ABSTRACT

During the last decades, the capture and over-exploitation of eels and elvers has resulted in a decrease in their populations. This has become an ecological and economical problem, making it necessary to develop techniques for the control of reproduction in captivity. Methods for the hormonal induction of gonad maturation in this species have been developed in previous studies, obtaining significant sperm volumes of good quality [1-3] as well as ovarian maturation, spawns, egg fertilisation and even hatching (reviewed by Pedersen [4,5]). Also, hybrids between European eel and Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica), using the sperm of European species and Japanese eel oocytes, have recently been achieved [6].