50 June 2010 Inlet, Dabob Bay, Sequim Bay, and Westcott Bays in Washington and in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Oyster families with the highest survival rates, highest meat yields, or with other desirable traits such as shell shape and color, are then selected and crossed to produce the next generation of MBP-select families. Selected families are pedigreed utilizing the latest genetic molecular “finger-printing” techniques and this information, along with information on the heritability of desirable phenotypic characteristics, are used to develop appropriate breeding schemes for commercial production that will prevent long-term inbreeding depression. Germplasm from these selected families is also maintained at a genetic repository to preserve improved genetic materials for future use. Additionally, support from the Alaska Sea Grant and Cooperative Extension Programs is providing training to shellfish farmers in maintenance and data collection at a MBP test site located in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. This collaboration is developing a line of oysters specifically suited to Alaska’s cold seawater conditions. Since its inception in 1995, the MBP has produced oyster families that have achieved an average increase in yield of 20 percent whole live weight per generation. The West Coast oyster industry is currently making use of these selected lines and MBP-funded research scientists and state extension personnel are making specific recommendations to industry on the use of this broodstock to enhance commercial production and profitability of the West Coast oyster industry. Additional information on the Molluscan Broodstock Program can be found at the following URL: http://hmsc. oregonstate.edu/projects/mbp. Catfish and Baitfish Research Verification Program There have been significant advances provided by research on new techniques to enhance the diversity and profitability of commercial aquaculture in the US. As with all production-focused agricultural research, adoption of these new practices by the farmers is critical for the US to remain competitive in world markets. Many in the commercial aquaculture community have supported themselves and their families for decades by utilizing cultural practices that have served them well for many years. Many times these farmers are slow to adopt new culture practices developed from research by aquaculture scientists. But again, the world has changed. Seafood products are now sold in world markets. With the diversity and availability of the many seafood products seen today, competition is keen for market share. Small improvements in production efficiency can be key to profitability on small farms. The USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service’s (NASS) 2005 Census of Aquaculture determined that the Arkansas aquaculture industry was the number one producer of baitfish and the number three producer of channel catfish in the US. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) has initiated two programs to assist farmers in the adoption of research-based culture methods that will lead to greater profitability on the farm. The UAPB staff initi- Initial plant out of oyster seed at Thorndyke Bay, WA (off Hood Canal). Each bag contains 50 oysters. Approximately 60 families (each with 8 replicate bags) were planted and evaluated at this site. (Photo: Kiril Chang-Gilhooly, Oregon State University) MBP growout bags planted intertidally adjacent to industry bags (Taylor Shellfish) in Totten Inlet, WA. (Photo: John Brake) cies, state Sea Grant and Cooperative Extension programs and the aquaculture industry. Research conducted through directed and competitive funding from USDA and state Sea Grant programs has focused on developing a selective breeding program for the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas for over a decade. The research has received additional support from partnerships with commercial oyster producers in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska in hosting test sites and in conducting commercial demonstrations with MBP oysters. Selection of high-performing oyster families is conducted primarily at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center at Newport, Oregon. Wild oyster broodstock from the state of Washington and British Columbia, Canada, were used to create the original founding families. Typically, pairs of broodstock oysters are crossed to produce families that are planted at commercial growout sites in cooperation with industry partners in Tomales Bay, California; Yaquina Bay, Oregon; in Willapa Bay, Totten
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