Egg production in an Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) brood stock: effects of temperature on the timing of spawning and the quality of eggs

Abstract

Development of a broodstock of Arctic charr was undertaken in experimental tanks supplied with water pumped from Lake Léman (Geneva) at a depth of 36 metres. Spawners were subjected todifferent thermal regimes to determine the effects of temperature on spawning time and gameteviability. In the tanks, the ovulation occurred spontaneously at the same time as the wild fish in the lake. The timing of ovulation was slowed down at 8 °C and above. At 11 °C, ovulation was inhibited. When the water temperature of the rearing tanks was higher than 5 °C for several weeks prior to spawning, the quality of eggs produced by reared females was poorer than those of wild fish because the process of overripening was very rapid above 5 °C. Provided that spawners were reared at 5 °C and examined twice a week to detect ovulation, 80 to 90 percent survival to the eyed stage could be expected for eggs of reared females. The fertilization rate of eggs produced by spawners transferred from 8 to 5 °C in December was high (78%). When the transfer occurred in January, the viability of ova tended to decrease (63%).