Effects of Size and Degree of Abdomen Inflation of the Mother Fish on Ovulation Induction of Red Spotted Grouper, Epinephelus akaara

We determined the morphologic characteristics (body weight and degree of abdomen inflation) of the red spotted grouper, Epinephelus akaara, mother fish producing healthy eggs. Experimental fish were chosen from fish reared in a sea cage. The fish were divided into four size groups by body weight: 400~600, 600~800, 800~1,000, and 1,000~1,200 g and four stages (I~IV) of the degree of abdomen inflation. After hormone treatment, we observed the amount of ovulation-induced eggs, and rates of buoyancy, fertilization, embryonic survival, and hatching. As a result, mother fish with a body weight of 600 g or more spawned, and the fertilization rate, embryonic survival rate, and hatching rate were high in the 800~1,000 g range, thus showing effective ovulation induction. As a result of dividing the degree of abdomen inflation based on the anal fin of the mother fish into I-IV stages and determining hormone treatment time, the GSI was $0.9{\pm}0.2%$ at stage I, $2.3{\pm}0.2%$ at stage II, $5.6{\pm0.2%$ at stage III, and $7.9{\pm}0.9%$ at stage IV. The flotation rate and hatching rate were highest at stage III, and the fertilization rate and embryonic survival rate were highest at stage IV. Therefore, in terms of egg quality, the amount of eggs collected per mother fish, maturation, and histology were different depending on the degree of abdomen inflation. At stage III, where the abdomen inflation degree of the mother fish was based on the basal part of the dorsal fin relative to the height of the anal fin was 1, the egg quality was highest.