Fisheries and aquaculture genetics refers to the application of genetic principles and methods to fisheries and aquaculture biology and their management including seafood safety. This approach uses putatively neutral markers such as allozymes, mitochondrial DNA, and microsatellites, as well as the recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) which have led to the massive discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to study genome-wide (neutral) and allele-specific (adaptive) patterns of diversity in aquatic organisms.
Fisheries genetics includes specimen identification and barcoding, assessment of stock structure and admixture, monitoring of stocking and re-stocking programs, analysis of genetic diversity and variation and assisting conservation management program of wild fisheries resources. Aquaculture genetics deals with issues of genetic variability and fitness, inbreeding, selective breeding of desired quantitative traits and many more. Alternatively, seafood safety issues includes seafood authentication and traceability analyzed using specific molecular markers.
Although the application of genetics and molecular techniques in fisheries and aquaculture has developed rapidly over the last 20 years, platforms to disseminate and share knowledge of advance research findings in these important fields to the scientific community are still limited. The depletion of wild fisheries resources, impact of climate change on the ocean and inland water bodies, and the rapid development of the aquaculture industry, has provided ample opportunities for genetic studies in those areas. Genetic diversity offers opportunity for researchers to develop new improved fish breeds with desirable traits, which accommodate both fish farmers and breeders preferred traits. Hence, knowledge of genetic variability is the key component in selecting genotypes that withstand changing environments, including new diseases and new climatic conditions for the future aquaculture breeding program. In addition, DNA markers also offer a powerful tool to address safety issues in seafood products through the validation of food authenticity and traceability of primary products entering the food chains both in fresh and processed seafood. The application of these techniques to genetic traceability in the agro-food sector represents a powerful tool to protect both producers and consumers, to ensure freedom of choice and ensure the accuracy of labelling of seafood products. Thus, Frontiers in Genetics would serve as an ideal platform to present recent findings and advances in the field of genetics in fisheries and aquaculture.
This Research Topic welcomes manuscripts covering the following areas of research:
• Stock identity, barcoding and structure
• Mixed stock analysis
• Close kin relationships analysis
• Phylogenetic relationships
• Evolutionary and biogeographical history
• Population genomics
• Demographic history of populations
• Selection signatures
• Hybrids and introgression
• Genetic conservation
• Estimation of genetic variability of aquaculture stock
• Molecular breeding
• Quantitative genetics and heritability
• Marker Assisted Selection (MAS)
• Seafood authentication
• Seafood traceability
Fisheries and aquaculture genetics refers to the application of genetic principles and methods to fisheries and aquaculture biology and their management including seafood safety. This approach uses putatively neutral markers such as allozymes, mitochondrial DNA, and microsatellites, as well as the recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) which have led to the massive discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to study genome-wide (neutral) and allele-specific (adaptive) patterns of diversity in aquatic organisms.
Fisheries genetics includes specimen identification and barcoding, assessment of stock structure and admixture, monitoring of stocking and re-stocking programs, analysis of genetic diversity and variation and assisting conservation management program of wild fisheries resources. Aquaculture genetics deals with issues of genetic variability and fitness, inbreeding, selective breeding of desired quantitative traits and many more. Alternatively, seafood safety issues includes seafood authentication and traceability analyzed using specific molecular markers.
Although the application of genetics and molecular techniques in fisheries and aquaculture has developed rapidly over the last 20 years, platforms to disseminate and share knowledge of advance research findings in these important fields to the scientific community are still limited. The depletion of wild fisheries resources, impact of climate change on the ocean and inland water bodies, and the rapid development of the aquaculture industry, has provided ample opportunities for genetic studies in those areas. Genetic diversity offers opportunity for researchers to develop new improved fish breeds with desirable traits, which accommodate both fish farmers and breeders preferred traits. Hence, knowledge of genetic variability is the key component in selecting genotypes that withstand changing environments, including new diseases and new climatic conditions for the future aquaculture breeding program. In addition, DNA markers also offer a powerful tool to address safety issues in seafood products through the validation of food authenticity and traceability of primary products entering the food chains both in fresh and processed seafood. The application of these techniques to genetic traceability in the agro-food sector represents a powerful tool to protect both producers and consumers, to ensure freedom of choice and ensure the accuracy of labelling of seafood products. Thus, Frontiers in Genetics would serve as an ideal platform to present recent findings and advances in the field of genetics in fisheries and aquaculture.
This Research Topic welcomes manuscripts covering the following areas of research:
• Stock identity, barcoding and structure
• Mixed stock analysis
• Close kin relationships analysis
• Phylogenetic relationships
• Evolutionary and biogeographical history
• Population genomics
• Demographic history of populations
• Selection signatures
• Hybrids and introgression
• Genetic conservation
• Estimation of genetic variability of aquaculture stock
• Molecular breeding
• Quantitative genetics and heritability
• Marker Assisted Selection (MAS)
• Seafood authentication
• Seafood traceability
