The ‘blueprint of life’ is encoded by DNA. Most of the DNA that makes up an animal’s genome is contained within chromosomes that are located within the nucleus of every cell.
Although chromosome number varies among species, they a re typically
found in pairs (‘homologue s’), with one homologue of each pair inherited from each parent . S uch animals are therefore referred to as ‘diploid ’ because each nucleus contains two complete sets of homologous chromosomes.
Adding a third set makes the animal ‘triploid’ and generally results in sterility. Whether produced through triploidy or some other means , such sterile animals have clear advantages for aquaculture whenever reproduction affects valuable
production traits (e.g., growth, appearance, meat quality, or immunocompetence) or poses risks to the environment (e.g.,
escapees interbreeding with wild stocks or establishing feral populations).
Triploidy has been assessed for practical application in many aquaculture species, including fish, bivalve molluscs, and shrimp, but there are few examples of successful adoption for commercial production. This presentation will introduce the non-specialist to the methods used for producing triploid populations and a summary of their pros and cons for aquaculture.