Testing methods to improve gamete handling and fertilization of eggs. Atlantic salmon eggs were tested with a mechanical egg shock device to determine susceptibility to breakage over the first six hours after fertilization. Various sperm diluents were tested as short-term storage solutions for Atlantic salmon sperm.
Greater care is needed in handling eggs through the disinfection and initial incubation stages.
Urine dilution has an effect on sperm motility and two sperm diluents were found to be useful for the short-term storage of Atlantic salmon sperm. Currently, many Atlantic salmon are released from hatcheries as fry, and due to their size, conventional tagging methods are inappropriate. As a result, managers cannot differentiate wild from domestic stock, determine the fish s origin, or effectively assess restoration efforts. A molecular marking method was developed and tested on Atlantic salmon fry. Fry were exposed to four different antigens at various concentrations and sampled for retention time of marks.