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Development of genomic panels for improved traceability of escaped farmed salmon and estimation of European introgression in North American domestic and wild populations

PARR-2020-NL-08

Description

The dominant strain of Atlantic salmon used in aquaculture in Atlantic Canada (the Saint John River strain) has been significantly interbred with Atlantic salmon of European origin at some point, such that farmed fish are known to have European alleles. It is known that fish can escape from aquaculture facilities and interbred with wild Atlantic salmon. The ability to mitigate escapes and their impacts on wild populations remains limited. As the production of Atlantic salmon in Atlantic Canada increases, it is important to determine the farm origin of escaped fish to allow for immediate steps to remediate the escape, and to inform future management practices.

This study seeks to:

  1. develop genomic tools to determine which producer is the source of escaped farmed salmon
  2. identify escaped salmon with alleles of European origin and estimate how much genetic information has been transferred (introgression) to both wild and farmed North American populations.

Program Name

Program for Aquaculture Regulatory Research (PARR)

Year(s)

2020 to 2022

Principal Investigator(s)

Ian Bradbury
Researcher, Fisheriesand Oceans Canada, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre

Email: Ian.Bradbury@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Team Member(s)

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