Reproduction in
fishes-Maturity
Stages
Amrutha Gopan
INTRODUCTION
• Reproduction is a fundamental biological process
which enables continuation of species.
• In fisheries biology, reproduction assumes greater
significance to understand sexual dimorphism,
process of maturation, size or age of maturity,
breeding season, spawning area, sexual
segregation, migration, fecundity, embryonic, larval
development and recruitment.
Types of reproduction
• In fishes, generally the sexes are separate exhibiting
bisexual reproduction, but sometimes they are
hermaphrodites and rarely parthenogenesis is seen.
• In bisexual reproduction, sperms and eggs are
produced in male and female sex organs called testis
and ovaries respectively.
• In hermaphrodites, both the sex organs are in a single
individual and may develop simultaneously; such fishes
are called synchronous hermaphrodites.
• e.g. Polynemus heptadactylus.
• Development of male gonads before female gonads
(protandrous hermaphrodites e.g. Sparus spp.)
• Development of female gonads before male gonads
(protogynous hermaphrodites e.g. Grouper).
• Development of young ones without fertilization. e.g.
Parthenogenesis.
• sperm serves only one of its two functions, that of
inciting or triggering the egg to develop.
• It does not take any part in heredity.
• The resultant young ones are always females
(gynogenesis) e.g. Poeilia formosa
Male reproductive organ (Testis)
• It consists of a pair of testes which lies ventral to the kidneys.
• The testes are free anteriorly but posteriorly they continue as
sperm ducts which open into urinogenital papillae.
• The spermatogonia undergo a number of maturation stages to
develop motile sperms. This process is called
spermatogenesis.
• In the space between the seminiferous tubules there are
interstitial cells called Leydig cells, which are endocrine in
function and produce male sex hormones called testosterone.
Female reproductive organ (Ovary)
• A pair of elongated sac like structures found in the
abdominal cavity just ventral to the kidney which
are called ovaries.
• The ovaries are free anteriorly but each ovary
continues posteriorly as oviduct.
• Two oviducts fuse and open exteriorly by a genital
aperture.
• The wall of the ovary consists of three layers.
• Peritoneum (outermost thin covering layer).
• Tunica albuginea (made up of connective tissue,
muscle fibres and blood capillaries).
• Germinal epithelium.
• The germ cells in the germinal epithelium are called
oogonia which undergo a number of maturation
stages to become a ripe ovum.
• This process is called oogenesis.
Breeding
• It refers to successive stages of courtship, mating and
spawning.
Courtship
• It is the heterosexual reproductive communication system
which ultimately leads to mating.
Mating
• It refers to the sexual act itself in which at least one male
and one female come close together and release their
gametes more or less simultaneously into the surrounding
media (external fertilization) or by the transfer of sperm
from male into female (internal fertilization).
Spawning
It is the process of release of gametes
• Oviparous
• Viviparous.
Fertilization
External fertilization
• Eggs and from female and milt (liquid containing sperm)
from male are released simultaneously to the exterior
environment where they meet each other for fertilization.
Internal fertilization
• Sperms are deposited into the reproductive organ of the
female where fertilization takes place.
Spawning Stages
Pre-spawning
• Different stages of development of gonad (Testis and
Ovary) takes place.
Spawning
• Release of sperms and eggs occurs.
Post spawning
• Recovery stage where maturation of gonads begins
again from the initial stage
“ Maturation”
• cyclic, morphological changes which the male and
female gonads undergo to attain full growth and
ripeness.
“Spawning”
• release of male and female gametes from the body
of fish.
“Breeding”
• all these events along with their pre-spawning and
spawning phases.
“ The breeding season”
• time of peak maturity - spawning occurs in a
population.
Maturity stages
• ‘Maturity stages’ is unique - accepted meaning in
Fisheries Biology.
• As a measure to observe the degree of ripeness of
the ovaries and testes of a fish.
• The term first maturity - spawning for the first time.
• Cycle of maturity of gonads - and observe them with
large number of samples at weekly intervals.
Maturity Stage in the Female Fish
• On the basis of shape, size, colour of the ovary and other
histomorphological features, at least six maturity stages can
be recognized.
1. RESTING PHASE (Immature):
The ovaries are small, thin, thread like, translucent, pale or
dirty white in colour with inconspicuous vascularization.
The ovaries occupy only a small part of the body cavity and
ova are not visible to the naked eye.
Histologically, the ovary shows ovigerous lamellae, having
nests of oogonia, and immature oocytes in the stage I and II
are visible under a microscope
[Link] MATURING PHASE
Ovaries become slightly larger, thicker, opaque and are light
yellowish in colour.
There is an increase in the weight of the ovary and they occupy
nearly ½ of the body cavity.
Histologically, oocytes in stage III and IV are present in large number.
3. ADVANCED MATURING PHASE
There is a further increase in the weight and volume of the ovaries,
which have a deep yellow colour and occupy 2/3 to ¾ of the body
cavity.
Vascular supply increases and the blood capillaries become
conspicuous.
Immature oocytes are reduced in number while stage IV and stage V
oocytes are present in large number.
A few stage VI oocytes may also be seen.
4. MATURE OR PRESPAWNING PHASE
The ovaries are further enlarged occupying almost the entire
body cavity.
They are turgid, deep yellow in colour and a large number of
spherical ova are visible to the naked eye through the thin
ovarian wall.
The blood supply increases considerably.
Both translucent and opaque ova are present and the ovaries
attain their maximum weight.
The fish becomes gravid due to ripe ova tucked inside, and the
abdomen becomes round.
The ova are not discharged till the environmental conditions
become favourable.
Histologically, a large number of ova in stage VII, and ripe eggs
are seen in the ovary.
5. SPAWNING PHASE
Ovaries are very much enlarged, occupying the entire body
cavity.
They are turgid and yellow in colour with a large number of
translucent eggs.
Ovarian wall is very thin, almost transparent.
Eggs are present in the oviduct also, and the fish spawns a
number of times during this period.
The ovary is now said to be in running phase.
At the beginning of this phase, ova are extruded by applying a
gentle pressure on the abdomen.
6. SPENT PHASE
• The ovaries are flaccid, shrinked and sac-like reduced in
volume and have a dull colour.
• The vascular supply is reduced.
• Some unspawned large ova and a large number of small ova
are present.
• Histologically, the ovary shows atretic and discharged follicles,
along with stage I and II oocytes.
Maturity Stage in the male Fish
Immature:
Testis small, translucent, whitish
Developing or resting:
Testis white, flat, convoluted, easily visible to the
naked eye, about ¼ length of the body cavity.
Developed:
Testis large, white, no milt produced when pressed or cut
Ripe:
Testis large, opalescent white, drops of milt produced when
pressed or cut
Spent:
Testis shrunk, flabby, dirty white in colour.