Role of Biotechnology in sustainable aquaculture development

Genetically modified organisms (Transgenics)

The first transgenic fish was produced in china. Transgenics involve the selective
transfer of one or more genes for desired traits from one variety to another.
Biotechnology has a key role in aquatic life:
 Reproduction
 Nutrition
 Improvement of growth rates
 Diseases prevention
 More efficient feed conversion into body mass
 Improve health
1. Role in Growth
Growth hormone genes from humans or animal sources was successfully introduced
into several fish species such as tilapia, salmon and trout, resulted in several times faster
growth. This is faster and accurate method of breeding new varieties. If desired traits cannot
be achieved by traditional breeding, the transfer of genes between species is also possible.
For example:

i. better tolerance to environmental stresses

ii. Increasing of resistance to extreme environments
iii. Produce a valuable biological product such as antifreeze protein gene (AFP) transfer
in fish for adaptation to a freezing environment, are important applications of
biotechnology.
2. Role in diseases prevention

Biotechnology will support the aquaculture in disease prevention by developing the

greater resistance to pathogens. Disease is the most significant factor impacting the intensive
production of shrimps, salmon, carp, tilapia with losses of 10- 90% of total production.
Although many aquatic animal pathogens are well studied, the spread of pathogens is easy
through water and control is difficult due to high density culture in fluid environment.
Biotechnological tools are used as sensors for waste management, for disease recognition and
control. Diagnosis of fish diseases have been achieved by parasitological, bacteriological and
viral studies based on necropsy and in vitro culture.

Vaccines

Vaccination is the action in which a host organism is exposed to organic molecules that
allow the host to mount a specific immune reaction through which it has a better capability to
fight subsequent infections of specific pathogen compared with genetically similar non
vaccinated hosts. It is cost effective and led to reduced use of antibiotics. The more straight
forward approach is to culture the pathogen after it has been inactivated and presented to
host. Vaccines containing more than ten bacterial pathogens and five viral pathogens have
been produced based on such inactivated antigens. Alternatively, the pathogen is not
inactivated but chemically or genetically weakened so as to survive only for a limited period
in the host, where it induces a specific immune response without causing disease and
mortality. Such vaccines are generally described as live vaccines. Commercial vaccines using
inactivated bacterial pathogens are available for some fish species including: Channel catfish,
European sea bass, Seabream, Atlantic cod, Salmon and Trout.

3. Role in transgenic fish production

The most promising tool for the transgenic fish production is the development of
embryonic stem cell (ESC) technology. The cells are undifferentiated and remain totipotent
so they can be manipulated in vitro and subsequently reintroduce into early embryos where
they can contribute to germ line of host. This would facilitate the genes to exposed or deleted.

4. Role in Reproduction

i. Nucleocytoplasmic hybrids

A variant of transgenic technique is the production of nucleocytoplasmic hybrids. It

has been possible to produce a hybrid fish by transferring the nucleus of crucian carp,
Carassius auratus into the egg cytoplasm of the carps especially the Cyprinus carpio.

ii. Polyploidy in fishes

The polyploid state refers to individuals with extra set of chromosomes. The normal
and most common chromosome complement is two sets (diploid). Polyploidy is lethal in
birds and mammals. Triploid fish are viable and usually sterile as result of lack of gonadal
development.

Culture of triploid fish can be advantageous for several reasons.

 Increased growth
 Increased survival
 Increased flesh quality and quantity

At the beginning of sexual maturity the inhibition of gonadal development may allow the
energy that will normally use in reproductive processes will be used for growth of
somatic/body tissues. The sterility of triploids would be desirable for species such as Tilapia
where excess reproduction may occur in production ponds. Use of sterile triploids can
prevent the permanent establishment of exotic species.
 iii. Crypto preservation

Crypto preservation is a process where biological material is long term preserved

usually at -196 Celsius in liquid nitrogen. The development of crypto preservation technology
provides short and long term storage of gametes or fish spermatozoa. Application of this
technology increases the flexibility in breeding of species, if sexes mature at different times
or spawning season is very short.

5. Biotechnology and fish breeding

Gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) is the key regulator and central initiator of
reproductive cascade in all vertebrates. It is a deca peptide and was first isolated from pig and
sheep hypothalamus with the ability to induce Pituitary release of luteinising hormone (LH)
and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Only one form of GnRH has been identified in most
placental mammals. In non-mammalian species, twelve GnRH have been revealed; among
them 7 or 8 different forms have been isolated from fish species. Salmon GnRH is profusely
used now in fish breeding and marked commercially under the name of ovaprim throughout
the world.