~ 7 ~ International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 2023; 11(5): 07-11 E-ISSN: 2347-5129 P-ISSN: 2394-0506 (ICV-Poland) Impact Value: 76.37 (GIF) Impact Factor: 0.549 IJFAS 2023; 11(5): 07-11 © 2023 IJFAS www.fisheriesjournal.com Received: 04-06-2023 Accepted: 09-07-2023 Sonia Sku Senior Scientific Officer, Freshwater Station, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, Bangladesh Mohosena Begum Tanu Chief Scientific Officer, Headquarters, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, Bangladesh Yahia Mahmud Director General, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, Bangladesh Arun Chandra Barman Senior Scientific Officer, Headquarters, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, Bangladesh Mohammad Ferdous Siddique Senior Scientific Officer, Headquarters, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, Bangladesh ANM Rezvi Kaysar Bhiuyan Scientific Officer, Freshwater Station, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, Bangladesh Md. Nazmul Hossen Scientific Officer, Freshwater Station, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, Bangladesh Corresponding Author: Sonia Sku Senior Scientific Officer, Freshwater Station, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, Bangladesh Natural propagation of freshwater mussels (Lamellidens marginalis) using vegetation in captive environment Sonia Sku, Mohosena Begum Tanu, Yahia Mahmud, Arun Chandra Barman, Mohammad Ferdous Siddique, ANM Rezvi Kaysar Bhiuyan and Md. Nazmul Hossen DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/fish.2023.v11.i5a.2842 Abstract Natural breeding of freshwater mussel, Lamellidens marginalis in captive environment had been studied to ensure the availability of juvenile mussel. A method of reproductive influence of farm animal to suit management called controlled breeding. It is aimed at enhances the production number, survival rate as well as optimization of reproductive performance in intensive system. Brood Mussels was stocked at the rate of 80/decimal in three different captive conditions viz Treatment 1; High aquatic vegetation without any disturbance, Treatment-2; Light aquatic vegetation with disturbance and Treatment-3; No aquatic vegetation with disturbance for breeding. As the freshwater mussel needs host fish to fulfill its life cycle, different fish species were stocked at the rate of 150/decimal. Microscopic observation indicated the occurrence of higher glochidia in the gills and fin of Oreochromis niloticus, Puntius sarana and Heteropneustes fossilis during breeding season. After nine month of brood mussel culture juvenile mussels were harvested from the ponds. A total of 2425±122.01 juvenile mussels per decimal were collected from the treatment 1 followed by 750±55.97 and 370±46.70 juvenile mussels from treatment 2 and treatment 3 respectively. During the research period, all activities' water quality parameters were favorable. The study revealed that ponds with high aquatic vegetation provides suitable environment during the breeding season for the breeding of freshwater mussels and high number of juveniles was produced in captive area. Keywords: Natural propagation, glochidia, host, juvenile mussel, aquatic vegetation Introduction Controlled breeding is the method of reproductive influence of farm animal to suit management. It is primarily aimed at achieving synchronized breeding and enhances the production number, survival rate as well as optimization of reproductive performance in intensive system. Among all the variety of freshwater bivalves, Unionida (Bivalvia) signifies 72% (Lopes-Lima et al., 2018) [25] . Inland water features including ponds, lakes and rivers in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Myanmar are teeming with freshwater mussels, such as Lamellidens marginalis (Lamarck, 1819), which are members of the Order Unionida. (Ghosh and Ghose, 1972; Dan et al., 2001) [14, 9] . In Bangladesh, Lamellidens marginalis is the most common species that are available all over the country and suitable for pearl production (Hossain et al., 2004) [19] . L. marginalis are harvested from natural sources, and this pink pearl-producing mussel has promising possibilities for commercial pearl production. (Miah et al., 2000) [26] . Freshwater bivalves known as Unionoida are found in all sorts of inland waterways across the world. During the life cycle they go through a parasitic larval stage. Distribution of freshwater mussels is constrained by a special co-evolutionary interaction with fish that characterizes the unionid group (Modesto et al., 2018) [42] . Freshwater mussels must adhere their larvae (Glochidia) to appropriate fish tissues (such as the gills and fins) in order to encyst and develop into juveniles (Barnhart et al., 2008) [2] . In addition to acting as carriers of unionid mussels, hosts fish also provide energy and nutrients for the formation of encysted glochidia. (Denic et al., 2015) [10] .