Thematic Background Study – Genome-based biotechnologies in aquaculture
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Aquaculture is a relatively new but increasingly growing sector of agriculture. It is very important not only for economic interests but also for social and cultural significance. In many Asian
countries, serving food fish at the dinner table is seen as highly prestigious. Food fish accounts for 20 percent of animal protein sources for the world population. The food fish industry involves a total of 144 million tonnes annual production with 44 million fishers and fish farmers and 2.1 million vessels, contributing USD 166 billion to the world economy and over USD 25 billion of international trade annually. Currently, aquaculture accounts for over 40 percent of food fish consumed in the world, and China is the only country where aquaculture produces more than 50 percent of consumed fish food (FAO, 2016). Aquaculture genomics officially started in the 1990s, although related genome research was conducted in the 1980s. It was signified by the first Aquaculture Genomics Workshop held in 1997 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States of America. This workshop targeted a group of six species for genome research in the United States: salmonids, catfish, tilapia, striped bass, oysters and shrimps. As any other agricultural sector, sustained production requires research of basic biology, including growth, nutrition, reproduction, physiology, and genetics and genomics. One interesting observation is that all these research fields are being unified through the use of genomic technologies or, that is, they are being genomicized.