Our results indicated that the type of hormone used (recombinant vs purified gonadotropins) significantly affected the progression of spermiation in European eel males, and that the recombinant hormone (OVI) produced better results in terms of sperm quantity and quality in most of the weeks of the treatment, remaining thus an effective treatment to induce spermiation in this species. On the other hand, in terms of the doses experiment, our results showed that from the lowest to the highest dose (0.25 to 1.5 IU/g fish) all the treatments were able to induce the whole spermiation process. However, a weekly dose of 1.5 IU/g fish of recombinant hormone (OVI) was necessary in order to provide a notable amount (volume and density) of high quality (motility and velocity) samples throughout the treatment.
Finally, the economic analysis demonstrated that the recombinant hormone (OVI, 1.5 IU/g fish) had a greater profitability than the other treatments, making it possible to obtain high-quality sperm for a lower price. In this context, and considering the fact that in the first few weeks of any hormonal treatment there is no high-quality sperm production, long-term hormonal therapies are necessary in order to lessen the cost of high-quality European eel sperm.