The project will establish a knowledgebase by substantiating and expanding current knowledge through basic research, medium scale tests will be used for application development and full scale experiments will test developed protocols from broodstock selection to laravle rearing.
The required knowledge to improve reproduction success includes studies of endocrinology and hormonal control, liver function and energy allocation, male and female maturation and gamete quality, and ontogeny of embryos and larvae. These studies include in vivo and in vitro studies of hormonal triggers and physiological changes during maturation.
The basic knowledge needs to be formulated into materials, methods, technology and criteria for application. The application development considers broodstock selection criteria, standardised methods for maturation and gamete production, fertilisation procedures, embryonic and larval rearing, and larval feed development. This work includes small to medium scale tests to develop and improve techniques in parallel to full scale test of the developed applications as integrated part of protocols for eel maturation and larval production.