Non-invasive induced breeding of Clarias magur Promising technology with compassion

Abstract

Catfishes, belonging to the family of Siluridae, Clariidae and Ictaluridae, have great aquaculture significance across the globe. One of the major hurdles, realised in catfish propagation, was the requirement of artificial fertilisation of eggs using sperm suspension from testis of the killed male. In the absence of achieving voluntary spawning and poor strippability in male catfish, male are sacrificed to collect testis for fertilising eggs and seed production of catfish. Across the globe, this process is being followed for several catfish species belonging to the family of Siluridae, Clariidae and Ictaluridae. This process is not only cumbersome but also inflicts loss of valued brooder and adversely affects implementation of genetic improvement programmes. Several efforts have been made to avoid this cumbersome process. In Clarias magur, a high value Asian catfish, we demonstrated that hormonal manipulation promotes sustained gonadal maturation in males, and induces mating and voluntary spawning with high fertilisation and hatching rate.