The burbot (Lota lota) has potential for freshwater aquaculture production.
Burbot is a gadoid fish with a preference for cold temperatures and may
therefore be suitable for species diversification. Still, the rearing conditions for
reproduction and ongrowing are poorly understood.
Burbot reproduce during the winter, require constant cold temperatures for
spawning (McPhail and Paragamian, 2000) and undergo dramatic metabolic
changes during this season in order to respond to energetic demands for
reproduction (Mustonen et al. 2002). Knowledge of these processes is hence a
necessary prerequisite to successfully establish Burbot in aquaculture.
In other temperate species like pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), it was shown that
temperature has a significant impact on the hormones involved in reproduction
and spawning (Hermelink et al. 2011). These sensitive interactions may be
strongly disturbed by environmental conditions and stress. There is a current
lack of understanding with regards to how/if such a disturbance may affect the
sperm performance and subsequent fertilization success. This study focuses on
the effect of hormone treatment with Buserilin, as well as the impact of rearing
temperature on the activation success of Burbot sperm.status: publishe