Supporting the process of fish reproduction in the case of an ecological disaster, securing the stability of breeding in fish hatcheries and protecting the gene pool are the main goals of fish sperm banks being set up by scientists from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IRZiBŻ PAN) in Olsztyn.

“Awareness of the need for fish sperm banks continues to grow. Last year’s ecological catastrophe on the Oder River made us realise how important it is to have the facilities to be able to efficiently and effectively begin the process of reproduction of native fish populations in such situations,” said Dr Sylwia Judycka of the Department of Gamete and Embryo Biology at the IRiBZŻ PAN, quoted by the PAN website.

In addition to protecting endangered species or entire fish populations, sperm banks also make it possible to secure the stability of breeding lines in fish hatcheries.