The effect of stress on spawning of brood fish and survival of larvae of the rabbitfish, Siganus guttatus (Bloch)

Abstract

The effects of stress due to handling, and repeated sham and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injections on spawning and survival of the rabbitfish, Siganus guttatus were studied. Results showed that stress significantly enhanced spawning in captive females, but apparently has no significant effect on the survival of larvae. The results indicate that factors other than stress are responsible for the high variability in larval survival in the hatchery. In addition, the results clearly demonstrate the necessity of exogenous gonadotropin to ensure 100% monthly spawning of captive S. guttatus females.