Research & Development – Landcatch
‘When it comes to aquaculture, genomics is the quantum leap, the game changer’
decisions. And we have about ten years’ worth of work just dealing with the traits we want to put onto genomic selection and start breeding into salmon.’ Whilst this genomic tech- nology is heavily computer- based, the people on the ground play a vital role in the breeding programme. ‘Not only do we collect data from our own fi sh, we also rely on people to supply us with reliable and accurate data from our fi sh once they are in commercial environments. But fi rst and foremost we are breeding salmon, so it has to look like a salmon and display a defi ned set of qualities that people expect from a farmed salmon,’ says Tinch. ‘So, whilst to a large extent we are looking at information on a computer, we must always go back to the farm and ensure that the fi sh fi t the ideal. If it doesn’t look like a salmon, we don’t breed from it. And that applies to the fi sh we supply to our customers, which is why we collect performance and quality data from them that is con- stantly being fed back to us for us to make the very best breeding decisions.’
CLIENT-FOCUSED Genetic selection is a
lengthy process – it takes a number of generations to produce a fi sh with all the desired characteristics. And, like most terrestrial farmers, fi sh farmers tend to look short term. They want more immediate results. ‘Whilst we can’t offer full genomic selection straight away,’ says Tinch, ‘what we can do is select fi sh using the big gene effects that we have already
34
discovered, for whatever trait they might want, with a promise of adding more as and when they are discovered. ‘When we interact with our customers, we sit down with them and agree on what’s important to them at the time. We ex- plain the range of different traits that we can select for and we will agree on a bal- ance with them individually. And whilst the traits we select for are dominated at the moment by fast growth and robustness, we moni- tor a range of other traits to ensure that they don’t deteriorate.’ A number of important factors have allowed Landcatch to get to where they are now. One of these is funding. It was an HIE grant that allowed them to set up the breeding programme in the fi rst place, and since then funding from central government and Europe has been crucial. Col- laboration has also played a large part in the R&D; the company has worked with a number of Scot- tish universities and the SNP chip was developed with help from the Roslin Institute and a company called Affymetrix, who are marketing the chip. Perhaps the single most
important factor was the sale of Landcatch to Hendrix Genetics in 2011, which is when the com- pany became Landcatch Natural Selection. ‘This signalled the transition from being a technology company based in the UK to being part of an interna- tional breeding company, with sister companies in pigs, egg layers and turkey
breeding,’ says Tinch. ‘Hendrix is good for us
because it backs up and supports our technol- ogy,’ he adds. ‘We are now linked to the computers at Hendrix, where all of our data is stored, with 24-hour support and access to kit we simply couldn’t have afforded to purchase ourselves. It has allowed us to move forward and do our thing.’ So, with the huge genetics engine of Hendrix behind them, Landcatch has already seen a substantial increase in the develop- ment and adoption of technologies – the SNP chip being the most recent example – and they now have the back-up to move the company forwards. ‘The next phase of devel- opment,’ says Manchester, ‘will be to look at how we can develop our market share in salmon, as well as looking to see how our technology can be trans- ferred to other species. Ultimately, our goal is to be selling our genetic technol- ogy to the global salmon industry in the form of an egg. Over time our reliance on smolt production will decrease and we hope that within the next fi ve years we will have egg produc- tion facilities within the three major salmon pro- ducing countries: Norway, Chile and Scotland. However, whether it’s in the form of an egg, or smolt, or cutting-edge genomic technology, Land- catch’s mission is the same as it was when it was fi rst established, to produce the best salmon possible. ‘To make sure Brad meets Angelina,’ laughs Manches- ter. And who would argue with that? FF
The SNP chip – HOW IT WORKS
Developed by Landcatch in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, Roslin Institute, University of Stirling Institute of Aquaculture, University of Glasgow and Affymetrix Inc, each array is 8cm x 12cm and is designed to genotype 96 samples. On the surface of each of the raised platforms is a specialised glass wafer that has 444,540 short synthetic DNA sequences printed on it via a process similar to that used in the manufacture of computer chips. These are DNA sequences that have been previously established as varying between different salmon at a single base, a difference known as a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP). Like ourselves, fish have two copies of each gene so some fish will carry two copies of one sequence, some two of another and some one copy of each.
Shining a laser light at GeneChip® array causes tagged DNA fragments that hybridlized to glow
DNA from the fish being tested is broken randomly into small fragments and a fluorescent dye is attached to each fragment. A solution of the dyed fragments is spread over the surface of the glass wafer and if a fragment finds its perfect match it will bind to it tightly whereas any unbound fragments can then be washed away. A laser locates this fluorescent signal. Since the precise location of each sequence on the chip
is known, the position of the fluorescent signal reveals which variant has bound a fragment from the test fish and therefore which variant they carry.
www.fishfarmer-magazine.com
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