Genetic Improvement of North American Atlantic Salmon and the Eastern Oyster <i>Crassostrea virginica</i> at the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center
Brian C. Peterson, Gary Burr, Michael Pietrak, Dina A. Proestou
Abstract
Abstract United States marine aquaculture industries, which consist primarily of molluscan shellfish and Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar were valued at US$192 million in 2016. Coldwater marine aquaculture production has great potential for expansion, and both Atlantic Salmon and eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica are widely accepted as seafood by American consumers. Commercial salmon and oyster producers predominantly use stocks that are not many generations removed from wild, unselected stocks, so there is a need for continuous support to this industry through breeding programs. The National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center (NCWMAC) is the only long-term program for developing genetically improved salmon and tools for the genetic improvement of eastern oysters in support of the U.S. coldwater marine aquaculture industry. The objectives of the program are to (1) expand and optimize approaches for multitrait selection in Atlantic Salmon and (2) advance genetic improvement technologies for the eastern oyster. Heritabilities for fillet color and fat, sea lice resistance, and growth of Atlantic Salmon were determined. The average gutted carcass weight for the genetically improved salmon was 5.91 kg/fish compared with 3.19 kg/fish for the control strain. The purpose of this article is to describe the current status of the NCWMAC research programs and summarize recent genetics gains.