11 results

SCRC: PhD: Profiling host-parasite dynamics of AGD using molecular DNA methods – application to vaccine development, selective breeding and offshore aquaculture

Project number: 2009-757
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: James O. Harris
Organisation: Flinders University
Project start/end date: 28 Feb 2010 - 31 May 2013
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Amoebic gill disease (AGD) research remains a high priority for the Tasmanian salmon industry. Within this framework there is a need to develop, both for research and practical reasons, non-destructive quantitative measures of AGD severity. This PhD project will develop a state of the art quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) method for AGD-causing Neoparamoeba perurans. If successful this will be the first such DNA test of its type in the world for this disease. The assay will then be utilised to answer practical questions such as profiling host-parasite dynamics in vaccinated and non-vaccinated salmon prior to, during and after commercial freshwater bathing treatment, providing a rigorous measure of vaccine efficacy, and much-needed insights into the parasite loading exhibited by the different experimental salmon groups. The N. perurans DNA test will then be extended to selectively-bred salmon, correlating pathogen load with breeding values for resistance in F2 stock. This could provide a more reliable way of quantifying infection than current gill scoring methods, and will be the first time such a tool is applied to gain more precise information from a commercial salmon selective breeding program. Finally, the project will then apply the qRT-PCR test and other N. perurans molecular markers to the wider environment to address questions of population genetics, environmental reservoirs (providing much-needed information on the parasite life cycle, a prelude to in vitro culture which would benefit vaccine development), and parasite dynamics in heavily-farmed and virgin marine environments to address fundamental questions as the Tasmanian salmon industry contemplates a move towards off-shore aquaculture.
This project is a high priority for the Tasmanian salmon industry and was adopted into the CRC at its inception. This PhD project has the support of the industry. The project also has strong alignment with the industry run selective breeding program.

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PROJECT NUMBER • 2008-733
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

SCRC: Population genetic structure of Sea Cucumbers (bêche-de-mer) in Northern Australia

Sandfish (Holothuria scabra), a commercially important species of Sea Cucumber, are fished off the northern Australian coast. Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, where they are commonly fished, they have been found to be particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation. Currently, as little is known...
ORGANISATION:
Flinders University
Industry
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PROJECT NUMBER • 2010-725
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

SCRC: PhD 6.06 – Capturing and maintaining genetic variation when initiating selective breeding programs for aquaculture

Barramundi is naturally a mass spawning species, which can be induced to spawn in captivity under conditions that attempt to replicate the natural environment. The Australian Barramundi industry has on hand a large number of mature broodstock that are currently supplying the grow-out market,...
ORGANISATION:
Flinders University
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PROJECT NUMBER • 2012-714
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

SCRC: PDRS: Use of next generation DNA technologies for revealing the genetic impact of fisheries restocking and ranching

Several initiatives by the Australian Seafood CRC’s Future Harvest theme involve some form of stocking or enhancement of fisheries. In Western Australia, populations of Roe’s Abalone (Haliotis roei) are currently being restocked after the occurrence of a catastrophic mortality event,...
ORGANISATION:
Flinders University
Environment
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PROJECT NUMBER • 2008-731
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

SCRC: The Australian Seafood Diet for Intergenerational Health: Development of a healthy high Australian seafood diet that will be acceptable to women of child-bearing age.(PhD student Lily Chan)

Consumers are advised to eat more fish for a range of health benefits, including for growth and development, protection against heart disease and lowering of plasma triglycerides. However, there are some caveats in these recommendations for some sub-groups of the population, such as those women who...
ORGANISATION:
Flinders University
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2009-730
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Seafood CRC: development of barramundi selective breeding entity II

In summary, we have made significant progress towards the establishment of the selective breeding program for barramundi by: Registering a company for selective breeding of barramundi (Barratek) and producing a genetic business plan and lobbying document. Identifying and characterising...
ORGANISATION:
Flinders University
SPECIES
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PROJECT NUMBER • 2009-763
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

SCRC: SCRC Honours Scholarship H3.1– Impact of commercial hatchery practices on the contribution of broodstock to offspring and genetic diversity in the Yellowtail Kingfish breeding program (Dr Alex Safari: Student Daniel Tan)

Using small numbers of broodstock for breeding often leads to random drift in gene frequencies between generations. Effective population size (Ne) is used as an indicator to assess the rate of inbreeding and loss of genetic variation in small populations. In this study we used six microsatellites,...
ORGANISATION:
Flinders University
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