Korea succeeded in cloning a Korean beef cow in early 1999. In a larger sense,
genetic engineering is technology that takes advantage of the functions of organisms;
along with genetic manipulation techniques, other key technologies in biotechnology
include those for cell fusion, mass cell culturing, and bioreactors. Genetic engineering has brought advancements in medicine and biology and contributed greatly
to human welfare, but it is also widely used in the areas of aging, cancer and
immunity research, mass production of growth hormones and non-polluting pesticides, crops that do not require pesticide use, and a range of other basic research,
industry, and livestock agriculture areas (Evans et al. 1999; Shiels et al. 1999).
From their initial focus on microorganisms, developments in genetic engineering
technology have expanded in application to plants and animals. As studies
expanded to the as yet unexplored field of the oceans, this led the creation of the
new field known as marine biotechnology. Marine biotechnology is complex bioengineering technology that applies other state-of-the-art techniques to marine
organisms and ecosystems; in simple terms, it is research on cell tissue culturing,
cell manipulation, genetic recombination, and bioengineering that involves marine
organisms.
Studies in genetic engineering that use ocean animals have drawn a great deal of
notice in recent years. Especially active areas involve the manipulation of fish
chromosomes and the use of gene manipulation to produce transgenic fish. The
technology is now available to produce a female-only population through pressure
treatment of an egg fertilized with ultraviolet-treated sperm. The development of
such techniques for producing females are of great help in promoting value added in
the fishery industry through mass production of salmon or herring roe. Also considered promising for the industry is technology for triploid or quadruploid fish,
which has made a great contribution to the development of fish of large sizes—as
seen with the triploid “super-loach” (Morse 1984; West 2005).
Breeding is a matter of creating and maintaining or propagating groups of
organisms with genetic traits that are beneficial for humans; typically, it is conducted with farming populations. Breeding of agricultural and livestock products is
relatively well advanced, and improved strains are currently being marketed. In
contrast, breeding has been lagging for the fish and shellfish that are central to
marine products; presently, nearly all seafood that is consumed is wild.
Fish and shellfish, which typically require water, are difficult to raise or propagate. Conventional breeding methods of generational raising, selection, and
breeding cannot be used with them, and because they are so diverse and mass
caught, there has been little interest in breeding per se. While farming technologies
have gradually improved, however, catches have declined in recent years due to the
200 nautical mile economic zone issue, among other factors. Hopes for farming are
growing due to resource depletion, and improving farming efficiency has become
an urgent matter. Potential demand for fish and shellfish as health or luxury foods
has also recently grown. Under these circumstances, the production of revolutionary farming strains with superior economic traits has become the focus of some
anticipation (Morrison 1993).
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4 Fish Breeding and Biotechnology
genetic engineering is technology that takes advantage of the functions of organisms;
along with genetic manipulation techniques, other key technologies in biotechnology
include those for cell fusion, mass cell culturing, and bioreactors. Genetic engineering has brought advancements in medicine and biology and contributed greatly
to human welfare, but it is also widely used in the areas of aging, cancer and
immunity research, mass production of growth hormones and non-polluting pesticides, crops that do not require pesticide use, and a range of other basic research,
industry, and livestock agriculture areas (Evans et al. 1999; Shiels et al. 1999).
From their initial focus on microorganisms, developments in genetic engineering
technology have expanded in application to plants and animals. As studies
expanded to the as yet unexplored field of the oceans, this led the creation of the
new field known as marine biotechnology. Marine biotechnology is complex bioengineering technology that applies other state-of-the-art techniques to marine
organisms and ecosystems; in simple terms, it is research on cell tissue culturing,
cell manipulation, genetic recombination, and bioengineering that involves marine
organisms.
Studies in genetic engineering that use ocean animals have drawn a great deal of
notice in recent years. Especially active areas involve the manipulation of fish
chromosomes and the use of gene manipulation to produce transgenic fish. The
technology is now available to produce a female-only population through pressure
treatment of an egg fertilized with ultraviolet-treated sperm. The development of
such techniques for producing females are of great help in promoting value added in
the fishery industry through mass production of salmon or herring roe. Also considered promising for the industry is technology for triploid or quadruploid fish,
which has made a great contribution to the development of fish of large sizes—as
seen with the triploid “super-loach” (Morse 1984; West 2005).
Breeding is a matter of creating and maintaining or propagating groups of
organisms with genetic traits that are beneficial for humans; typically, it is conducted with farming populations. Breeding of agricultural and livestock products is
relatively well advanced, and improved strains are currently being marketed. In
contrast, breeding has been lagging for the fish and shellfish that are central to
marine products; presently, nearly all seafood that is consumed is wild.
Fish and shellfish, which typically require water, are difficult to raise or propagate. Conventional breeding methods of generational raising, selection, and
breeding cannot be used with them, and because they are so diverse and mass
caught, there has been little interest in breeding per se. While farming technologies
have gradually improved, however, catches have declined in recent years due to the
200 nautical mile economic zone issue, among other factors. Hopes for farming are
growing due to resource depletion, and improving farming efficiency has become
an urgent matter. Potential demand for fish and shellfish as health or luxury foods
has also recently grown. Under these circumstances, the production of revolutionary farming strains with superior economic traits has become the focus of some
anticipation (Morrison 1993).
80
4 Fish Breeding and Biotechnology