The history of the aquaculture genetics program at Auburn University

Abstract

The Auburn University Aquaculture Genetics Program has an 80-year history with focused efforts on genetics and breeding, transgenic technology and genomics being initiated 43, 27 and 18 years ago. This resulted in the first successful selection experiments for channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus , the basis of the monosex tilapia industry, the first production of transgenic fish in the US, major advances in catfish genomics and the first production of a xenogenic catfish. The most significant impact has been the establishment of the technology to allow a hybrid catfish industry, which produced 150 million hybrid catfish fry in 2012. Paper presented at the International Symposium on Genetics in Aquaculture XI, Auburn, AL, June 24–30, 2012. ► History of Aquaculture Genetics. ► The establishment of the Aquaculture genetics program at Auburn University. ► Contributions made by scientists and Graduate students at Auburn University.