Organized by (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza) CIHEAM. The objective of the course is to provide professionals with an updated vision of the scientific bases and of the progress made in fish reproduction and to demonstrate its practical application to broodstock management.
The program revises the most recent advances in the study of neurocrine and hormonal mechanisms of the brain-hypophysis-gonad axis involved in fish reproduction, including control of sex, puberty and the reproductive cycle and the effects of captivity, stress and nutrition of broodstock on egg and larva quality. Furthermore, the environmental, hormonal, molecular and genetic instruments currently available for an effective control of all these reproductive processes will be presented, including cryoconservation of gametes.
The applied part of the program will comprise broodstock handling, including anaesthetics, biometry, ovarian biopsies, markers, blood sampling, slaughter and organ extraction. In vivo techniques will be applied to diagnose the state of maturation of broodstock. The quality of eggs and sperm produced will be evaluated as well as the incubation systems used. Trials will be conducted for the hormonal induction of spawning and of artificial fertilization as well as induction of triploidy and gynogenesis. Sperm freezing and thawing techniques will also be applied.
