Genomics in Fish Breeding Programs for Developing Countries

The majority of fish genetic improvement programs have focused to date on increased growth.  This is particularly the case in developing countries where the penetration of genetically improved stocks is in any case limited. For example, worldwide the penetration of genetically improved stocks into production systems is still only 10-12% while in Africa it is a tenth of that.  In circumstances where it is a challenge to provide basic infrastructure and inputs for aquaculture investment in more sophisticated approaches to genetic improvement programs are often questioned.  At the same time however, there are demands for more resilient or robust fish that can perform in a variety of environments and for greater sustainability of approaches.  The latter demands can only be met by application of genomic tools and the strategies for future research at WorldFish are anchored in the introduction of genomic tools not only in the development of breeding programs, but in the important task of identifying adoption and impact of improved strains.  A case study in the history of genetic improvement in developing countries, and the changing priorities leading to more genomic applications, is Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) originally developed by WorldFish and partner organizations.  This example will be used to illustrate the challenges and opportunities for genomic research in international development.