Herring is a unique freshwater aquaculture species in China and one of the four major fish. For over 30 years, researchers have been working on artificial reproduction techniques for this fish. While grass carp, common carp, and silver carp have seen widespread success in artificial breeding across the country, herring has faced significant challenges.
One of the main issues is that under pond culture conditions, herring gonads often fail to develop fully during the breeding season. According to domestic studies, herring oocytes frequently experience developmental arrest, with the highest maturity rate reaching only about 8%. Additionally, male development is generally poor, with testis maturation coefficients as low as 0.2%, making it difficult to extract semen even after oxytocin stimulation. This contrasts sharply with grass carp, which has a maturation coefficient of around 15% for females and 0.7% for males. The most critical problem is that reproductive gland development rarely reaches the IV stage, which is essential for successful spawning.
Another challenge is that artificial breeding of herring typically relies on artificial spawning methods rather than artificial insemination. Since male and female gonads do not develop in sync, fertilization rates are often low, and sometimes no fertilization occurs at all. These issues have drawn attention from Chinese fish breeders, but reliable solutions have remained elusive for many years.
In traditional aquaculture practices, which have been used for thousands of years, only three of the four major fish were commonly bred. However, in Pingjiang County, Hunan Province, local fish breeders have made significant progress by studying herring's germ cell regulation, fertilization biology, and embryonic development. Through these efforts, they uncovered the reproductive patterns of herring and developed methods for cultivating and producing blue broodstock.
As a result, the two major problems have been effectively addressed. When herring reach sexual maturity, their reproductive systems can achieve full maturity during the breeding season. Artificial spawning between females and males can now be synchronized, leading to high fertilization rates. These techniques have been successfully applied in fish farms in Pingjiang County, where over 30 million larvae have been produced from more than 40 years of broodstock breeding.
Herring fillets are now highly popular in areas such as Dongting Lake, Honghu Lake, and Poyang Lake, where they are in high demand and consistently in short supply. This marks a significant breakthrough in herring aquaculture, bringing economic benefits and new opportunities for fish farmers.
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