Use of minimally invasive surgical technique for egg removal from the beluga, Huso huso

Reuse of sturgeon broodfish for propagation could provide an opportunity to ease fishing pressure on the wild stocks of these valued species. A minimally invasive surgical technique (MIST) for the removal of ovulated eggs from the beluga, Huso huso, was tested on broodfish caught from the wild to determine whether it affected fecundity or hatching rates when compared with the traditional stripping method that involves killing the fish and removing the eggs. In comparison with the traditional procedures, MIST is rapid: it can be performed in between 8 and 15 min per fish. Morphological parameters of female beluga, germinal vesicle position, weight of obtained eggs, fertilization rate, and percentage hatching during incubation were not significantly different between the MIST and the traditional procedure. The fish remained healthy 4 weeks after surgery. The final results of this study showed that the MIST approach is efficient, practical, and less stressful to beluga broodfish during artificial propagation than other reported egg collection procedures.