Application of Salmon Broodstock Research:
A Sea Grant/Industry Case Study
Washington Sea Grant Program, University of Washington
The development of good farm stock has traditionally been a lengthy, hit-or-miss process. For instance, the hens in your local freezer case are the product of nearly 3,000 years of domestication. With the help of Washington Sea Grant Program (WSGP), salmon farmers hope to duplicate the same process - transforming a wild animal to a tamed protein machine - in just a few decades. Through selective breeding, WSGP researchers and private aquaculturists have been able to triple the growth rates of native coho salmon. This new coho breed now helps support a $5 million domestic industry.
Research began in 1977 as a collaborative effort between WSGP and Domsea Farms, Inc. of Manchester, WA Domsea supplied fish, manpower and rearing facilities. Washington Sea Grant Program provided the breeding expertise (research personnel headed by Dr. William Hershberger of the University of Washington School of Fisheries) and a crucial intangible: commitment. Hershberger requested and received a guarantee of 10 years funding, enough to cover five breeding cycles.
Domsea wanted to develop its own stock because the supply and quality of eggs available from hatcheries varied greatly according to the size of wild returns. For example, eggs from a particular river might be abundant one year but impossible to purchase the next. In addition, wild stocks often fare poorly in captivity, suffering high mortality rates.
The primary goal of the WSGP/Domsea program was to create and maintain domesticated broodstock capable of rapid growth and good survival in intensive culture conditions. Toward this end researchers tracked and bred as many as 120 coho families to develop two primary coho lines. Results from the WSGP 10-year product exceeded expectations. A 1977-78 vintage yearling weighed no more than 300 grams, while mature fish averaged about 850 grams. In 1990, yearlings tipped the scales at anywhere from 650 to 900 grams; mature, 2-year olds reached a whopping 3,000 grams.
Domsea, now called Domsea Broodstock Inc., sells 5-8 million domesticated coho eggs annually to aquaculturists in Japan, Chile, Europe and the United States. The Washington-based company is the primary egg supplier for domestic coho farmers, who brought approximately 2 million pounds of fish to market during 1993.
The significance of the WSGP/Domsea breeding program extends beyond the development of a new variety of fish. Internationally, it is a prototype for marine breeding; locally, it serves as a model for the future of the West Coast aquaculture industry. Given strict shoreline and environmental regulations, aquaculturists in the Pacific Northwest find it almost impossible to compete with salmon farmers in Canada, South America and Europe. However, it is possible to develop high-tech broodstock in a relatively small facility. "That's where we feel we can compete," says Per Heggelund of Domsea. The coho program also proves, says Heggelund, that Washington aquaculturists can use "standard breeding techniques on aquatic species and turn them into domesticated, genetically superior livestock."