First Successful Hormonal Induced Spawning of European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in the Private Aquaculture Sector in Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59743/jmset.v11i2.191Keywords:
Artificial spawning, Dicentrarchus labrax, European seabass, Hormonal induction, Lh-RHaAbstract
This study documents the first successful hormonal-induced spawning of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in a private commercial hatchery in Libya. Wild broodstock (12 females, 9 males) collected from Farwa Lagoon were conditioned for three months under controlled photoperiod (12 L:12 D → 9 L:15 D) and stepped-down temperature (21 → 14 °C, ≈ 1638 DD). A single intramuscular injection of Lh-RHa (10 µg kg⁻¹) induced ovulation in all females within 72 h. Egg production averaged 16.3% of female body weight (4000 g total). Morphological indices (mean diameter 1000 µm) met established quality thresholds. Despite a female-biased sex ratio (1.3:1), hatching rate reached 50%, already surpassing the 30% typically recorded for imported eggs after transport. Economic analysis indicates a 61% reduction in seed cost (€0.10 vs €0.26 per viable fry). Results demonstrate that locally adapted protocols using wild broodstock can reliably supply high-quality seabass seed, offering a replicable model in Libyan hatcheries and reducing dependence on imported fry.
Downloads
References
Bolla, S., & Holmefjord, I. (1988). Effect of temperature and light on development of Atlantic halibut larvae. Aquaculture, 74(3-4), 355-358.
Bondad-Reantaso, M. G., Arthur, J. R., & Subasinghe, R. P. (Eds.). (2008). Understanding and applying risk analysis in aquaculture. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Bromage, N. R., & Roberts, R. J. (Eds.). (1995). Broodstock management and egg and larval quality. Blackwell Science.
Carrillo, M., Bromage, N., Zanuy, S., Serrano, R., & Prat, F. (1989). The effect of modifications in photoperiod on spawning time, ovarian development and egg quality in the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.). Aquaculture, 81(3-4), 351-365.
Costa-Pierce, B. A. (Ed.). (2022). Ecological aquaculture: the evolution of the blue revolution, 2nd ed.. John Wiley & Sons.
El-Sayed, A. F. M., Nasr-Allah, A. M., Dickson, M., & Gilmour, C. (2022). Analysis of aquafeed sector competitiveness in Egypt. Aquaculture, 547, 737486.
FAO (2023). Cultured aquatic species information programme: Dicentrarchus labrax (European seabass). FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Available online at: [https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/culturedspecies/dicentrarchus_labrax].
Fernández-Palacios, H., Izquierdo, M. S., Robaina, L., Valencia, A., Salhi, M., & Vergara, J. (1995). Effect of n− 3 HUFA level in broodstock diets on egg quality of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.). Aquaculture, 132(3-4), 325-337.
Izquierdo, M. S., Fernandez-Palacios, H., & Tacon, A. G. J. (2001). Effect of broodstock nutrition on reproductive performance of fish. Aquaculture, 197(1-4), 25-42.
Louro, B., Power, D. M., & Canario, A. V. (2014). Advances in European sea bass genomics and future perspectives. Marine genomics, 18, 71-75.
Lubzens, E., Young, G., Bobe, J., & Cerdà, J. (2010). Oogenesis in teleosts: how fish eggs are formed. General and comparative endocrinology, 165(3), 367-389.
Mañanós, E., Duncan, N., & Mylonas, C. C. (2008). Reproduction and control of ovulation, spermiation and spawning in cultured fish. In: Methods in Reproductive Aquaculture: Marine and Freshwater Species, Cabrita, E., Robles, V., & Herraez, M. P. (Eds.). CRC Press.
Moretti, M., Pedini Fernandez-Criado, M., Cittolin, G., & Guidastri, R. (1999). Manual on hatchery production of seabass and gilthead seabream, Vol. 1. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No. 380/1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Mylonas, C. C., & Zohar, Y. (2000). Use of GnRHa-delivery systems for the control of reproduction in fish. Reviews in fish biology and fisheries, 10(4), 463-491.
Mylonas, C. C., & Zohar, Y. (2007). Promoting oocyte maturation, ovulation and spawning in farmed fish. In The fish oocyte: from basic studies to biotechnological applications, 437-474. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
Mylonas, C. C., Fostier, A., & Zanuy, S. (2010). Broodstock management and hormonal manipulations of fish reproduction. General and comparative endocrinology, 165(3), 516-534.
