Developing high-performance Chinook salmon stocks for use in aquaculture: microbiome, alternative reproductive tactics and cryopreservation

拟议研究的主要目标是：(1)通过更好地了解肠道微生物群、生长和肉质遗传标记以及使用雄性替代生殖策略来提高亲鱼产量和质量；(2)为奇努克鲑鱼（Oncorhynchus tshawytscha）的最佳品系创建一种经济可靠的基因冷冻保存方案，用于加拿大西海岸的有机鲑鱼养殖业。因此，亲鱼和品系不仅必须具有高生长和繁殖性能，还必须具有特殊的抗病能力，因为不可能使用治疗药物。我们将通过三大目标来实现我们的目标；(1)利用工业合作伙伴黄岛水产养殖有限公司现有的奇努克鲑鱼种鱼；(2)通过分离-离合体外定量遗传育种实验，评估两种雄性替代繁殖策略对提高亲鱼产量的作用；(3)开发一种负担得起且可靠的精子冷冻保存方法，以储存本研究和我们的工业合作伙伴设施中正在进行的其他研究生产的最佳鲑鱼品种的基因（基因组银行）。拟议的项目不仅将为鲑鱼养殖业提供解决方案，还将增加我们对奇努克鲑鱼健康相关性状的遗传结构的了解。因此，拟议的研究将为学术伙伴提供与加拿大水产养殖业合作的机会，并培养应用和基础科学、训练有素的学生和出版物。

The primary objectives of the proposed research are to (1) improve broodstock production and quality via a better understanding of the gut microbiome, growth and flesh quality genetic markers and the use of male alternative reproductive tactics and (2) to create an affordable and reliable protocol to cryopreserve genes for the best lines of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) for use in the Organic Salmon Aquaculture industry on the west coast of Canada. The broodstock and strains must therefore not only have high growth and reproductive performance, they must also have exceptional disease resistance, because theraputant use is not possible. We will address our objectives with 3 broad goals; (1) use the existing broodstock of Chinook salmon at our Industrial partner's (Yellow Island Aquaculture Ltd.; hereafter YIAL) facility to conduct a quantitative genetic based study of the gut microbiome, gut wall transcriptome and a genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) approach to detecting growth and flesh quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to improve broodstock performance, (2) evaluate the use of both male alternative reproductive tactics to improve broodstock production using a split-clutch in-vitro quantitative genetic breeding experiment, and (3) develop an affordable and reliable sperm cryopreservation method to store genes (genome banking) of optimal lines of salmon produced by this research and other ongoing research at our industrial partner's facility. The proposed project will not only provide solutions for the salmon aquaculture industry, it will also increase our knowledge of the genetic architecture of fitness-related traits in Chinook salmon. The proposed research will therefore provide opportunities for the academic partners to collaborate with the Canadian aquaculture industry, as well as generate applied and basic science, highly trained students and publications.