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Title: Semen cryopreservation research seeks higher fertility rates in rainbow trout

Author
item SILVERSTEIN, JEFFREY - USDA/ARS
item Purdy, Phil
item Blackburn, Harvey

Submitted to: Global Aquaculture Advocate
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2007
Publication Date: 3/1/2007
Citation: Silverstein, J.T., Purdy, P.H., Blackburn, H.D. 2007. Semen cryopreservation research seeks higher fertility rates in rainbow trout. Global Aquaculture Advocate. 10(2):84.

Interpretive Summary: A USDA/ARS program is working to cryopreserve semen from rainbow trout to insure that genetic diversity from multiple populations and the genetic legacy of selectively bred populations are protected. To increase the low fertility levels of the semen shipped before freezing, the authors are exploring ways to predict the postthaw quality of the cryopreserved samples.

Technical Abstract: The ability to cryopreserve rainbow trout milt enables breeders and germplasm repositories to maintain secure reserves of genetic material from large numbers of males with minimal costs, and the material can be maintained indefinitely. However, inseminations using cryopreserved milt generally result in lower fertility when compared with fresh milt. This reduced fertility is caused by physical and chemical damages the sperm experience before, during, and after the cryopreservation process. Currently, little is known about how cryopreservation impacts trout sperm physiology or how the viability of frozen-thawed sperm affects fertility. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine how membrane integrity, intracellular calcium levels, and membrane quality influence the fertility of frozen-thawed rainbow trout sperm.