DOI: https://doi.org/10.5513/JCEA01/26.4.4967

2025, 26 (4)   p. 876-886

István IMECS, Alpár KELEMEN, Attila NAGY, Nguyễn QUYẾN, Hajime MATSUBARA, Tamás MÜLLER

Abstract

Ex situ breeding and larvae rearing offer a promising tool for supporting declining natural populations of European bullhead (Cottus gobio), a small benthic fish of conservation concern. This study evaluated the success of captive reproduction and early larval rearing under controlled conditions as a preparatory step for future restocking efforts. Adult bullheads were maintained in aquarium settings, with spawning occurring between April 2 and 3, 2025, at temperatures of 9–13 °C. Six egg clutches, averaging 400 eggs each, were monitored; larvae commenced feeding 15–16 days post-hatching. Over a 3-week rearing experiment, three feeding treatments (fresh Artemia, frozen Artemia, and a mixed diet) were tested for effects on larval growth. Mortality was minimal in all groups; however, larvae fed exclusively on frozen Artemia exhibited significantly smaller body lengths and greater variability compared to those on fresh or mixed diets, which did not differ significantly. 751 feeding larvae were obtained from ~4,400 eggs, resulting in a survival efficiency of 17.1%. Unlike many studies lacking quantitative tracking from egg to juvenile stages, our results confirm the viability of captive breeding for C. gobio and provide essential baseline data for future conservation-driven propagation and release programs.

Keywords

spawning substrate, conservation biology, Artemia nauplii, larvae rearing

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