Genetic Improvement of North American Atlantic Salmon and the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica at the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center

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.

Functional feeds marginally alter immune expression and microbiota of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) gut, gill, and skin mucosa though evidence of tissue-specific signatures and host–microbe coadaptation remain

“…Three common garden challenges were conducted with fish from multiple tanks of each dietary treatment equally represented in each challenge (40 fish challenge −1 ). Challenges followed the protocol outlined in Peterson et al [62]. Briefly, a static bath challenge was conducted at a density of 100 infective copepods fish −1 , with water supply returned after 4 h. Infections lasted 10-14 days prior to counting of infective sea lice and calculating right-side lice density [27].…”

Assessment of Dermo Perkinsus marinus in the “Southern Oyster” from a High‐Salinity Environment

“…Last, with an adaptation to a warm, high‐salinity environment and a relatively low prevalence and intensity of dermo for most sites in the LLM, the genetically distinct southern oyster presents new opportunities for both nearshore and offshore oyster culture and may merit consideration to be included in breeding programs where high salinity tolerance is desirable (Peterson et al. 2020).…”

Understanding Crassostrea virginica tolerance of Perkinsus marinus through global gene expression analysis

“…In the summer of 2018, 1-year old seed oysters (20-64 mm shell height) from the Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center (ABC) eastern oyster breeding program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) were received by the USDA ARS NCWMAC and challenged with multiple doses (0, 10 6 , 10 7 , and 10 8 cells g −1 tissue wet weight) of cultured, log-phase P. marinus (ATCC 50509, "DBNJ") in the laboratory as described in Peterson et al, 2020. Prior to challenge, twelve pedigreed, full-sib families (products of single pair spawns) were sampled and tissues preserved in 95% ethanol (n = 10 per family) to assess levels of dermo infection from the field. During the laboratory experiment, n = 50 oysters per family, were injected with each dose and phenotyped for survival over the course of 63 days.…”

“…Thus, tolerance rather than resistance may be a better selection target for managing dermo disease in aquaculture settings and preserving the health of wild eastern oyster reefs nearby. Here we build on previous work that measured the fitness (survival) of several distinct genetic groups of eastern oysters exposed to multiple P. marinus concentrations via injection in the adductor muscle ( Peterson et al, 2020 ). Global gene expression patterns from four eastern oyster families (two at each end of the survival spectrum) were analyzed to assess the effect of dose on oyster response to the parasite and identify transcripts/gene networks/gene ontologies that discriminate tolerant from sensitive oysters.…”