ABSTRACT
Artificial reproduction methods have been explored for fish species incapable of spontaneous breeding in captivity, including the African mud catfish (Clarias gariepinus). In situations where the male fish are inadvertently lost during the breeding process, necessitating the procurement of a replacement while the female's eggs are ready for spawning, it becomes imperative to establish a method for preserving these eggs until a suitable male can be obtained to facilitate the completion of the spawning process. This study, therefore, aims to examine the viability of stripped eggs of Clarias gariepinus preserved in normal saline solution for various time intervals. The experiment design was a Complete Randomized Design and comprised two parts: a range finding test and a definitive test. In the range finding test, eggs were preserved in normal saline for different durations: 0 (control), 1, 4, and 8 hours, each replicated three times. The definitive test involved egg preservation for varying durations; 0 (control), 10, 20, and 30 minutes), also with three replications. In total, there were twelve experimental units for each part of the study. The results obtained from the study revealed that in the range finding test, the eggs preserved for 1 hour, 4 hours, and 8 hours exhibited total egg mortality, with a fertilization rate of 0%. In contrast, the control group displayed a significant mean fertilization rate of 98.63±0.11, a mean hatching rate of 52.90±2.29, and a mean survival rate of 44.90±8.28. Similarly, in the definitive test, total egg mortality was observed for the 10, 20, and 30-minute time intervals of preservation. The control group, on the other hand, demonstrated substantial results with a mean fertilization rate of 94.53±1.5, a mean hatching rate of 57.37±8.21, and a mean survival rate of 48.60±1.28. This study advises against using normal saline solution for preserving Clarias gariepinus eggs for over 10 minutes, as it negatively impacts their fertilization. Further research is needed to explore alternative preservation methods, potentially involving lower saline concentrations.
