Fish breeding and genetic improvement

Fish genetic breeding is a process that remolds heritable traits to obtain neotype and improved varieties. For the purpose of genetic improvement, researchers at ARDC select for desirable genetic traits, integrate a suite of traits from different donors. These improved strains facilitate the development of the aquaculture industry by lowering costs and increasing both quality and yield. The breeding program engages biological bases and application of selection breeding technologies (containing traditional selective breeding, molecular marker-assisted breeding, genome-wide selective breeding and breeding by controlling single-sex groups), integration breeding technologies and modification breeding technologies in fish genetic breeding. In a nutshell, the fish breeding and genetic improvement research platform is designated to undertake fish breeding programs geared towards deriving fish with characteristics desirable by the consumers e.g. fast-growing strains of Nile tilapia, African catfish and other species of high value using appropriate molecular techniques.

Achievements

ARDC initiated a selective breeding program for Nile tilapia and African catfish. The selective breeding technology improved Nile tilapia productivity from an average fishpond production of 0.01 kg/m3 to up to 2.5 kg/m3 per production cycle under the ATAAS project. However, the technology needs to be optimized by using broodstock fish with known genetic make-up and performance traits so that the genetic variation present in the desirable traits is used to improve seed quality and productivity thereby facilitating sustainable fish production. Going forward, ARDC under the PESCA project has developed improved tilapia broodstock, currently at F2 generation. It is hoped that this will greatly improve fish production amongst Tilapia seed producers in the country.