Microscopic observation of spermatozoa in milt collected with syringe without sacrificing the male African Catfish (Clarias anguillaris B. 1911)

Abstract

Some fish species will readily spawn in captivity while others will not, such as catfishes thus hormones are administered to stimulate spawning. Unfortunately, the males are being killed or at best operated on to harvest the milt before successful breeding in captive African Catfish (C. anguillaris). To possibly put an end to this inhumane practice, this study was aimed at collecting milt with syringe without killing the fish. The milt was collected from 90 African Catfish at 10 – 12 months of age and was viewed in the microscope to check for viable spermatozoa. Results showed that spermatozoa were found in 3(representing 3.3%) out of the 90 fish used in the study and only in Faceup (Ventral) position and Δ90 o syringe inserted point that spermatozoa were found in both testes. These findings somewhat demonstrated that milt harvesting using syringe without sacrificing the male C. anguillaris may be possible in captive breeding.