January 14, 2025

Ultrasound

Two veterinarians evaluate a Chinook captive brood fish anesthetized with MS-222 by ultrasound to determine sex; this fish is a female. Photo: Kari Neumeyer, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Broodstock Injections

A hatchery staff member holding a captive brood Chinook in the proper head-down position for intracoelomic injection behind the pelvic girdle. One improvement in the position shown would be to leave the fish’s head and gills submerged under the water.
Hatchery staff members have two totes set up, one for anesthesia with buffered MS-222 and the other with fresh water for recovery, for non-lethal spawning of steelhead. Fish are anesthetized in the tote with buffered MS-222, then removed and manually stripped aided with sodium bicarbonate flushes, recovered in the freshwater tote, and finally returned to the broodstock holding pond pictured behind the totes.

Gamete Collection

A hatchery staff member holding the type of colander commonly used for egg collection. Some hatcheries prefer to use colanders to drain off the extra ovarian fluid. Other facilities prefer to collect eggs into small buckets so that the ovarian fluid is retained.
Posted in

Nora Hickey, D.V.M.

Nora is a fish veterinarian based in Washington State with a lifelong passion for fishkeeping. She began at age three with her first zebrafish aquarium. After volunteering at the New England Aquarium during her time at MIT, she earned her veterinary degree and now combines her love for fish and medicine. Nora has a special interest in Corydoradinae catfish and keeps several aquariums at home.