Artificial reproduction in European catfish (Silurus glanis Linnaeus, 1758)

ABSTRACT Master Thesis ARTIFICIAL REPRODUCTION IN EUROPEAN CATFISH (Silurus glanis Linnaeus, 1758) SedaİMERT Fırat University Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences Department of Aquaculture 2005, Page: 41 In this study, artificial reproduction of European catfish (Silurus glanis) was made. The mixture of eggs and sperm of catfish {Silurus glanis) obtained from artificial fertilisation was washed by two different solutions for different time periods in order to remove the stickiness of the eggs and to increase the rate of fertilisation. For this purpose, males and females were injected with carp pituitary and eggs-sperm were obtained from them. Zuger jars with a capacity of 7 L (23 °C, pH 7,8 and O2 8 mg/L) were used for incubation of fertilized eggs. It was observed that the rate of fertilized eggs were 70.6%, 65.9%, 61.8%; the rate of eyes stage eggs was 52.0%, 48.3%, 45.7%; the survival rate of larvae were 26.7%, 24.5%, 18.8% respectively for the eggs stirred with urea-salt (30 g urea- 40 g salt- 10 L water) for 5, 10 and 15 minutes. Those of eggs treated with salt solution ( 3 g salt- 1 L pure water) were 61.6%, 67.5%, 64.1% for fertilization rate, 56.0%, 57.1%, 50.5% for eyes stage egg rates and 23.8%, 25.3%, 15.1% for survival rates of larvae respectively for 5, 10 and 15 minutes stirring time. There was a significiant difference between the fertilised and unfertilised rates for the eggs stirred with urea-salt and salt solution for 5 minute (p<0.05), but these relations were not significiantly different for the eggs stirred with urea-salt and salt solution for 10 and 15 minutes (p>0.05). There was a significiant difference between eyes stage and not eyes stage eggs rates hatched and dead larvae rates stirred with urea-salt and salt solutions for 5, 10 and 15 minutes. Under the light of this study, it was found that urea-salt solution was more effective than salt solution for fertilised, eggs, of European catfish Key Words: Catfish, Silurus glanis, reproduction, artificial reproduction, fertilisation, fertilising solution. VI