June 2017
A cross-border research co-operation to develop breeding activities in common carp
Martin Prchal (USB), Martin Kocour (USB), Marc Vandeputte (INRA), Jérôme Bugeon (INRA), Alain Vergnet (IFREMER), Anastasia Bestin (SYSAAF), Antti Kause (Luke)
The FISHBOOST project encourages co-operation between the project partners to fulfill the main aim of the project – boosting European aquaculture. Collaborative work and sharing of knowledge between the partners promotes an effective use of resources at EU-level. The co-operation between the researchers from USB University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic), SYSAAF (France), IFREMER (France) and LUKE (Finland) has included researcher visits across the three countries to share knowledge and methodological experience to develop phenotyping and selective breeding of common carp in the Czech Republic.
Exchanging methodological expertise
To complete a large-scale FISHBOOST experiment in the Czech Republic, 15 people from USB, SYSAAF, INRA and IFREMER gathered in České Budějovice in November 2016 for a week.
The Czech researchers provided PIT-tagged market sized experimental carp stock from a controlled breeding design. The French colleagues brought the special equipment, 3D arm, ultrasound tomography, colorimeter, in house electronic ruler and scales, with automated computer recording, for data collection related to non-invasive assessment of slaughtering yields and their potential utilization in selective breeding of common carp. In total 1622 fish were processed and recorded.
The FISHBOOST project encourages co-operation between the project partners to fulfill the main aim of the project – boosting European aquaculture. Collaborative work and sharing of knowledge between the partners promotes an effective use of resources at EU-level. The co-operation between the researchers from USB University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic), SYSAAF (France), IFREMER (France) and LUKE (Finland) has included researcher visits across the three countries to share knowledge and methodological experience to develop phenotyping and selective breeding of common carp in the Czech Republic.
Exchanging methodological expertise
To complete a large-scale FISHBOOST experiment in the Czech Republic, 15 people from USB, SYSAAF, INRA and IFREMER gathered in České Budějovice in November 2016 for a week.
The Czech researchers provided PIT-tagged market sized experimental carp stock from a controlled breeding design. The French colleagues brought the special equipment, 3D arm, ultrasound tomography, colorimeter, in house electronic ruler and scales, with automated computer recording, for data collection related to non-invasive assessment of slaughtering yields and their potential utilization in selective breeding of common carp. In total 1622 fish were processed and recorded.
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The work was organized as a long chain of trait recording activities:
This resulted in a series of 78 data points per fish evaluated, so in total 126.516 data records. |
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Meanwhile in France...
Meanwhile, the company-partner LABOGENA (France) had completed the parental assignment of the fish using molecular markers. This allowed to proceed to the next phase - the statistical analysis of the data collected in the pedigreed population.
Meanwhile, the company-partner LABOGENA (France) had completed the parental assignment of the fish using molecular markers. This allowed to proceed to the next phase - the statistical analysis of the data collected in the pedigreed population.
Martin Prchal (USB, middle), Heikki Koskinen (Luke, left) and Antti Nousianen (Luke, right) at Luke's Tervo breeding nucleus
Exchanging computational expertise
To analyse the data, a PhD student, Martin Prchal, travelled in November 2016 to Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) for one month research visit to get training in performing statistical analyses. The collected data and knowhow on the common carp rearing and breeding practices was combined with the computation methods of animal breeding, to quantify the genetic variation of the economically important traits.
After the visit, the USB staff are now qualified for performing on their own the statistical analysis needed for pedigreed populations.
To analyse the data, a PhD student, Martin Prchal, travelled in November 2016 to Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) for one month research visit to get training in performing statistical analyses. The collected data and knowhow on the common carp rearing and breeding practices was combined with the computation methods of animal breeding, to quantify the genetic variation of the economically important traits.
After the visit, the USB staff are now qualified for performing on their own the statistical analysis needed for pedigreed populations.
Results
The data collected within this co-operation are used to fulfil two main common carp FISHBOOST goals: i) genetic improvement of overwintering performance and its link with performance at commercial size, and ii) assessment of morphological predictors and their utilization in genetic improvement of slaughtering yields.
We confirmed that the genetic variance of winter performance traits is sufficient. Therefore, selective breeding would be efficient in common carp. Furthermore, selection against weight and fat loss during overwintering is expected to lead to better winter survival, together with a positive effect on growth in the third growing season. Interestingly, higher muscle fat content was genetically correlated to lower survival after winter period (rG = -0.59). Selection on higher condition factor would also lead to better performance during winter, growing period and market size. These results have been have been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal (The genetics of overwintering performance in two-year old common carp and its relation to performance until market size, by Prchal et al.) in April 2017.
The data related to morphological predictors are now under analysis. The first results will be available at the end of 2017.
The data collected within this co-operation are used to fulfil two main common carp FISHBOOST goals: i) genetic improvement of overwintering performance and its link with performance at commercial size, and ii) assessment of morphological predictors and their utilization in genetic improvement of slaughtering yields.
We confirmed that the genetic variance of winter performance traits is sufficient. Therefore, selective breeding would be efficient in common carp. Furthermore, selection against weight and fat loss during overwintering is expected to lead to better winter survival, together with a positive effect on growth in the third growing season. Interestingly, higher muscle fat content was genetically correlated to lower survival after winter period (rG = -0.59). Selection on higher condition factor would also lead to better performance during winter, growing period and market size. These results have been have been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal (The genetics of overwintering performance in two-year old common carp and its relation to performance until market size, by Prchal et al.) in April 2017.
The data related to morphological predictors are now under analysis. The first results will be available at the end of 2017.
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Impact on industry
One of the main goals in FISHBOOST project is boosting European aquaculture using non-invasive tools. In this way, fish welfare can be increased as destructive sampling of fish can be reduced, and selective breeding made more efficient by recording directly the selection candidates. The collected data aid in developing morphological predictors of fillet and carcass yield in common carp. The predictors could be helpful in estimation of slaughtering yields without sacrificing breeding candidates and in potential genetic improvement of slaughtering yields using selective breeding. The data is also used for the assessment of the genetic background of overwintering performance in two-year old common carp. Overwintering is a challenge for common carp typically reared in outdoor ponds all year round, and reduced mortality and improved growth during winter will contribute to fish welfare and productivity. The co-operation elevated the expertise of the involved partners, and paved the way to advance selective breeding in common carp to the next level. Contact person: Martin Prchal (USB) mprchal@frov.jcu.cz |
Martin Prchal (USB) and Antti Kause (Luke)
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