That’s why we’ve launched a new service to help you protect and nurture it. GeneXpertise is a quick, simple and affordable way to give your broodstock a boost. We’ve created a full suite of genetic tools just for trout, and our team have many years’ experience in managing some of the world’s leading breeding programmes. We’ll distil those years of expertise into one short, cost effective review of your genetics.
GeneXpertise is a great way to kick start your production and safeguard your future, for only a modest investment. We’ll analyse up to 475 of your broodstock and then provide you with the practical guidance you need, whether it’s getting a heads up on the genetic health of your population or providing you with an initial plan of which crosses to make, and which to avoid. The whole service takes just a few weeks from start to finish.
Trout show high fecundity making them susceptible to inbreeding without genetic management. A single female can give rise to thousands of juveniles for on-growing. This means there’s a a high probability of mating close relatives (e.g. brothers and sisters, half-brothers and sisters or first cousins). The crossing of close relatives leads to “inbreeding depression” – a loss of genetic variation and the accumulation of undesirable genes. Typical signs of inbreeding include an increase in skeletal deformities, loss of vigour and poor survival.
“Some producers miss out on the benefits of genetic management because the perception is that services are too expensive for their scale of production. The reality is that inbreeding can be regulated at a modest cost and minimal disruption. Genetic management is a concrete way to avoid the grave dangers of a genetic dead-end in broodstock populations which lead to productivity losses, and also ensure that your diversity remains high to select for improvement on key commercial traits such as growth and health.”
Dr Marie Smedley
Head of Breeding Programmes
Expert advice and guidance for your team, including a confidential review of your operation
We’ll give you a no nonsense, plain English overview of how best to maximise the genetic management of your broodstock. We fully understand the commercial realities of producing trout, so everything we propose is designed to be cost-effective and realistic, even for smaller producers.
This includes a review of your general genetics practices, and advice and support for your breeding team, from leading experts in the industry.
A detailed report on the genetics and inbreeding levels for your broodstock
At our specialised laboratory in Scotland we can genetically analyse a representative sample of your fish (up to 475 broodstock for a fixed cost) and – using advanced software we’ve developed in-house – conduct a detailed evaluation of your population structure and diversity.
You’ll get an early warning on potential inbreeding, and get a crystal clear picture of the genetic diversity of your operation.
Practical, profitable recommendations
Our experts will help you identify your genetics roadmap, and set you on course for the years to come. For example, we can check the genetic health and selection suitability across your available broodstock population, or we can provide direct recommendations for your next stripping season that ensure genetic diversity is maintained. After that you’ll be perfectly placed to improve the sustainability and performance of your breeding programme.
Access to our experts
Xelect is a specialist aquaculture genetics partner with a global portfolio of clients, including some of the biggest names in the industry.
We employ a team of 16 specialist staff, most with a PhD in aquaculture, genetics, bioinformatics and molecular biology. Our specialist consultancy and breeding programme management services are supported by a private, fully equipped molecular biology laboratory in St Andrews, Scotland. Since we do not need to outsource any part of our service, we have the whole process under our control from sample to result, ensuring the greatest reliability and confidentiality.
We manage breeding programmes in all continents except Antarctica, working with all the main fish and shellfish species.
Specialist genetics support to the global aquaculture industry
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