Canadian researchers are engaged in genomic work aimed at developing therapeutic diets for Atlantic salmon and reducing simultaneous infections in Atlantic salmon farms.

The research is in partnership between scientists at the Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and fish feed giant EWOS/Cargill.  

“When there is an outbreak, it isn’t uncommon for fish to be infected simultaneously with multiple pathogens such as sea lice, bacteria and viruses. This can result in severe economic losses for aquaculture farmers,” says Dr Richard Taylor, Senior Research Scientist at Cargill Innovation Center.

“Our functional genomics research will identify molecular mechanisms involved in salmon responses to co-infections.  This will lead to the development of better feeds for improved treatments to combat co-infections,” explains Dr Matthew Rise, Professor in the Department of Ocean Sciences, Faculty of Science at Memorial and Dr Taylor’s co-lead in the project.

Source: Aquaculture North America // Original Article