Short and Long-Term Preservation of Sablefish Sperm from Baja California, Mexico

Sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria is a species with high potential for aquaculture in Mexico. The development of protocols for short-and long-term preservation of Sablefish sperm becomes necessary to store viable sperm that can be used as needed. In October and November of 2011 and 2012, Sablefish broodstock (mean weight, 3.5 kg; SD, 0.02) were captured using deepwater longlines in an area localized between the cities of Tijuana and Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The sperm concentration was evaluated by spectrophotometry. We determined the efficiency of two extender solutions in the short-term storage of Sablefish sperm and evaluated three cryoprotectants (DMSO, methanol, and glycerol) and three cryopreservation protocols. Significant differences in sperm concentration between years and months were found. No differences were found in sperm activation time between both extender solutions. Significant differences were found among storage time, extender, month, year, and sperm motility or membrane integrity. A significant correlation between sperm motility and membrane integrity was found for both extenders in November. Significant differences were found among type and concentration of cryoprotectant, incubation time, and motility. Significant differences among cryopreservation protocols, cryoprotectant, and sperm motility and membrane integrity were registered. Glycerol (10%) registered the best motility (78%) and membrane integrity using the third cryopreservation protocol when samples were placed 5 cm above the liquid nitrogen for 9 min before being plunged in liquid nitrogen. These results will allow us to establish a reproduction program for Sablefish that will be used as a tool to advance the culture of this species in Mexico.