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Cryopreservation of Semen from Lake Sturgeon
Author(s) -
Ciereszko Andrzej,
Dabrowski Konrad,
Froschauer Julia,
Wolfe Tobie D.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/t04-160.1
Subject(s) - lake sturgeon , acipenser , biology , sturgeon , cryoprotectant , human fertilization , cryopreservation , milt , semen cryopreservation , sperm , semen , electroejaculation , zoology , fishery , ecology , botany , anatomy , fish <actinopterygii> , embryo
Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens , once abundant and the only species of sturgeon endemic to the North American Great Lakes, is now rare and threatened with extinction as a result of overfishing and habitat destruction. Sperm cryopreservation can be useful for preserving the genetic variability of local populations of lake sturgeon. In this study, we show the conditions of extended storage of unfertilized gametes and successful cryopreservation of lake sturgeon semen using methanol as a cryoprotectant. We demonstrate that unfertilized eggs can be transported for 8–12 h, provided that their initial quality is good. Our results indicate that cryopreservation of lake sturgeon milt caused increased damage to sperm DNA (measured by comet assay); however, some spermatozoa maintained their fertilizing ability. Fertilization with cryopreserved semen caused an 87% reduction in postthaw fertilization rates of prehatched larvae compared with control fertilizations with fresh semen.