Seafood CRC: securing and enhancing the Sydney rock oyster breeding program

Funded Activity Summary

The SRO industry has the potential to exploit new export initiatives and increase production. Any resurgence in the industry will depend on SOCo’s ability to manage the development and supply of selectively bred oysters. FRDC has fostered this process by supporting breeding programs and hatchery research, whilst encouraging industry management of technology. The Benzie Report, Oyster Research Advisory Committee (ORAC) R&D Strategic Plan and the Action Plan developed at the FRDC-funded QX workshop in June 2005 have all indicated that effective management strategies for the SRO industry must be underpinned by; 1) the continued development of oyster husbandry techniques to secure QX resistant breeding lines, and, 2) the identification of genes associated with QX disease resistance that can be used for marker-assisted selection. These complementary research goals represent a critical step in “QX proofing” NSW estuaries against ongoing and catastrophic QX disease outbreaks. Continued research may also allow farming to be re-established in areas abandoned because of QX disease. Integration of genetic markers and single pair mating into the hatchery-based breeding program will increase the efficiency of selection, and decrease the number of generations required to establish true breeding resistant lines. Without marker assisted selection, the breeding program may not reach its full potential in time to prevent further losses.

A comprehensive presentation on the SRO industry will be given during the FRDC board’s visit to Port Stephens in July 2006.



Objectives:
1. To establish pair mating protocols necessary for the development of selectively bred oyster lines
2. To confirm the association between PO and QX resistance using pair matings and test the performance of PO-selected family lines in QX-prone estuaries
3. To identify and characterise additional genetic markers of disease resistance
4. To assess the value of cryopreservation to secure family lines for later use
5. To assess the use of non-chemical means for the induction of triploidy in SRO
6. To make the family lines produced in this research available to SOCo for incorporation in future breeding plans

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 31-07-2006

End Date: 01-02-2010

Funding Scheme: Funding Scheme not available

Funding Amount: $444,862.81

Funder: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

There are no FoR codes available for this funding activity

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Automation | Data | Electronic Monitoring | Fisheries Management | RAC NSW | Stock Assessment | Sustainability | Wild Catch

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