Genome BC on Monday announced that it is partnering with the Chilean Economic Development Agency, Norwegian Research Council and Norwegian Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund to form the International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome.
The cooperation will invest about USD 6 million (EUR 4 million) in the first phase of a multi-phase project to produce a genome sequence that identifies and maps all of the genes in Atlantic salmon and can act as a reference sequence for the genomes of other salmonid species.
The genome will be an important public resource that may lead to better management of wild fish stocks, breeding selection for commercially important traits and improvements in food quality, security and traceability.
In addition, the genome will provide important clues about the impact of farmed fish escapees on wild populations, conservation of at-risk populations, strategies for combating pathogens, as well as allowing for more accurate assessments of the sustainability of aquatic environments.
“This project is an international effort to address — in a whole new way — questions that are of economic and social importance to aquaculture, conservation and the environment,” said Dr. Ben Koop of the cooperation’s executive science committee.
