A shortcut method for sexing juvenile European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L. |
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Authors: | Bruno Menu,Stefano Peruzzi,Alain Vergnet,Marie-Odile Vidal,& Bé atrice Chatain |
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Affiliation: | IFREMER, Laboratoire de Recherche Piscicole de Méditerranée, Palavas-les-Flots, France; Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø, Norway |
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Abstract: | The objective of this study was to develop a rapid and effective method of sexing juvenile sea bass with minimum labour and material. To this end, the gonad squash mount technique was applied along with macroscopic techniques for sexing a large number of experimental fish at the age of 215–275 days post fertilization (p.f.). At this age, 90% of the 3894 fish could be unambiguously sexed by macroscopic examination of their gonads, whereas the remaining proportion was identified using squash mount preparations (10%). The accuracy of the observations was measured up to classical histology procedures. Undifferentiated fish accounted for 0.1% of the total population only. The application of the squash mount technique holds out the prospect of considerable improvement in the efficiency and rapidity of current sexing techniques in sea bass. |
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Keywords: | Dicentrarchus labrax seabass gonads juvenile squash histology |
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