Harnessing genomics to fast-track genetic improvement in aquaculture

• Published in: Nature reviews. Genetics Vol. 21; no. 7; pp. 389 - 409
• Main Authors: Houston, Ross D., Bean, Tim P., Macqueen, Daniel J., Gundappa, Manu Kumar, Jin, Ye Hwa, Jenkins, Tom L., Selly, Sarah Louise C., Martin, Samuel A. M., Stevens, Jamie R., Santos, Eduarda M., Davie, Andrew, Robledo, Diego
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.07.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/208/1348; 631/208/182; 631/208/212; 631/208/8; Adaptation, Biological; Agriculture; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animals; Animals, Domestic; Animals, Wild; Aquaculture; Biodiversity; Bioinformatics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Breeding; Cancer Research; Domestication; Environment; Epigenesis, Genetic; Fish-culture; Fishes; Gene Editing; Gene Function; Gene-Environment Interaction; Genetic aspects; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genome; Genome editing; Genomics; Genomics - methods; Human Genetics; Livestock; Population growth; Review Article; Seafood; Selection, Genetic; Selective Breeding; Species; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 1471-0056; 1471-0064
• DOI: 10.1038/s41576-020-0227-y

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing farmed food sector and will soon become the primary source of fish and shellfish for human diets. In contrast to crop and livestock production, aquaculture production is derived from numerous, exceptionally diverse species that are typically in the early stages of domestication. Genetic improvement of production traits via well-designed, managed breeding programmes has great potential to help meet the rising seafood demand driven by human population growth. Supported by continuous advances in sequencing and bioinformatics, genomics is increasingly being applied across the broad range of aquaculture species and at all stages of the domestication process to optimize selective breeding. In the future, combining genomic selection with biotechnological innovations, such as genome editing and surrogate broodstock technologies, may further expedite genetic improvement in aquaculture. Genetic improvement of production traits in aquaculture has great potential to help meet the rising seafood demands driven by human population growth. The authors review how genomics is being applied to aquaculture species at all stages of the domestication process to optimize selective breeding.