Abstract

Cryopreservation of gametes and embryos plays a key role in the advanced areas of animal production. It will also play a central role in future aquaculture. The techniques to cryopreserve gametes are well understood in domestic animals such as sheep and cattle. In contrast, research on shellfish cryopreservation is scarce. A major limitation of previous shellfish work is that fertilisation or short-term survival has been taken as the measure of success, which has not been validated in terms of successful development and growth of larvae. This manuscript briefly describes the approach to the problem by this research team and highlights some of the similarities and differences between the procedures used with shellfish and domestic animal gametes.

JF, Smith, PA Pugh, HR Tervit, RD Roberts, AR Janke, HF Kaspar, and SL Adams

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 61, Christchurch, 31-34, 2001