research/development
Brothers and sisters
The pedigree structure at LNS enables brothers and sister fish (sibs) to have their performance recorded as part of the selective breeding process. This is important in relation to securing progress on traits where it's not possible to measure performance in potential parent fish. To improve disease resistance, for example, populations of sibs are placed in customer facilities and measured according to their disease resistance, so allowing families with high resistance to be identified for breeding potential. LNS pioneered this approach for IPN (Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis) in Atlantic salmon. The same approach is now being applied to diseases such as Pancreatic Disease and SRS (Salmon Rickettsial Syndrome). Sib testing is also an essential part of current work at LNS to improve processing traits such as fillet yield, flesh quality, fillet colour and fat content.
Traceability
The pedigree structure at LNS, aligned with the company's bank of DNA samples, allows complete fish traceability to be achieved from farm to consumer. Samples of salmon, taken from any supermarket, can therefore be genotyped and their parents identified to determine whether or not they are derived from the Landcatch breeding programme.
Research collaboration
LNS has several collaborative research agreements with centres of scientific excellence around the world. Research partners include the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling, The Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, the Aquaculture Research Institute at the University of Idaho, Universidad de Santiago de Chile and the University of Glasgow. Current areas of research include:
- Extensive genomic analysis based on LNS pedigree performance records and DNA samples.
- Identification by The Roslin Institute of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL's) for commercially important traits. Work is also underway to use markers for QTL's to identify fish with improved resistance to IPN. This project also has the potential to deliver genetic progress in relation to resistance to many other diseases
- LNS is investigating transriptomics as a method for identifying genes which have major effects on performance traits.
Natural resources
The development of fish which are able to make the best use of natural resources is another key aspect of breeding activities at LNS. In this context, LNS is involved in collaborative research with a large number of partners across the European Union to improve industry understanding of the genetics surrounding the increased use of plant-based raw materials in fish diets. Breeding priorities in relation to this work include the need to successfully identify fish with consistently high performance potential when fed high-level plant-based diets.
Robustness
The pursuit of increased stock robustness, resulting in fish which are less reliant on pharmaceutical support than in the past, is a key breeding focus for LNS.
Sustainability
The need for the fish of the future to be able to achieve high levels of performance on sustainable diets, both plant-based and fish-based, is another major focus of LNS breeding activities.
