7TH FISHERIES TECHNOLOGIST

LICENSURE REVIEW CLASS

HATCHERY
(1:30-3 pm)

Dr. Remedios B. Bolivar

Professor
Central Luzon State University
Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija
 Seed Production

Seed production remains a significant

bottleneck to the continued expansion of
aquaculture throughout the world.
Transfer of fingerling production
technologies from government
hatcheries and universities to the private
sector contributed significantly to the
availability of fingerlings for grow-out.
 Seed Production

Seed production is considered as the most

important constraints to aquaculture
development
For many farmed species, production is
totally dependent on collection of seed from
the wild
Control of reproduction of many farmed fish
must be known
 Seed Production

Seed production is an essential

component in the successful production
of any organism.
It should be available in a reliable
quality and quantity to enable the
producers to begin production in
anticipation of resource availability,
seasonal changes and market demand.
 Factors that limits the use of wild-
caught seed

1. The availability of wild caught seeds is seasonal

2. The supply of seeds vary considerably from year
to year
3. The availability of seeds also vary depending on
the currents and El Niňo

These factors plus the wide price fluctuations in price

often results to ponds going unstocked due to
lack of seed
 Methods of Seed Production

A wide variety of methods is used to produce

fish fry. Many are based on simple
techniques unchanged over hundred years,
whereas others involve sophisticated
technology used to produce vast numbers of
fry throughout the year
The methods chosen to produce seed will
depend upon resources of the farm and on
the economics of the enterprise
 Seed Production

Seed production remains a significant

bottleneck to the continued expansion of
aquaculture throughout the world.
Transfer of fingerling production
technologies from government
hatcheries and universities to the private
sector contributed significantly to the
availability of fingerlings for grow-out.
 Seed Production

Seed production is considered as the most

important constraints to aquaculture
development
For many farmed species, production is
totally dependent on collection of seed from
the wild
Control of reproduction of many farmed fish
must be known
 Seed Production

Seed production is an essential

component in the successful production
of any organism.
It should be available in a reliable
quality and quantity to enable the
producers to begin production in
anticipation of resource availability,
seasonal changes and market demand.
 Factors that limits the use of wild-
caught seed

1. The availability of wild caught seeds is seasonal

2. The supply of seeds vary considerably from year
to year
3. The availability of seeds also vary depending on
the currents and El Niňo

These factors plus the wide price fluctuations in price

often results to ponds going unstocked due to
lack of seed
 Methods of Seed Production

A wide variety of methods is used to produce

fish fry. Many are based on simple
techniques unchanged over hundred years,
whereas others involve sophisticated
technology used to produce vast numbers of
fry throughout the year
The methods chosen to produce seed will
depend upon resources of the farm and on
the economics of the enterprise
 What is a hatchery?
Hatchery is a place for large-scale
production of fish eggs, larvae and/or fry
A hatchery is a building that houses tanks
and equipment for egg incubation and
rearing of larvae. It is an artificial life-
support system for fish taken out of its
natural habitat.
 Hatcheries

Fish hatcheries are a productive system

aimed at raising fry and fingerlings in
controlled conditions
Most hatcheries in Asia are established
by the governments although there are
increasing private hatcheries
established recently
 Hatcheries

The government hatcheries are mainly for

the production of freshwater fishes,
especially carps, for stocking open waters
and for supply to rural aquafarms
Private hatcheries, on the other hand, are
established for the production of specific
species such as sea bass, groupers,
penaeid shrimps, etc. mainly to supply to
local fish farmers and for export
 Hatcheries

The scale and level of hatchery

operations depends on the target
species as well as capital inputs
In some countries such as Taiwan and
Thailand, there are numerous “backyard
hatcheries” operated by experienced
small farmers contributing significantly
to the total fry supply in the countries
concerned.
 Hatcheries

Modern and large

hatcheries are
increasing rapidly
in view of the vast
potential in the
seed industry

Nam Sai
Hatchery
Thailand
Factor to consider in designing
a hatchery
The hatchery is designed such that the
flow of work of hatchery technicians can
be made efficient and stress to fish due
to handling is minimized
 Control of Fish Reproduction

