World's first! Fisheries Research Institute uses molecular marker breeding to cultivate 100% all-male Taiwan tilapia fry
A latest breakthrough in Taiwan tilapia farming technology: on the 12th, the Fisheries Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture announced that through "molecular marker-assisted selection" technology, it can breed 100% all-male Taiwan tilapia fry. Chen Chun-ju, Director-General of the Fisheries Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture, said that Taiwan is the first country in the world to possess this technology, which can thereby raise the overall economic benefits of Taiwan tilapia.
Crossbreeding produces about 80% male fry; molecular breeding reaches 100%
Chen Chun-ju said that in the past, monosex male Taiwan tilapia were produced through crossbreeding, raising farming output and economic benefits, and this is currently the main farmed type on the market. However, this type of Taiwan tilapia is not 100% all-male; perhaps only 80% of the fry are male, and there is still a 10% to 20% probability that they may be female.
Chen explained that female Taiwan tilapia grow fast and easily snatch feed, but male fish have a larger body size after maturity and greater economic value. When male and female fish as well as small fish share feed in the same pond, it affects the development of the male fish, while also increasing management difficulties and affecting farming efficiency. Therefore, for many years the technology has been studied,
Research took 12 years, using molecular technology to produce 100% male fish
Chang Ko-chuan, assistant researcher at the Freshwater Research Center of the Fisheries Research Institute, said that by using molecular marker technology to study the DNA of Taiwan tilapia, they identified a 100% male gene fragment to serve as broodstock, and through two sex-reversal processes produced YY female fish and YY male fish, and then obtained 100% male fish offspring.
Yang Shun-te, researcher at the Freshwater Research Center of the Fisheries Research Institute, said that the research team spent nearly 12 years to complete 100% all-male Taiwan tilapia fry. The process required constant counter-verification, and only through more than 8 generations of genetic breeding and selection could it be determined whether this batch of fish was all-male. Yang Shun-te also emphasized that 100% all-male Taiwan tilapia fry use female hormones only at the fry stage, and the offspring are not treated at all, so there is no concern about residual female hormones.
Chen Chun-ju: Moving toward "safe fisheries" through breeding
Chen Jung-hua, associate researcher at the Freshwater Fisheries Breeding Research Center of the Fisheries Research Institute, said in a past interview, "China, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Africa and other places make good use of hormones and other drugs to control the sex of tilapia, stimulate growth, and reduce growth costs. Taiwan really finds it hard to compete with other countries on price." Chen Chun-ju said that Taiwan has consistently insisted on using breeding to improve the problems of early maturity and high fecundity in tilapia, advancing in the direction of "safe fisheries." The government should publicize this advantage more internationally and establish a differentiated market, so that Taiwan tilapia can have room for development.