In the spotlight
Pierrick Haffray – SYSAAF
Genetic consultant in aquaculture
SYSAAF organisation is involved in FISHBOOST concerning two major aspects: 1) technically supporting French breeding company FMD, Les Poissons du Soleil and Les Aquaculteurs Bretons partners to perform their tasks (production of experimental families, data and sample collection for DNA parentage assignment or genomic approaches and analysis) and 2) identification of predictors of carcass or fillet yields and estimation of their heritability (resistance to VNN in sea bass and pasteurellosis in sea bream; indirect predictors of processing yields) and genetic correlations with production traits.
SYSAAF was also directly involved in the testing on real data the new genetic softwares developed by other partners to manage inbreeding or optimise breeding programs or in providing technical information to perform simulations.
Personally, I manage our team of geneticist in order to make the different tasks successful. I participate in the extensive phenotyping on quality traits in bass, bream and trout (> 6500 fish processed), the organisation of the challenges to VNN or pasteurellosis in France, the data treatment and the dissemination of results in e.g. scientific publications. I was also member of the Board where I worked with other Board members to plan the General Assemblies and communication or dissemination strategies (EAS or WAS workshop events, Technical training session).
Major results achieved by FISHBOOST with our participation were the estimation of the resistance to the diseases reported above. We know now that progress can be achieved on these traits and will not impair gain on other production traits for pasteurellosis but may decrease genetic gain on growth when selecting for resistance to VNN. We also know that these resistances are polygenic. The genomic investigations developed in FishBoost also showed that an improvement until 37 % can be expected in efficiency when compared with family-based selection. This may justify future investment in genomic selection. Another major result achieved was the demonstration that selection to improve fillet or carcass yields works efficiently in trout (+0.5 % gain per generation) and should work also in the other species according to simulations done by INRA in using data collected from French breeding programs. In order to demonstrate and quantify this potential gain, the “Les Aquaculteurs Bretons” breeding company performed the experience during two generations and processed nearly 4000 individuals of large rainbow trout.
Genotypes and phenotypes created in FISHBOOST were used by the breeding companies in order to create progress that will benefit the whole European industry in the future. SYSAAF also participated as co-authors to several scientific publications, some still being in progress to submission. Results were also presented during public events organised by EAS in Edinburgh or in Dubrovnik or will be presented at the next WAS event in Montpellier in September.
SYSAAF is the professional organisation in charge by the French Ministry of Agriculture to support poultry and aquaculture breeding companies (42 in 2018). Our main objective is to advise them in breeding, to train their staff, to estimate genetic breeding values and to propose optimal mating to manage and limit inbreeding. This work is done in aquaculture in fishes (trout, bass, bream, turbot, meagre, sturgeons, tilapia…), molluscs (oysters, abalone and clam) and in blue shrimp. We also provide some expertise as in Thailand or in Mexico in shrimp breeding (vannamei or monodon). SYSAAF developed a data base software to collect and manage performances and pedigree. We employed 13 geneticists and 4 PhD students. By nature, SYSAAF also participates or coordinates research projects to improve practices, to develop or adapt methods (artificial vision, ultrasound, MRI…) to measure new traits (40 % of our budget). Since several years, SYSAAF and aquaculture breeding companies extensively developed application of DNA parentage assignment to include new traits in breeding programs in order to improve disease resistance, fillet yield, fillet colour and lipid contents or reproductive traits. The collective approach allow to share R&D cost and to transfer innovation rapidly from one species to another. The new challenge is to move aquaculture breeding to genomic selection as already done in poultry breeding in the last 2 years.
Genetic consultant in aquaculture
SYSAAF organisation is involved in FISHBOOST concerning two major aspects: 1) technically supporting French breeding company FMD, Les Poissons du Soleil and Les Aquaculteurs Bretons partners to perform their tasks (production of experimental families, data and sample collection for DNA parentage assignment or genomic approaches and analysis) and 2) identification of predictors of carcass or fillet yields and estimation of their heritability (resistance to VNN in sea bass and pasteurellosis in sea bream; indirect predictors of processing yields) and genetic correlations with production traits.
SYSAAF was also directly involved in the testing on real data the new genetic softwares developed by other partners to manage inbreeding or optimise breeding programs or in providing technical information to perform simulations.
Personally, I manage our team of geneticist in order to make the different tasks successful. I participate in the extensive phenotyping on quality traits in bass, bream and trout (> 6500 fish processed), the organisation of the challenges to VNN or pasteurellosis in France, the data treatment and the dissemination of results in e.g. scientific publications. I was also member of the Board where I worked with other Board members to plan the General Assemblies and communication or dissemination strategies (EAS or WAS workshop events, Technical training session).
Major results achieved by FISHBOOST with our participation were the estimation of the resistance to the diseases reported above. We know now that progress can be achieved on these traits and will not impair gain on other production traits for pasteurellosis but may decrease genetic gain on growth when selecting for resistance to VNN. We also know that these resistances are polygenic. The genomic investigations developed in FishBoost also showed that an improvement until 37 % can be expected in efficiency when compared with family-based selection. This may justify future investment in genomic selection. Another major result achieved was the demonstration that selection to improve fillet or carcass yields works efficiently in trout (+0.5 % gain per generation) and should work also in the other species according to simulations done by INRA in using data collected from French breeding programs. In order to demonstrate and quantify this potential gain, the “Les Aquaculteurs Bretons” breeding company performed the experience during two generations and processed nearly 4000 individuals of large rainbow trout.
Genotypes and phenotypes created in FISHBOOST were used by the breeding companies in order to create progress that will benefit the whole European industry in the future. SYSAAF also participated as co-authors to several scientific publications, some still being in progress to submission. Results were also presented during public events organised by EAS in Edinburgh or in Dubrovnik or will be presented at the next WAS event in Montpellier in September.
SYSAAF is the professional organisation in charge by the French Ministry of Agriculture to support poultry and aquaculture breeding companies (42 in 2018). Our main objective is to advise them in breeding, to train their staff, to estimate genetic breeding values and to propose optimal mating to manage and limit inbreeding. This work is done in aquaculture in fishes (trout, bass, bream, turbot, meagre, sturgeons, tilapia…), molluscs (oysters, abalone and clam) and in blue shrimp. We also provide some expertise as in Thailand or in Mexico in shrimp breeding (vannamei or monodon). SYSAAF developed a data base software to collect and manage performances and pedigree. We employed 13 geneticists and 4 PhD students. By nature, SYSAAF also participates or coordinates research projects to improve practices, to develop or adapt methods (artificial vision, ultrasound, MRI…) to measure new traits (40 % of our budget). Since several years, SYSAAF and aquaculture breeding companies extensively developed application of DNA parentage assignment to include new traits in breeding programs in order to improve disease resistance, fillet yield, fillet colour and lipid contents or reproductive traits. The collective approach allow to share R&D cost and to transfer innovation rapidly from one species to another. The new challenge is to move aquaculture breeding to genomic selection as already done in poultry breeding in the last 2 years.
