Experimental Methods to Monitor the Production and Quality of Eggs of Captive Marine Fish

We review and recommend a variety of methods used to conduct experiments on egg production of marine fishes in the laboratory.Aspects assessed include (i) domestication of wild fish, (ii) holding facilities and handling, (iii) broodstock diet, (iv) tagging of fish (v) monitoring maturation, (vi) feeding during spawning, (vii) spawning conditions, (viii) egg collection techniques, (ix) spawning fish and stress, (x) artificial fertilization, (xi) initial egg sample analysis, and (xii) egg and larval quality and mortality.Careful consideration should be given to proper experimental design and the deployment of appropriate techniques to measure maternal reproductive output of captive fish, as results can be easily influenced by inadequate attention to laboratory protocol.Emphasis is given to commercially important species of the North Atlantic particularly gadoids, though the practices described presumably have broader application.