• A primary requirement is an ability to

control fully the sexual reproduction
and spawning of species under
culture
 Control of Fish Reproduction

• Only with those species for which we have

information on the detailed control of
reproduction that it is possible to program
the maturation of gametes and supply of
seed and thus ensure an all-year-round
production of products of consistent size
and quality for the retail markets
Fish Endocrinology
 Environmental stimuli

brain
neural
connections
Hormonal chain
of events hypothalamus
leading to the releasing
hormones
release of
gametes pituitary
gonadotropic
hormones

gonad

sex hormones

Maturation and release of gametes

 Induced spawning or
hypophysation

Induced spawning has been used to fish to

bring about the final maturation or release of
eggs and sperm

In many countries, pituitary extracts (PE) and

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) are
still used extensively
 Hypophysation
Fish breeders have been practicing
hypophysation since the 1930s
The hypophysation technique was used
somewhat late for the propagation of carp
(during the early 1940s)
Most experienced fish breeders agree that,
if good pituitaries are available,
hypophysation is an excellent method of
spawning fish
 Hypophysation
Hypophysation is the injection of crude fish
pituitary extracts
It is a simple replacement therapy: GtH
from another fish takes over when the
breeding fish is not producing enough of
its own
It triggers the remaining links in the
hormonal sequence leading to gamete
maturation
 Disadvantages of
hypophysation
Pituitary extracts are highly impure
They may contain accessory hormones
and other components that may stimulate
some fish but inhibit others
Their action is unpredictable because the
number and amount of these components
in a given pituitary are unknown
 Why give two injections to
females and only one injection
in males?
Females are given two injections, a preliminary
dose is usually 10% of the required dose, which
stimulates germinal vesicle migration and a
larger dose or final dose about 12 hours later,
which induces germinal vesicle breakdown,
ovulation and spawning
Males are generally injected once, at the time of
the female’s second injection, to induce sperm
hydration coinciding with the ovulation in the
female.
Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone
(GnRH)
In the early 1980s, gonadotropin secretion
in goldfish was shown to be regulated by
dual neuro-hormonal system: GnRH
stimulates, dopamine inhibits

GnRH acts on gonadotropic cells to

promote production of gonadotropins
 GnRHa/LHRHa

These are synthetic analogues of GnRH

and LHRH

GnRH and LHRH are interchangeably

used but strictly speaking, the term LHRH
refers only to a certain kind of GnRH – one
that releases luteinizing hormone (LH)
What does GnRH do in the fish
pituitary?

Cause a rise in plasma gonadotropin (GtH),

released from pituitary cells whose
receptors are stimulated by GnRH
 What are Gonadotropins (GtH)?

• GtH are hormones that stimulate growth

and development of the gonads

• GtH exert overall control of many

aspects of gonadal development,
including oocycte growth and maturation,
ovulation, and spawning
 What are GtH?
• GtH are glycoproteins (proteins with
attached sugar molecules) produced by
the pituitary gland
• There is evidence at least as far as the
cyprinids are concerned, that GtH
secretion is under the control of an
inhibitory hormone. This release-inhibitory
hormone, which is also produced in the
hypothalamus, has been identified as
dopamine
 Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurohormone that is found

in high concentrations in nerve endings in
certain locations in the hypothalamus

Dopamine inhibits the release of pituitary

gonadotropin in various species of
Chinese carps, catfish and goldfish
 Dopamine

There is evidence at least as far as the

cyprinids are concerned, that
gonadotropin secretion is under the
control of an inhibitory hormone
Dopamine – is gonadotropin release-
inhibitory hormone which is produced in
the hypothalamus
 Dopamine Antagonists
• Pimozide and domperidone are two
known antagonists of dopamine
• The injections of LHRHa combined with
pimozide or domperidone leads to an
enhanced release of gonadotropin when
compared with LHRHa alone
• Domperidone is widely prescribed in
human medicine as Motilium® (Janssen
Pharmaceuticals) to modify gastrointestinal
motility
 Blocking dopamine action

