News & Views Breeding
GenoMar promises increased survivability in tilapia

After five years of research and development, GenoMar Genetics presents a new disease resistant Nile tilapia species that promises to increase broodstock survivability. 

To validate the effectiveness of the genetic selection, laboratory tests and field trials were performed to compare the survival between the selected and non-selected tilapia fish. The relative survival after using two different routes of infection (IP and Cohab) with the bacterium Streptococcus agalactiae were 42 per cent and 25 per cent respectively for the selected fish.

Another experiment was performed in Malaysia under field conditions to see whether improved survival in laboratory challenges also applies in commercial farms or not. Results showed increased survival by around 30 per cent for the selected fish.

“Our geneticists can now accurately determine the genetic component in the DNA of tilapia that codes for increased survival towards streptococcosis, and we used this knowledge to optimize the selection decisions leading to animals with higher streptococcosis resistance without negatively affecting other important traits,” said Rajesh Joshi, senior researcher.

GenoMar Genetics initiated the research back in 2015 with the aim of exploring genetic variation to this deadly disease. Since 2016, resistance to streptococcosis has been routinely included in the selection index of the breeding programs for Nile tilapia. Similar research to increase the survivability in other major diseases like columnaris and francisellosis is ongoing.