Dutch breeding giant Hendrix Genetics has formed a new company, Hendrix Genetics Aquaculture AS, to produce year-round Atlantic salmon eggs in Bergen, Norway, saying that it hopes to bring its genetic and genomic technologies for breeding directly to the huge Norwegian salmon farming industry.
Hendrix Genetics, and its subsidiary Landcatch Ltd, have been in the fish breeding industry for some time, developing major genes, or QTLs, and genomic selection to help disease resistance.
Much of the company’s work is producing improved eggs to help control the resistance of salmon to Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN), sea lice, amoebic gill disease (AGD) and pancreas disease (PD). Linking the Norway operation to existing production facilities in the UK and Chile will be a first for the industry and ensure a more powerful breeding program and rapid genetic progress, the company explained when describing the new development.
Hendrix Genetics Aquaculture in Norway will be led by CEO Even Søfteland, of CapMare AS, who has a history of successful operations in breeding and salmon production in Norway.
“Getting Hendrix Genetics into the Norwegian fish farming industry gives a lot of opportunities for the salmon and trout producers in Norway, explained Søfteland. “The introduction of Hendrix in Norway will secure the delivery of high quality eggs to fish farming companies, and through competition with existing breeders will greatly accelerate the development of the best genetic products for the industry. I look forward to being part of this.”
– Erich Luening
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