The ecological and ethical issues by the use of biotechnological methods in salmon breeding

25.08.2016

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Together with other scientists Anne Ingeborg Myhr has published a new article in Journal of Applied Aquaculture. They have looked at various ecological and ethical issues related to different approaches to delay the onset of maturation in Norwegian farmed salmon.

To delay the onset of maturation in salmon, which is both a welfare and an economic issue, several approaches to breeding can be pursued 1) traditional selection, 2) manipulation of external factors affecting puberty (eg. light), 3) novel biotechnological methods improving breeding methods, 4) induction of polyploidy, and 5) genetic modification controlling maturation. These different approaches and solutions might be of variable suitability to different communities and markets. It is therefore argued in this paper that it is important to identify and discuss both the benefits and the potential ecological and ethical issues in open and participative ways.

You can read the entire article here

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Iversen, M., Myhr, Anne I., Wargelius, A. (2016). "Approaches for delaying sexual maturation in salmon and their possible ecological and ethical implications",
Journal of Applied Aquaculture, published online 21 July, doi.org/10.1080/10454438.2016.1212756
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