Successful Ultrasonography-Assisted Artificial Reproduction of Critically Endangered Sichuan taimen (Hucho bleekeri)

Sichuan taimen (Hucho bleekeri), a critically endangered species, is listed as first-class protected species in China. The natural population has been missing from most of its known distribution areas for many years but was rediscovered the Taibai River 2012, providing an important resource conservation stocking taimen. In this study, 43 wild adult collected were determined gamete maturity artificial reproduction using ultrasonography. echogenicity gonads before and after hormonal induction described to determine broodstock identification, injection dose hormones, spawning time. Four batches breeding successfully achieved 2013, 2014, 2016. Broodstock (19 females 16 males) spawned with average fertilization hatching rates reaching 80.2% 61.0%, respectively. This study demonstrates that ultrasonic imaging convenient efficient method track state mature during reproduction, which will assist cultivation, further large-scale proliferation effective restoration