Inhibition by dopamine can be blocked by

injecting a drug that specifically ties up
dopamine receptors or one like reserpine
that generally depletes all catecholamines
(one of which is dopamine)
By injecting a dopamine-receptor
antagonist (either domperidone or
pimozide)
This has provided fish culturists with a
highly effective practical tool for induced
reproduction
 Linpe Method
The injections of LHRHa combined with
pimozide or domperidone (now called the
Linpe Method; after Lin, a Chinese
researcher and Peter, a Canadian
researcher) leads to an enhanced release
of GtH when compared with LHRHa alone
Combined preparation containing both
LHRHa and a dopamine antagonist is now
available
 Linpe Method

The simplicity and effectiveness of such

combined treatments together with the
absence of any special storage conditions
and a good shelf life even under tropical
conditions promises to extend the use of
this method to new species and
geographical areas
 Environmental stimuli

brain
neural
connections
Hormonal chain
of events hypothalamus
leading to the releasing
hormones
release of
gametes pituitary
gonadotropic
hormones

gonad

sex hormones

Maturation and release of gametes

 Environmental Factors

• Photoperiod
• Water temperature
• Water quality (i.e. DO, pH, hardness, alkalinity,
salinity)
• Flooding and water current
• Tides and lunar cycles
• Weather cycles
• Spawning substrate
• Nutrition
• Parasites and diseases
• Presence of other fish
Egg Incubation
 Egg Incubation

Eggs from fish induced to spawn require

incubation, usually in running, oxygenated
water

Incubation facilities are an added capital

expense and require added labor and
expertise to manage
Advantages of artificial incubation
over natural incubation

Elimination of cannibalism
High production of even-sized fry
Increased spawning synchrony
Shortened inter-spawning intervals
Reduction of hatching time
Facilitation of research on tilapia genetics
and reproduction
 Carps
Carps belong to the freshwater family
Cyprinidae
The family comprises some 1600 different
species
Farmed carps are divided into three
groups: Common carp which is farmed
extensively in Europe, Asia and the Far
East; Indian major carps, so called to
exclude numerous other less important
carp species; and Chinese carp
 Carps
Successful hormone-induced breeding of
common carp (Cyprinus carpio), Chinese
carps (Ctenopharyngodon idellas,
Hypopthalmichthys molitrix, and
Aristichthys nobilis), Indian carps (Labeo
rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala, and Catla catla)
and Thai carp (Puntius gonionotus) have
been widely reported
 Chinese Carps
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellas)

Bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis)

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

Black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)

 Polyculture of carps
Carps contain species which feed on different
feedstuffs. This fact has been utilized by
Chinese farmers to develop a system of
polyculture of carp in which those species
feeding on various parts of the food chain in a
pond are kept together in the same pond
They do not compete directly for the available
feed and in this way, a much higher production
of fish can be obtained than would be possible
with the production of single species
 Trend in hormone-induced
breeding of carps

The present trend is toward standardization and

reduction of cost
More and more studies are convincingly
showing that GnRHa, particularly when
combined with dopamine antagonist (the Linpe
Method) are cost-effective
Field trials in India with the Indian and Chinese
carps using Ovaprim-C®, a commercial
preparation of sGnRHa and domperidone, have
shown that the method is highly effective
 Trend in hormone-induced
breeding of carps

A second trend is to extend these results

to related species such as bream
(Parabramis pekinensis) and black carp
(Mylopharyngodon piceus)
 Common carp
This is a freshwater fish reaching 80 cm and 10-15 kg
Temperature range is from 1-40°C; the fish grows at
temperatures above 13°C and reproduces at
temperatures above 20°C
In temperate climates, it matures after 3 years and
spawns each year in spring; in the tropics it will spawn
every 3 months
The female fish spawn 100,000 eggs/kg body weight
Growth is rapid in the tropics where fish can reach a
weight of 400-600 g in 6 months
Common carps are omnivorous
Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
 Fertilization Solution

This comprise 10 liters of water with 30 g

urea and 40 g sodium chloride
As a result of adding the fertilization
solution, the eggs hydrate and begin to
swell. During this period, the swelling
process