Survey of Ovaprim Use as a Spawning Aid in Ornamental Fishes in the United States as Administered through the University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory

摘要

Ovaprim is a commercial product used as a spawning aid in fishes and contains a salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog and a dopamine antagonist. Since 2005, the use of Ovaprim in commercial ornamental fish production has been through enrollment with the University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in an Investigational New Animal Drug (INAD) study. A database is maintained to provide information to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on product effectiveness and target animal safety. There were 25 fish species in 17 genera and 10 families in the INAD database. Ostariophysan fishes constituted 84% of the species and 99.9% of the individuals. The goldfish Carassius auratus was numerically the dominant species (80% of individuals). Nearly 40,000 fish in total were injected with Ovaprim; ovulation was induced in 92% of females and spermiation was induced in 96% of males, primarily reflecting extensive use in cyprinid fishes. Conversely, average success rates across all species were moderate (50% ovulation and 54% spermiation), and some species had low success rates (range = 0-100%). Mortality after injection was 1.3% of overall individuals but varied by species (mean = 2.7%; range = 0-36%). Ovaprim was most used by producers of ornamental cyprinids.