breeding

Genetic Improvement Graph

Landcatch Atlantic salmon are supplied to salmon farmers as eggs or smolts. Our fish are expected to perform to high levels at each stage of production, resulting in a high quality product for the consumer. LNS uses selective breeding to develop strains of Atlantic salmon which meet the expectations of our customers in all parts of the production chain. Balanced improvement in performance and quality of Landcatch Atlantic salmon is made with targeted progress in important traits throughout the chain.

Selective Breeding

Selective breeding

LNS has adapted this traditional process of selective breeding using modern technology to improve the performance, quality, health and welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon. Information on performance and quality of thousands of pedigree fish is collected and analysed each year to identify the best fish from the best families to become the parents of the next generation of Landcatch Atlantic salmon. Pedigree information is also used to avoid the mating of close relatives (inbreeding) which would reduce the robustness of the resulting fish and reduce scope for making improvements in the future.

Important Traits

Breeding traits

The performance of elite Landcatch salmon is measured at all stages from the egg to the consumer. Hatchability, survival and early growth are important to the hatchery and smolt producer. Growth rate, disease resistance, and low maturity are important to the grower. Fillet yield and carcass quality are important to the processor. The consumer is conerned with quality of the final product in terms of colour, levels of oils and fats, and eating quality.

Breeding traits

Elite Landcatch broodstock have records taken for traits which can be measured on the live animal at key stages of the life cycle. Pedigree (family) relationships are important to LNS since information collected on brothers and sisters (sibs) can be used to identify good families. This sib testing approach is especially important to make progress in traits of concern to both the processor and the consumer.This is achieved throug the collection of data on family fish in commercial processing plants. A similar approach is used for the identification of families with good disease resistance where sentinel sibs are placed with commercial growers and mortality due to disease is recorded in each family.

Identification

Breeding identification

Maintaining an accurate pedigree (family tree) is essential to the LNS breeding programmes. Three technologies are used by LNS to record pedigree relationships:

  • Family Unit - Breeding Program families, from which all commercial and selected broodstock are derived, remain separate in individual 'family tanks' for the first six months of their lives until the fish are large enough to be individually tagged.

  • PIT tags - Point when fry are removed from their family tanks all elite Landcatch broodstock, receive a small electronic Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag with a unique number. This allows individual fish to be recognised after families are mixed and data are recorded or at spawning.

Breeding identification
  • DNA Fingerprinting - LNS uses the same DNA fingerprinting technology that is widely used today in human forensics. A unique set of DNA markers have been developed by the LNS molecular geneticists which are used to DNA fingerprint Atlantic salmon. A small piece of tissue from any Landcatch salmon can be used to identify the parents of each fish. This allows complete traceability within LNS breeding programmes. DNA fingerprinting is used within the sentinel populations to identify which families are susceptible to disease in the commercial production environment.

Selection to Order

The extensive pedigree database put together by LNS is used to improve the genetic potential of Landcatch Atlantic salmon eggs or smolts to deliver improved performance, quality, health and welfare. LNS also works closely with customers who have specific requirements for improvements in individual traits. In partnership with LNS geneticists, customers identify which traits are important to them (e.g. high flesh colour) and LNS is able to supply Landcatch eggs or smolts with these characteristics.

For more information please contact:

Chris Mitchell
Email. cmitchell@swim-back.com
Telephone. 01259 272022