Sexing sturgeon

 When keeping sturgeon splashtastic are often asked about the sex of a persons fish and the answer is really not an option to anyone other than those in the sturgeon industry for the production of caviar, as it requires specialist equipment as there are no external features to indicate the sex of a sturgeon. So an internal examination is necessary, making the process more difficult. The gonad is the organ that makes gametes - reproductive cells. The gonads in males are the testes and the gonads in females are the ovaries. To determine if the sturgeon has ovaries or testes an incision is made in an anesthetized fish and the gonad is visually inspected. This operation is necessary as, to date, ultrasound results, although less invasive, have not been reliable.

Recently the idea of using laproscopy, (also called minimally invasive surgery (MIS), bandaid surgery, or keyhole surgery, in which operations are performed through smaller incisions, usually 0.5–1.5 cm) has been investigated. This obviously causes less stress to the fish as although anesthesia is still needed, the process is quicker and therefore, so is recovery time. Organ images are relayed via the laproscope to a monitor and are much easier to distinguish as they can be magnified. A second probe can take a tissue sample to confirm type if necessary. The incision is sutured and treated with a topical antiseptic to prevent infection and the fish can then be placed in a recovery tank. Results have shown the technique to be very successful and the ability to successfully sex fish has increased compared to earlier methods.