Report of the first volitional tank spawning of Senegalese Bonefish Albula goreensis : Gonadal conditioning, hormonal induction of ovulation, and parentage analysis

Bonefishes Albula spp. are economically important species in the recreational flats fishery and artisanal fisheries worldwide. Understanding the biology of bonefishes will help to preserve and manage these species, some of which are classified as “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We tested multiple hormonal maturational conditioning regimens under a compressed seasonal photothermal cycle using monthly doses of salmon pituitary extract at four levels (0, 80, 120, and 160 mg/kg of body weight) in Senegalese Bonefish A. goreensis females. All dosages except the sham (0 mg/kg) resulted in gonadal maturation. This led to two viable volitional spawns after induction with or without salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog implants. We used different methods to assess which females contributed to the two spawns, including analysis of monthly developmental patterns from fresh and preserved gonadal biopsies and genetic parentage analysis. In addition, an instance of the “pace-setting” response may have occurred, whereby salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog-implanted females stimulated unimplanted females to spawn.