WERA_OLD99: Broodstock Management, Genetics and Breeding Programs for Molluscan Shellfish
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
WERA_OLD99: Broodstock Management, Genetics and Breeding Programs for Molluscan Shellfish
Duration: 10/01/2001 to 09/30/2006
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
Molluscan aquaculture in the U.S. includes a wide range of aquaculture techniques and species. Presently, the Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica, European oyster Ostrea edulis, hard shell clam Mercenaria mercenaria, blue mussel Mytilus edulis and the Atlantic scallop Argopecten irradians irradians are cultured on the Atlantic coast. On the West coast, commercially cultured molluscan species include the European oyster, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, the Manila clam Tapes japonica, the geoduck Panopea abrupta and the red abalone Haliotis rufescens.
Oysters are the most economically important group of mollusks in the U.S. with landings of naturally-occurring oysters at 15,213 metric tons in 1998, valued at $88.6 million (U.S. Dept Commerce, Fisheries Statistics 1998). Although present annual harvests of wild oysters in the U.S. are significant, they represent less than 50% of annual harvests a decade ago. The impact of diseases (Haplosporidium nelsoni [MSX] and Perkinsus marinus [Dermo]) on Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Coasts, together with the effects of pollution, habitat destruction and over fishing have contributed to the decline. The adverse impact has been especially evident in the Chesapeake Bay where annual harvests of Eastern oysters are now less than 10% of harvests during the early 1980s.
In contrast to declines in Eastern oyster production on the Atlantic Coast, aquaculture of Pacific oysters on the West Coast has not been impacted by catastrophic disease outbreaks and has benefited from the adoption of modern hatchery techniques. Production was estimated to equal about 92 million pounds of meat in 2000, worth about $69 million (Toba and Chew 1999; Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association).
Broodstock management and breeding programs for the West Coast oyster industry have not been developed and the industry is essentially farming wild oysters. Unlike many agricultural industries in the US, the shellfish industry has not benefited from a coordinated, long-term, funded breeding program; therefore, the industry has not profited from the enhanced economic returns associated with domestication. Recently, this situation has started to change and several regional research projects on the development of breeding programs for oysters have been funded. These include two projects funded by USDA to develop broodstock improvement and management programs for Pacific oysters on the West Coast. One program funded by the USDA - Western Regional Aquaculture Center (WRAC) adopts a cross-breeding approach and involves researchers from California, Oregon and Washington. The USDA-Special Project, the Molluscan Broodstock Program at Oregon State University, is the other West-coast oyster genetics program that focuses on genetic selection of Pacific oysters. In addition, USDA and other Federal and State agencies support several projects in the mid-Atlantic States (New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) on the development of disease-resistant Eastern oysters for the revitalization of the oyster industry of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. Among these, the ABC program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, is implementing breeding strategies to genetically enhance farmed hard clams. Researchers in the Northeast are also developing a broodstock improvement program for the aquaculture of the Eastern oysters. Lastly, a large, multi-state USDA project is planned to compare the genomics of Eastern and Pacific oysters.
The renewal of WCC-099 will facilitate interaction among researchers working on multi-state genetics projects. In addition, WCC-099 will provide a forum for industry members to work with researchers to develop optimal commercial breeding programs. Appendices 1 and 2 provide descriptions of the accomplishments of the past WCC-099.
Objectives
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Provide a forum for geneticists, physiologists, nutritionists, biotechnologists and others interested in the aquaculture of molluscan shellfish to exchange ideas and information on molluscan reproduction, chromosome and genetic manipulation techniques, broodstock management and breeding programs.
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Co-ordinate research efforts among scientists on the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
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Identify research needs for enhancement of commercial molluscan production while maintaining environmental quality.
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Provide industry members with up-to-date research information that will lead to optimal broodstock management and breeding programs to enhance commercial production.
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Publish committee reports and documents.
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Procedures and Activities
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- WCC-099 will continue to provide a forum for geneticists to exchange ideas and information on molluscan reproduction, chromosome and genetic manipulation techniques, broodstock management and breeding programs. Researchers working on Federally -funded projects on the East and Gulf Coasts will continue to present findings to the Committee and exchange ideas.
- Co-ordination and reporting of research among participants will reduce duplication of research effort and costs. Multi-disciplinary and inter-regional exchanges among participants will reveal new directions of scientific enquiry and facilitate formulation of new research questions. The committee will help overcome problems associated with geographical isolation facing many researchers located at remote marine field stations.
- Input from industry members at committee meetings will enable scientific research to better address industry needs.
- Increased economic returns to the Pacific oyster industry resulting from improved strains of oysters could amount to $7.2 million annually (10% greater than present returns), assuming a 2% increase in annual production over a five-year period. Re-vitalization and expansion of the shellfish industry will benefit employment in coastal communities that are currently suffering from declines in fisheries and, in the Northwest, from declines in the timber and salmon industries. Planting disease-resistant, fast-growing oysters on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts could revitalize the oyster industry in these regions and result in the re-establishment of historically recorded production levels.
- The WCC-099 committee published a report describing the outcome of a WCC-099 meeting held in 1995 to develop a plan for the Molluscan Broodstock Program (Hedgecock, D., C. Langdon, M. Blouin and S. Allen. 1997. Genetic improvement of cultured Pacific oysters by selection. Ag. Exp. Stn. Sp. Report 968, Oregon State University. 40 pp.). An additional publication will be undertaken in the proposed five-year period to provide industry with a manual on broodstock management and breeding.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
WCC-099 is open to students and several have presented their findings at meetings. WCC-099 has also included increasing numbers of industry representatives over the last five years. This is because research on genetics and broodstock management has resulted in useful information to improve commercial production. WCC-099 meetings provide an ideal opportunity for planning collaborative work between researchers and industry; for example, at the Seattle meeting in 2000, a joint experiment was designed between industry members and researchers to determine performance of progeny from selected broodstock on a commercial scale.
Organization/Governance
Chair: One year. Elected from committee membership. Duties include organizing annual meeting, chairing the meeting, extending invitations to outside participants, developing special presentations and initiatives.
Secretary: One year. Elected from committee membership. Duties include recording minutes and disseminating them by means of the list server for WCC-099, collecting donations to cover the costs of meetings, maintenance of the mailing list based on the WCC-099 list server.
Literature Cited