© CAT
The strategic collaboration between the Center for Aquaculture Technologies (CAT) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) strengthens CAT’s intellectual property portfolio and further supports its strategy to bring responsible genome-editing solutions to aquaculture.
“CAT is committed to advancing Next-Gen Breeding solutions that combine scientific innovation with environmental and economic responsibility,” said John Buchanan, chief executive officer of CAT. “Our partnership with UMBC allows us to bring further pioneering sterility technology closer to commercial reality, supporting healthier fish, stronger ecosystems and more efficient production systems. With a growing global population to feed, sustainable aquaculture solutions have never been more critical, and genome editing, underpinned by sterility, is a key part of that future.”
There are numerous reasons to produce animals that do not undergo sexual maturation, reasons that align closely with the core goals of the aquaculture industry. Sterility in farmed fish offers benefits across performance, environmental protection and animal welfare:
Why sterility matters:
- Improved Performance – Sterile fish avoid early sexual maturation, enhancing growth rates and feed conversion efficiency, reducing production costs, and minimizing waste.
- Environmental Protection – Sterility safeguards the distinctive traits of wild populations, protecting biodiversity and supporting balanced ecosystems. This also addresses regulatory concerns with fish escapes from aquaculture production systems.
- Animal Welfare – By reducing stress and aggression associated with sexual maturation, sterile fish experience improved health and lower mortality rates.
Commenting on the signed agreement Dr Yonathan Zohar, professor at UMBC and chair of the department of Marine Biotechnology at IMET shared, “We are pleased to be working with CAT to advance the development of sterility technology in aquaculture. This collaboration, including a sponsored research agreement, aims to improve sterility success rates in Atlantic salmon, with potential applications across all finfish species. Our partnership with CAT will enable us to achieve 100 percent sterility and bring this technology to the aquaculture industry.”
Ten-Tsao Wong, Associate Professor added: “Morpholinos have been approved by the FDA for human medicine and are being used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This new agreement with CAT can accelerate our efforts to expand this technology to produce sterile fish. We look forward to collaborating with CAT to bring this technology to market.”
Morpholino sterility induction silences genes critical for germ cell development in fish embryos through bath immersion. The fish grow normally but are sterile, avoiding the negative effects of early sexual maturation on growth, flesh quality and survival. Unlike other methods like triploidy, this approach preserves high-performance genetics while addressing animal welfare concerns.
“The Morpholino technology complements our genome editing solutions for sterility by offering a quick and flexible alternative. It can be used in situations where sterility is urgently needed, and while the introduction of sterility through genome editing into a breeding population is still in progress. For example, in salmonids, where breeding cycles are longer, this technology provides a timely option. Additionally, our Morpholino technology will be made available in situations where genome editing is not being used. Sterility is a critical issue for the aquaculture industry and this gives us another reliable tool that we can call on,” said Buchanan.
