Scotland’s St Andrews University has launched a new company, Xelect, in a bid to improve the health and quality of fish with support from local law firm, Murray Donald.
The aim of Xelect, founded by Professor Ian Johnston, director of the Scottish Oceans Institute St Andrews and his former PhD student, Thomas Ashton, is to develop genetic markers which will identify the most valuable of the natural variations which occur in all fish.
Professor Johnston said: "By developing genetic markers industry bodies can select the fish they wish to breed from, using them as the founding population and therefore ensuring that all of the fish have a higher meat yield."
Its first products are markers for superior meat yield and flesh quality in Atlantic salmon, which will be used in Europe by Norwegian company, Salmobreed and its Scottish branch, Salmobreed Scotland. Xelect says fish selected with the marker have up to 6% more recoverable flesh than unselected fish.
He added: "Our work could ultimately improve the welfare of fish and lead to more disease-resistant and stress-resistant fish. Indeed, some of the factors the aquaculture industry has been criticised for in the past will be addressed by this technology and, with half of all fish eaten across the world being produced from aquaculture, it's vital that the end product is of optimum quality.”
The company is also in talks with other companies and hopes to secure licensing deals for the markers in Chile.
