Breeding of climbing perch (Anabas testudineus Bloch, 1792) induced with ovatide

Abstract

Climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) is a much demanded fish in the northeastern part of India, yet the absence of a standardized method to induce breeding remains a major constraint in the development of aquaculture of this species. In this study, breeding was induced using 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 ml/kg body weight of the synthetic hormone Ovatide and compared with fish injected with 30 mg carp pituitary extract (CPE) per kg body weight or 0.5 ml saline (control). Male and female brooders were injected once with an identical dose and left to spawn in tubs at a ratio of 2:1. No breeding occurred in the saline-injected control fish. There was partial spawning in the 0.1 and 0.2 Ovatide treatments and complete spawning in fish injected with 0.3 Ovatide. Spawning and number of eggs in fish injected with 0.3 Ovatide did not statistically differ from results in fish injected with CPE (p≥0.05). The present experiment suggests that Ovatide at 0.3 ml/kg body weight is optimal for seed production of climbing perch held in captivity and can be used for species restoration.