Salmon sequence released
As the second International Conference on Integrative Salmonid Biology (ICISB) wound up in Vancouver, Cermaq Canada announced that the company is proud to have been part of the research project.
The project, which also involved other salmon producers and government agencies from Canada, Chile and Norway should result in: “Healthier food, more environmentally sound fish farming and better interactions with wild salmon”.
According to Cermaq: Cermaq Canada’s parent company Cermaq ASA helped fund the International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (ICSASG), which today announced the project had been completed. The announcement was made at “The salmon genome is a resource for R&D in the entire industry,” says Olai Einen, Research and Development Manager at Cermaq in Norway. Salmon farmers will be able to use this knowledge to identify genes that are resistant to different viruses and diseases, and identify genes critical for growth. This will allow salmon farmers to develop better breeding programs, better vaccines and optimize feeding. The genetic information will also be useful to researchers as a reference guide sequence for the genomes of other salmonids such as Pacific salmon, rainbow trout and more distantly related fish such as smelt and pike. Healthier food, more environmentally sound fish farming and better interactions with wild salmon are all positive outcomes from this research.
The fully-mapped genome is freely available to researchers inside and outside the salmon farming industry. It will provide crucial information to fish managers to improve the production and sustainability of aquaculture operations, and address challenges around conservation of wild stocks, preservation of at-risk fish populations and environmental sustainability. Genetic sequencing is not genetic modification. Canadian salmon farmers have made it clear they are not interested in farming genetically modified fish. The sequenced genome will give salmon farmers more information and allow them to use traditional animal husbandry methods more efficiently to grow top-quality, healthy fish.
Background information
Worldwide, commercial salmon production exceeds one billion pounds annually, with about 70% coming from aquaculture salmon farms. In addition to being an important economic resource, salmon and other salmonid species such as trout are considered “sentinel species” for monitoring the waters, and are important markers for ecotoxicology studies.
The International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (ICSASG) was formed in 2009 as a partnership between Genome BC, the Chilean Economic Development Agency, InnovaChile, the Norwegian Research Council, and the Norwegian Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund. The ICSASG brings together expert biologists who have studied salmonids with commercial and government agencies interested in funding further research.
The genome sequence identifies and maps the genes in the Atlantic salmon genome: a well-annotated salmon genome will directly benefit the world’s fisheries and aquaculture industries. Unlike the human and mouse genome sequencing projects, the Atlantic salmon genome sequence will not be considered a “finished” sequence.
