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Avramar study tracks 76% of genetic gain in sea bream over 20 years

Leading Mediterranean fish producer, Avramar Aquaculture, has published long-term evidence of sustained genetic progress in sea bream over 20 years of selective breeding.

The study, which was published in the Aquaculture journal in June, shows cumulative gains of 76 per cent from 2002 to 2023 from a family-based selective breeding program in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). Over the 20 years, this averages to about 3.6 per cent of genetic gains annually or about 15 per cent per generation.

“Long-term datasets of this quality are exceptionally rare in aquaculture,” Ingunn Thorland, senior geneticist at Benchmark Genetics and lead author of the study, said in a press release. “This study demonstrates that well-designed breeding programmes can deliver sustained genetic improvement over decades while maintaining the genetic diversity needed for future progress. It provides strong scientific evidence of the long-term value of selective breeding for aquaculture.”

The results are based on phenotypic and pedigree data from more than 124,000 phenotyped fish from 1,843 full-sib families produced in 22 batches. This large-scale selective breeding program was achieved in collaboration with Benchmark Genetics.

Avramar’s sea bream breeding program was funded in part by the EU Horizon 2020 project, AquaIMPACT – Genomic and Nutritional Innovations for Genetically Superior Farmed Fish to Improve Efficiency in European Aquaculture.