The International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (ICSASG) on Wednesday awarded the phase II contract for next-generation sequencing and analysis of the Atlantic salmon genome.
J. Craig Vetner Institute (JCVI) of Rockville, Md., will be sequencing the genome using next-generation technologies and comparative genomics. The effort is expected to generate a high-quality resource for those responsible for the management of wild salmon stock and the salmon aquaculture industry, as well as providing a reference genome for work with other salmonids.
“ A fully annotated salmon genome will provide important information about the impact of cultured fish escapees on wild populations, about preservation of populations that are at risk, about strategies for fighting pathogens, and about environmental sustainability issues,” said ICSASG Chair Steinar Bergseth at the Research Council of Norway. “A fully assembled reference sequence available for researchers worldwide will have a major impact on research into salmon and other salmonids, such as rainbow trout.”
ICSASG was formed in 2009 as a partnership between the Research Council of Norway, the Norwegian Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund, Genome British Columbia, and the Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO) and its Innovation Agency InnovaChile. The group brings together expert biologists who have studied salmonids with commercial and government agencies interested in funding further study. Salmonids play a key commercial and environmental role; while some salmon genetic information is known, many fundamental questions remain.
