Basics of mahseer breeding

1. Mahseer Breeding
Sajid Mahmood
Deputy Director Fisheries (Aqua)
Fisheries Research & Training Institute Manawan Lahore

2. Mahseer – ‘Maha Seer’
• Persian
• "Mahi“ mean fish and "Sher" mean lion in recognition of
its gameness (Thomas, 1873).
• Hindi
• "Maha" means great and "Sir" means head (Lacy & Cretin,
1905)
• "Mahasaula" mean big scale

3. Mahseer
• National fish of Pakistan
• Mahseer - important and beautiful game fishes of the South Asian
subcontinent (Thomas, 1897; Mirza and Javed, 1985).
• It shows more sport for its size than Salmon (MacDonald, 1948).
• Mahseer is contested as a candidate species for mono as well as
composite culture (Bhatt, et al., 2004).
• Extensive studies on the distribution, biology and fishery
• Development of techniques of breeding, larval rearing and culture
practices which have now created capability of producing fry and
fingerling of all desired species of Mahseer (Ogale, 2001).

4. Mahseer Species
• Found mainly in the hilly areas but sometimes descend to plains.
• Mahseer is the common name used for the fishes of genera Tor,
Neolissochilus and Naziritor in the family Cyprinidae but more specific
for genera Tor and Naziritor.
• Countries: Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand,
Indonesia and China etc. (Menon 1992).
• Genus Tor comprises of at least 25 species including Tor macrolepis
whereas genus Neolissochilus 23 species and Naziritor 02 species
respectively (Froese & Paulay 2008).

5. Mahseer in Pakistan
• 1. Tor putitora (Hamilton)
• 2. Tor tor (Hamilton)
• 3. Tor mosal (Hamilton)
• 4. Naziritor zhobensis (Mirza)
• 5. Tor macrolepis (Heckel).
Classification of Indus
Mahseer

6. Reproduction
• Tor macrolepis is an oviparous type in which both the sexes are
separate.
• Its reproductive system consists of gonads in which the germ cells are
formed and the gonadial ducts through which the germ cells leave the
body.

7. Male mahseer
• Reproductive organs consist of testes, vasa deferentia and urinogenital
sinus.
• A pair of testes is extended throughout the whole length of the body
cavity; large smooth ribbon shaped light orange colored. It lies on the
ventro-lateral sides of the swim bladder ventral to the kidneys.
• Size depends on the age of the fish and maturity. During the breeding
season, the testes become quite prominent.
• Males are commonly called ‘running males’ during the breeding season.
They are full of spermatic fluid before spawning but they get reduced in
size after spawning.
• Each testes divided into two (some time) to three (usually) lobes. From
each testis arises a slender duct the vas deferens from its posterior end. It
runs up to the anal region.
• The urino-genital sinus is a small chamber which receives the urinary and
genital ducts which eventually open to the exterior.

8. Female mahseer
• Pair of ovaries and a pair of ducts. The paired ovaries occupy in the
abdominal cavity almost the same position as testes in the male.
• During the breeding season ovaries become enormously distended by
the presence of large follicles which enclose the mature ova.
• Each ovary is an elongated sac like body. Size and form of the ovary
also depends upon the age and maturity
• Separate apertures for urinary and genital products.

9. • Sex identification is only possible when fully ripe females show a fully
bulged and soft abdomen with a slight swollen pinkish vent. When
the abdomen is slightly pressed the mature females and males
discharge eggs and milt respectively.
• No sharp differences in colors of the two sexes roughness of the
pectoral fins are noticed even in ripe males.

10. Spawning
• Tor macrolepis breeds in two to more act in two spawning seasons in a year
which usually covers late March to early May and late August to early
October period in Attock region of Pakistan.
• Each individual mature female T. macrolepis perform spawning in two to
more (very rarely) acts approximately with an interval of three to four
weeks in one spawning season in the controlled captive conditions.
• The nesting habit observed in T. macrolepis at its natural breeding grounds
and also in the captive condition.
• During the nesting, female clear the bottom for depositing the freshly laid
eggs. By this activity rounded depressions are formed at the bottom
surface.

11. BREEDING OF TOR MACROLEPIS
• Mature female usually yield a free flow of ripe eggs or roes on a slight
gentle pressure on the abdomen. Ripe eggs look like transparent
yellowish orange. Stripping is usually carried out in shady place. The
spawn is kept away from any contact with water.
• Milt is obtained from the mature running males by pressing their
bellies gently. Males may be stripped several times. Milt is stripped
directly on the eggs.
• Then the eggs are mixed softly by a clean dry feather with the milt for
one to two minutes.

12. Incubation
• The fertilized eggs are transferred to the incubation trays in the
hatchery.
• In the incubation tray, eggs are under water hardening process
meaning "up taking water“. It will cause almost double the size and
volume of each fertilized egg.
• The eggs are usually covered to protect eggs from direct light. During
the incubation dead eggs are removed otherwise they can destroy
the whole stock of eggs in the tray.
• Continuous supply of silt free and well aerated freshwater is ensured
during the incubation process.

13. Development Stages

14. Hatching
• After two to three days of fertilization, the embryo changes into a
miniature of fish which lies inside the egg in a coiled state.
• The twisting motion can be seen due to transparency of egg
membrane.
• It manages to escape out through weak point of the membrane. The
fish like embryo is now called hatchling.
• The hatchling cannot swim freely for it has no well-defined fins.
• It has large yolk sac in the abdomen. 2-3 days to absorb yolk sac.
• The hatchling is subject to infection of mould and bacteria if water is
not properly circulated.

15. Swim up fry and later stages
• 7 - 10 days after breeding; yolk sac is absorbed
• gill rakers are well formed at this stage and needs a fresh supply of
oxygen
• At age of two weeks, swim up fry starts taking zooplanktons
• Jumping fry: After 2-3 weeks
• Fingerlings: After 5 months