Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(2): 2010-2017 2010 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.702.240 Post-dissection Survival, Conservation and Reutilization of Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus, 1758) Male Broodstock Bhushan N. Sanap 1 *, Rashmi S. Ambulkar 1 , Smital D. Kamble 1 and C.S. Chaturvedi 2 1 ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Versova, Mumbai - 400 061, India 2 NationalBureauofFishGeneticResources, Lucknow-226002, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction The catfish, Clarias batrachus ordinarily known as ‘‘Asian catfish" (Magur), is an endemic fish of India available in almost all its river systems, lakes and ponds. This fish serve as one of the significant food sources in the country. The palate and curative attributes of the fish has captured the high market demand (Debnath, 2011; Hossain et al., 2006). It is also eye catching to the consumers due to the characteristics of the fish that it can remain fresh and alive out of water for a considerable time due to its air-breathing nature. However, it is eminent that C. batrachus populace have been awfully diminished during last two decades because of overfishing and habitat diversifications (Khedkar et al., 2010). To accomplish the market demand, farmers in West Bengal during the 1980s, endeavoured to develop technologies for seed production. Relatively this was favourable, but the low fecundity of the females accompanying with early mortality during seed production became leading impediments associated with the International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 02 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The present study is an attempt with an objective to achieve the survival of the male fish even after dissection and surgery is done corroborative to human surgery. Three experiments on males after dissection were stitched with absorbable surgical thread (T1); stitched with normal cotton thread (T2); and (T3) was the control was unstitched. Fishes were successfully operated for removal of testes. Swimming behaviour and feed intake were very normal in T1 and T2 while abnormal and reduced feed intake in T3. The wounds were completely healed on the tenth day and the stitched marks were very faint by the 20 th day. Survival in T1 and T2 was 100 % while in T3 was 62.5%. In usual process of dissection, themale is killed. Sometimes testes are found not fully ripe and unable to fertilise the eggs resulting male fish is dead and unnecessarily killed. As this leads to a reduction in male population it indirectly creates a danger to the sustainability of its population. Present study highly contributes toconservation of this fish. Moreover, survived fishes can be reutilised for Clarias batrachus fattening and selling although it cannot be used for breeding. Keywords Fish surgery, Clarias batrachus, Fish dissection, Broodstock survival, Broodstock, Fish conservation Accepted: 17 January 2018 Available Online: 10 February 2018 Article Info