Aquaculture Genomics

Where it all began. My formal debut into the field (and research!) was in 2012 when I worked on applied population genetics in the aquaculture of abalone for my B.Sc. Honours project. The aim is to integrate genomic tools and breeding technologies into the breeding program of aquaculture species, to enhance the productivity of the aquaculture industry via genetic improvement of economically important traits.

At present, I am currently working on the genomics work package of the breeding program of lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus in Norway (a.k.a. CYCLOSELECT). Briefly, lumpfish is a semi-pelagic cold-water fish, distributed across the North-Atlantic Ocean, highly prized for its roe (ripe egg masses, 'the caviar of the north') in commercial fisheries. Moreover, the lumpfish biologically controls sea lice infestations in Atlantic salmon mariculture farms due to its delousing performance under low temperatures compared to other 'cleaner fish'. My role here is the scientific leadership of the genomics work on deciphering the genetic architecture of foraging-related (complex) traits.