as previously described [9] (Figure 1). Fish were maintained in 250 m 3 ponds made of concrete in 30kg/ m 3 at a water temperature of 18-22°C and 12h photoperiod.…”

“…Nevertheless, information on gonadal development [9] and puberty of Russian sturgeon in northern Israel aquaculture is important for caviar production, although much information about this species has still not been studied [10,11]. During oogenesis, the Vg is a phospholipoglycoprotein precursor contained in the yolk of the fish oviparous, similar to other vertebrates, and is an estrogen-induced female-specific serum protein that is biosynthesized in the liver, secreted into the bloodstream, and involved in the process of yolk formation during oogenesis.…”

“…The adaption of Russian sturgeon to aquaculture conditions [3] was studied, as well as different aspects of hormonal control of growth and reproduction under artificial conditions in order to improve survival rate, growth and reproduction success [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Nevertheless, information on gonadal development [9] and puberty of Russian sturgeon in northern Israel aquaculture is important for caviar production, although much information about this species has still not been studied [10,11].…”

Sex determination in the Giant fish of Amazon Basin, Arapaima gigas (Osteoglossiformes, Arapaimatidae), using laparoscopy

“…In most cultivated fish species, phenotypic sex is easily identified by observation of specific external characters such as scale coloration and the presence of genital papilla during early sexual maturation. Methods currently used for sexual identification of fish species include intra-ovarian biopsy, ultrasonography and endoscopy (Ortenburger et al 1996;Kynard 2002;Wildhaber et al 2005;Bryan et al 2007;Hurvitz et al 2007). For some fish species, DNA markers are available for sexual identification at the genetic level and in these cases the differentiation is based on distinguished gender-specific band patterns.…”

Esteróides gonadais e metabolismo lipídico ao longo do ciclo reprodutivo de Arapaima gigas (SCHINZ, 1822) em ambiente natural

“…Na maioria das espécies, a identificação do sexo é possível devido às características externas e em alguns casos, biópsias intra-ovarianas e endoscopia em animais anestesiados permitem a identificação sexual nos animais até mesmo fora do período reprodutivo (Kynard & Kieffer 2002;Hurvitz et al 2007;Bryan et al 2007;Swenson et al 2007). …”