Pituitary collection from gibel carp Carassius gibelio (Bloch 1782) in Lake Pamvotis (Greece): Prospects for use in carp reproduction

Gibel carp (Carassius gibelio Bloch, 1782) is regarded as a pest species in most aquatic ecosystems where it occurs and eradication methods have not been very promising. However, because of the close taxonomical proximity between gibel carp and cultured cyprinids, the pituitary of gibel carps could be exploited for hormonal induction of artificial propagation in aquaculture. Thirty-two mature female gibel carps were electrofished in Lake Pamvotis (northwest Greece) in March 2005 and their pituitaries were collected and processed. The carp luteinizing hormone (cLH) levels in 20 pituitaries were assayed and found to correlate with total body weight, total length, dry pituitary weight, and gonadosomatic index. The cLH levels were in the same range as cLH levels in pituitaries of common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) used in Israeli hatcheries for artificial propagation. Hence, it may be possible to use gibel carp pituitaries for hormonal induction in cyprinids, with total weight of the gibel carp as a field criterion for selecting pituitary donors.