BIOPSY AND HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF GONADS FROM FARMED ACIPENSER PERCICUS

Sexual cells in male fishes are microscopic and smaller than eggs in females. Due to the late maturation age in sturgeons, the biopsy of gonads and histological studies are one of the most important and reliable ways to detect and separate males and females from each other at early ages. The aim of the present study was to determine and divide the sexes in farmed Acipenser persicus reared under artificial conditions. In order to detect and determine sexual maturation stages, gonads of 81 farmed A. persicus were sampled by biopsy. Samples were fixed and studied by light microscope. Results showed that males and females were 30 (37%) and 51 (63%) individuals, respectively. The determination of sexual maturation stages in A. persicus showed that 16% were at stage I, 23.5% at stage I - II, 59.3% at stage II and 1.2% at stage III. The number of females was higher than that of males, but sexually mature females were at lower maturation stages than males in the same age and rearing conditions