Evaluation of various hCG treatment strategies applied to domesticated pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) broodstock on nest-spawning performance

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of hCG injections on reproductive efficiency by hCG treatment in both male or female brooders of domesticated pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) in the first generation. The study consisted of four treatments based on hormone injection to male or female brooders including T1: both sexes were injected, T2: only females were injected, T3: only males were injected, and T4: without hormone injection. Each treatment which included 14 males and 12 females were introduced to a single rectangular concrete tank with one spawning nest for each mate (a total of 12 nests per tank). Fish were injected by a single dose of 200 IU/kg hCG before transferring to mating tanks. After mating, nests containing fertilized eggs were transferred to circular concrete tanks for incubation and hatching of embryos. According to the results, treatments T3 and T4 did not respond to hormonal stimulation and no fish were spawned. Treatments T1 and T2 showed a positive response to hormone injection. Latency time, fertilization rate, and hatching rate showed no significant difference between T1 and T2 (P?>?0.05), but the number of responded females was significantly higher in T2 (P?<?0.05). The results of the present study demonstrated that it is possible to perform the semi-artificial propagation of domesticated pikeperch via injecting with 200 IU/kg hCG just to females, without the need for hormonal stimulation for males.