Veterinary ultrasound in the identification of reproductive aspects and gonadal development stage in tropical fish

Abstract

Most sexual maturity assessment techniques are extremely invasive, harming the health and reproductive performance of fish. This study aimed to collect data on the use of veterinary ultrasound (US) in identifying the reproductive aspects of tropical fish. This is an exploratory descriptive study, of a qualitative nature, aimed at analyzing, comparing and crossing data between different articles and literature. The research and data collection were carried out from September to December 2022 in the bibliographic databases: Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com.br/?hl=pt, Sciamago https://www.scimagojr.com, Scielo https://www.scielo.br/scielo and Elsevier https://www.elsevier.com/pt-br. The descriptors “reproduction of freshwater fish, ultrasound in native fish, and ultrasound evaluation in fish” were used to identify studies on the topic. Ultrasonography has been used by researchers as an alternative tool to more invasive and complex methods, as strategies to improve reproductive rates, to identify the reproductive aspects of fish, as well as the stage of gonadal development, sex and maturity.