Reproduction of freshwater sardine Pepesca (Astyanax fasciatus) under laboratory conditions

Abstract

The pepesca or freshwater sardine is a widely distributed species in freshwater environments in Latin America. There are many species of Astyanax being the fasciatus one of the most abundant in the Mesoamerican area. The pepesca is a species with maximum lengths of 15 centimeters of LT and weights between 28 and 35 grams / fish. It is a prized species as a nutritional resource and easy to cook. The research was aimed at evaluating techniques to achieve the reproduction of the species under laboratory conditions. Organisms captured in natural environments and adapted to management conditions were used for research. Several methodologies were evaluated among these abdominal massage of organisms, thermal shock (temperature increase) and photoperiod for 48 hours. Several zoomometric parameters were used as reproductive indicators. The selection of organisms based on the IC (> 2.0 in females and> 1.5 in males) and the photoperiod methodology were effective in achieving the reproduction of A. fasciatus in laboratory conditions. The pepesca is promoted as a valuable genetic resource for aquaculture due to its high production of biomass, adaptation to food and general management.