Breeding & genetics

Heterosis, the well-known concept of “hybrid vigour”, has been utilised to improve fitness-related traits – like growth, fecundity and disease resistance – in a number of cultured aquatic species over the years.

Adam Taylor, founder of the largest tilapia producer in Africa, sees huge scope for improvements in the sector - in particular driven by advances in nutrition and genetics.

After decades of frustration, one of the least well-known elements of the aquaculture industry, frog farming, could be poised for growth.

The multibillion-dollar marine aquarium trade has a mixed reputation, with many specimens being captured from the world’s coral reefs. However, a number of pioneers are now farming marine ornamentals – offering hope for a venture that benefits both people and …

Armed with a homemade submersible cage and a determination to start farming a species that was in decline in the wild, veteran trout farmer Jeff Tuerk decided to establish the North America’s only lake whitefish farm.

Desmond Chow, the founder of Singapore Crawfish, is so convinced that crayfish aquaculture is ripe for investment that he’s spent the past two years, and considerable amounts of his own capital, developing a range of crayfish farming technologies and products,…

When considering ongoing genetic improvement efforts in tilapia culture, comparisons with the development of the modern chicken industry often present themselves.

Fish farmers across Vietnam have begun producing hybrid grouper, saying that the species’ high growth rate and favourable market price make it a profitable alternative to shrimp farming.

A new report into the global specific pathogen-free (SPF) L. vannamei broodstock market and production clusters has been published today.

Catfish production in Nigeria is hugely popular – with a booming domestic market as well as strong export sales – and currently accounts for over 80 percent of the country’s aquaculture output.

An initial project to pave the way for modern selective breeding of tilapia strains farmed in East Africa has been completed recently. Genetic tools were developed, and a detailed analysis of the region’s farmed strains was carried out.

As Benchmark’s shrimp facility in Florida begins to gear up towards commercial production, Oscar Hennig, operations director of Benchmark Genetics’ shrimp-breeding programme – who has been in the shrimp sector for nearly 30 years – explains to The Fish Site wh…

In recent years the buzz and hype surrounding the drive to achieve commercial full-cycle tuna farming in the Mediterranean seems to have subsided. We checked in with some of the leading minds in the field to discuss the initiatives and ideas that can help brin…