Mylonas, C. C., Sigelaki, I., Divanach, P., Mananõs, E., Carrillo, M., & Afonso-Polyviou, A. (2003). Multiple spawning and egg quality of individual European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) females after repeated injections of GnRHa. Aquaculture, 221(1-4), 605-620.
Paladini, G., Longshaw, M., Gustinelli, A., & Shinn, A. P. (2017). Parasitic diseases in aquaculture: their biology, diagnosis and control. Diagnosis and control of diseases of fish and shellfish, 37-107.
Papadaki, M., Kaitetzidou, E., Papadakis, I. E., Sfakianakis, D. G., Papandroulakis, N., Mylonas, C. C., & Sarropoulou, E. (2022). Temperature-biased miRNA expression patterns during European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) development. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(19), 11164.
Paruğ, Ş., Jabbr, A., & Lazrag, F. A. (2024). Sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture in North Africa: Current status and future prospects. Memba Kastamonu Üniversitesi Su Ürünleri Fakültesi Dergisi, 10(1), 90-105.
Pavlidis, M. A., & Mylonas, C. C. (Eds.). (2011). Sparidae: Biology and aquaculture of gilthead sea bream and other species. John Wiley & Sons.
Reading, B. J., Andersen, L. K., Ryu, Y. W., Mushirobira, Y., Todo, T., & Hiramatsu, N. (2018). Oogenesis and egg quality in finfish: yolk formation and other factors influencing female fertility. Fishes, 3(4), 45.
Sánchez, E. L. M., Duncan, N., Reiriz, C. S., López, A. G., Guzmán, J. M., & Cueto, J. A. M. (2019). Reproductive Physiology and Broodstock Management of Soles. In The Biology of Sole, 90-141. CRC Press.
Sørensen, S. R., Butts, I. A. E., Munk, P., & Tomkiewicz, J. (2016). Effects of salinity and sea salt type on egg activation, fertilization, buoyancy and early embryology of European eel, Anguilla anguilla. Zygote, 24(1), 121-138.
Sorgeloos, P., Coutteau, P., Dhert, P., Merchie, G., & Lavens, P. (1998). Use of Brine Shrimp, Artemia spp., in Larval Crustacean Nutrition: A Review. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 6(1-2), 55-68.
Sorgeloos, P., Lavens, P., Léger, P., Tackaert, W., & Versichele, D. (1993). The use of Artemia in marine fish larviculture. In: Finfish Hatchery in Asia '91, 73-86.
Suresh, A. V., Rudacille, J. B., Allyn, M. L., Sheehan, V., Sheehan, R. J., & Kohler, C. C. (2000). Single injections of human chorionic gonadotropin or mammalian gonadotropin releasing hormone analog at low dosages induce ovulation in white bass. North American Journal of Aquaculture, 62(2), 87-94.
Valdebenito, I. I., Gallegos, P. C., & Effer, B. R. (2015). Gamete quality in fish: evaluation parameters and determining factors. Zygote, 23(2), 177-197.
Vandeputte, M., Gagnaire, P. A., & Allal, F. (2019). The European Sea bass: a key marine fish model in the wild and in aquaculture. Animal genetics, 50(3), 195-206.
Villamizar, N., Blanco-Vives, B., Migaud, H., Davie, A., Carboni, S., & Sanchez-Vazquez, F. J. (2011). Effects of light during early larval development of some aquacultured teleosts: A review. Aquaculture, 315(1-2), 86-94.
Zanuy, S., Carrillo, M., & Ruiz, F. (1986). Delayed gametogenesis and spawning of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) kept under different photoperiod and temperature regimes. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, 2(1), 53-63.
Zanuy, S., Prat, F., Carrillo, M., & Bromage, N. R. (1995). Effects of constant photoperiod on spawning and plasma 17β-oestradiol levels of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Aquatic Living Resources, 8(2), 147-152.
Zohar, Y., & Mylonas, C. C. (2001). Endocrine manipulations of spawning in cultured fish: from hormones to genes. In: Reproductive biotechnology in Finfish aquaculture, 99-136. Elsevier.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 عبد الله م. المقاوشي، سارة أ. المبروك، محمد ف. سعد الله، محمد ع. عريبي
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
