Sperm evaluation and cryopreservation of semen of neotropical fishes

• Grant number: 12/12522-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Fishery Resources and Fishery Engineering - Aquaculture
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Ninhaus Silveira
• Grantee: Alexandre Ninhaus Silveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Rosicleire Veríssimo Silveira

Abstract

The conservation of germplasm is a basic tool with direct application in the management of reproduction, either for productive use in aquaculture, such as biodiversity conservation or maintenance of varieties of biotechnological value. Regarding the species of neotropical fishes there are few studies in the area, mostly performed in species that require hormonal induction to reproduce in captivity. For the development of such biotechnologies is crucial that we have methods for induced reproduction are well established for each species of fish. For this project we will use two important species for fish farming in Brazil, Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, the painted, Brycon cephalus, matrinxã. These species, representatives of two orders of great importance in the national fish, Siluriformes and Characiformes, respectively. Corruscans P and B. cephalus have great commercial value and are suffering and environmental risk of extinction in many Brazilian rivers due to dam construction, illegal fishing, pollution, among other factors. This proposal aims to: 1) improving the protocols for hormonal induction of the species in question, which provide consistent results and homogeneous in obtaining seminal material of good quality with regard to the characteristics of seminal volume and motility, 2) Establish methodologies more accurate assessment of semen characteristics of fish, 2) Develop methods of freezing and thawing of semen, to maintain the characteristics and viability of cryopreserved sperm, allowing the formation of a Germplasm Bank, 3) determine the degree of fertility of cryopreserved semen. (AU)