Use of Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus , Pituitary as a Spawning Aid: Influence of Seasons and Preparations on Efficacy

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus , pituitary powder (CP) was prepared and administered to determine the effect of pituitary preparation, head selection criteria, and season of collection on the biological potency of this gonadotropic preparation. Pituitaries were harvested from three catfish processing plants throughout the months of December, February, March, and April to investigate the effect of season on CP potency. Gravid female channel catfish were injected intraperitoneally (IP) with priming (2 mg/kg) and resolving doses (8 mg/kg) of CP treatments, luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone analog (LHRHa), or saline. Pharmaceutical grade Carbopol 971P resin (CAR) was tested as a 1% aqueous dispersion in physiological saline and administered with CP (10 mg/kg) as a IP single injection at a final volume of 2 mL per kg as a slow‐release vehicle. Individual females were hand‐stripped, and eggs were fertilized with freshly harvested blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus , spermatozoa. Pituitaries processed with either acetone or ethanol/acetone resulted in significantly different ovulation rates of 35 and 73%, respectively ( P ≤ 0.01). Ovulation success was not significantly different among CP and LHRHa treatment groups. Ovulation rates were not significantly different among treatment groups of CP collected in April (74%) or December (67%), or collected from male (69%), or small individuals (55%). The shortest latency period among CP treatment was from CP collected in December and from males at 39.1 ± 0.7 and 38.5 ± 0.4 h, respectively. The CAR vehicle treatment performed poorly resulting in an average ovulation rate of 19.0%, with 3.3% viable embryos at 36 h post‐fertilization. Pituitaries collected from channel catfish potentially represent a viable spawning aid for the production of hybrid channel × blue catfish.