LAUSR

ABSTRACT In this study, the cryopreserved spermatozoa of Epinephelus lanceolatus were transported using a novel method involving dry ice as the medium of preservation and a Styrofoam box. Five conditions were investigated for the cryopreserved sperm under different dry ice exposure times of (24, 48, and 72) h corresponding to treatment 1 (T1), 3 (T3), and 5 (T5), respectively. Meanwhile, the remaining treatments (T2 and T4) involved the same exposure to dry ice for (24 and 48) h followed by re-immersion into liquid nitrogen (LN). The performance of the cryopreserved spermatozoa of the hybrid grouper (E. fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂) was evaluated through fertilization and hatching trials. The results showed no significant difference in fertilization for all five treatments. However, significantly poorer hatching rates than the fresh sperm were observed for spermatozoa exposed to dry ice after 48 h. This study recommends the use of the proposed method to successfully transport E. lanceolatus spermatozoa for the production of hybrid groupers via artificial insemination.