Trigger for fish eggs hatching
From:
Samuel R. Chapman
To: AQUA-L@killick.ifmt.nf.ca=20
Sent: June 29, 2003
Does
anyone know what "allows" a fish egg to hatch? Is there an enzyme
that breaks down the chorion structure allowing the embryo to "break
out" or is it just the physical strength of the embryo
"banging" against the chorion that ruptures it? I operate a
shad hatchery and have seen that bright light increases embryo movement
within the shell that seems to stimulate hatching, but wonder if it is only
the movement that causes the actual "break-out"?
Samuel
R. Chapman
50 Bremen Road
Waldoboro, ME 04572
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COMMENTS
1:
The
author J.V. Helvik has written extensively on this subject, including a PhD
thesis "Biology of Hatching". He described the hatching mechanism
of the Atlantic halibut in the International Journal of Developmental
Biology 35: 9-16. (1991).
e-mail: npbrown@maine.edu
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COMMENTS 2 :
There's
likely some newer info around in the primary literature, but a good basic
description of the hatching process and chorionase is in Hoar and Randall
(Fish Phys.) Volume XI, part A, beginning on page 459.
Jeff Hinshaw
e-mail: Jeff_Hinshaw@ncsu.edu