| Gonad maturity stage |
Gonad appearance of the gonad for males |
Gonad appearance of the gonad for females |
| Immature |
Testes thin threadlike, flesh coloured, colourless to transparent. |
Ovary threadlike, transparent and close to abdomen wall. |
| Inactive |
Translucent testes, wider and generally longer than the ovaries in inactive female fish |
Cream colour, translucent, elongated wider than testis. No oocytes visible opaque to translucent, occupy half of the visceral cavity. Few oocytes barely visible. |
| Inactive – Active |
|
Opaque to translucent, occupy half of the visceral cavity. Few oocytes barely visible. |
| Active |
Dull white/yellowish, thickened and elongated, about ¾ visceral cavity. |
Ovary not yet swollen, but oocytes visible, yellowish with red hue. |
| Ripe |
Cream white, distended fully over length of visceral cavity, milt evident if testes are cut |
Yellow, green or orange eggs characteristic of species, large uniform size. Occupy all available space in the visceral cavity. |
| Ripe running |
White/silvery, fully distended, milt runs freely under pressure |
Ovary extremely swollen and eggs run under hand pressure or separate if ovary is cut. |
| Spent |
Flesh/red colour shrunken with blood capillaries evident |
Flaccid shrunken ovary, reddish with blood and small eggs discernable. |
