US EPA

1228881 

Journal Article 

Cryopreservation of Semen from Lake Sturgeon 

Ciereszko, A; Dabrowski, K; Froschauer, J; Wolfe, TD 

2006 

1 

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
ISSN: 0002-8487
EISSN: 1548-8659 

American Fisheries Society, 5410 Grosvenor Ln. Ste. 110 Bethesda MD 20814-2199 USA 

135 

1 (Jan 2006) 

232-240 

Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens, once abundant and the only species of sturgeon endemic to the North American Great Lakes, is now rare and threatened with extinction as a result of overfishing and habitat destruction. Sperm cryopreservation can be useful for preserving the genetic variability of local populations of lake sturgeon. In this study, we show the conditions of extended storage of unfertilized gametes and successful cryopreservation of lake sturgeon semen using methanol as a cryoprotectant. We demonstrate that unfertilized eggs can be transported for 8-12 h, provided that their initial quality is good. Our results indicate that cryopreservation of lake sturgeon milt caused increased damage to sperm DNA (measured by comet assay); however, some spermatozoa maintained their fertilizing ability. Fertilization with cryopreserved semen caused an 87% reduction in postthaw fertilization rates of prehatched larvae compared with control fertilizations with fresh semen. 

North America, Great Lakes; Habitat; Aquatic Habitats; Population genetics; Sturgeon; Sperm; Extinction; Cryoprotectors; overfishing; Endemic species; Semen; Acipenser fulvescens; Larvae; Storage; resource exploitation; Freezing storage; Methanol; aquaculture techniques; DNA damage; Variability; Assay; Comet assay; Fertilization; Eggs; Lakes; Cryopreservation; Fisheries; DNA; Damage; Freshwater; Anadromous species; Genetic isolation; Acipenser; Gametes