Ebrahim Sotoudeh

The effectiveness of common carp pituitary extract (CPE), luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRH-A2) injections and LHRH-A2 implants for spawning induction in female sturgeon, Huso huso was examined. In the first trial, fish were injected with 7% physiological saline (control), 50 mg kg?1 CPE or LHRH-A2 at 3.5, 7, 8 or 10 ?g kg?1. In the second trial, fish were treated with LHRH-A2 cholesterol pellet implants containing 0, 3.5, 7, 8 and 10 ?g kg?1 LHRH-A2. Ovulated eggs were removed using a minimally invasive surgical technique and were artificially fertilized. Injection of CPE and LHRH-A2 at doses of 3.5, 7, 8 and 10 ?g kg?1 resulted in the number of ovulated fish more than LHRH-A2 implants (similar doses) or controls, although there was no significant difference at doses of 8 and 10 ?g kg?1 (P ? 0.05). The latency period of fish receiving CPE and LHRH-A2 injections was approximately 20 h, which was significantly lower than in fish receiving LHRH-A2 implants (P ? 0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in rates of fertilization or hatching among the progeny produced in any of the treatment groups (P ? 0.05). In conclusion, the data from this study could be useful for artificial propagation of not-fully-matured females of H. huso at sturgeon hatcheries.