Specific and individual differences in motility between salmonid spermatozoa

Abstract

Spermatozoan motility was examined in Salmo trutta L., Salmo trutta m. lacustris L., Salmo gairdneri Rich. and Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitch.) from different spawning grounds and fish cultures. Fairly big differences were found in motility between spermatozoa examined under identical conditions. These differences were observed both between individual species (the spermatozoa of the lake- and sea-trout showed the highest viability and those of the rainbow trout the lowest) and between particular specimens; in this last case the differences seemed to be caused chiefly by different degrees of maturity of the gonads.