Comparison of responses to artificial spawning of ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua) specimens captured from their natural habitat to those produced in cultured conditions

•Hormonal treatment is required for the reproduction of ruffe under controlled conditions.•Hormonal treatment has a positive effect on the quality of wild and cultured sperm ruffe.•The oocyte maturation stage system developed for perch and pikeperch has worked well for ruffe.•The influence of the hormonal agents used on the biological quality of oocytes was determined. Although ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua) are widely distributed in Eurasia, in some regions (i.e., North America) ruffe are considered an invasive species. There have been no reports on artificial reproduction of this species. A study, therefore, was conducted to evaluate reproduction of ruffe with results of specimens captured from their natural habitat and cultured (F1 generation) specimens being compared. Spawning specimens from both stocks were treated with hormonal preparations: carp pituitary homogenate (CPH), Ovopel, Ovaprim and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and results were analyzed by comparing response to the specimens of control groups. Spermiation outcomes and sperm motility of the captured and cultured ruffe were similar and with all hormonal treatments, there was a slightly greater sperm motility (55.6 %–57.1 %) in comparison to specimens of control groups (46.7 %–47.1 %). For captured specimens, there was no asynchronous development of oocytes, whereas in cultured specimens 32 % of females had asynchronous development of oocytes. The ovulation rate in specimens of all treated groups was 100 %, whereas specimens in the control groups did not reproductively mature and have ovulations. The latency time from time of hormonal treatments to initiation of reproductive functions depended on the spawning agent used and oocyte maturation stage and there was the shortest latency after using CPH and the longest with hCG treatment. The embryo survival and hatching rates varied with use of different hormonal preparations to induce reproduction: greatest hatching rates with hCG treatment (86.4 %–88.9 %), followed by Ovaprim (78.2 %–80.2 %) and least hatching rate with Ovopel and CPH treatments (66.0 %–67.1 % and 64.0 %–66.0 %, respectively).