Project title
Genetic Characterization and the Influence of Aquaculture on Native European Seabass Population in Cyprus
Funding Program
Ίδρυμα Προώθησης Έρευνας
Award URL
http://www.projectsdatabase.cofasp.eu/sub.jsp?load=100800&a=1495950970895
Funding code
SEABASS
ΑΕΙΦΟΡΙΑ/ΦΥΣΗ/0609(ΒΕ)/02
Start date
June 1, 2011
Expected Completion
2014-05-31
Description
The European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is a key species in the Cyprus fisheries sector and has been produced locally in intensive aquaculture systems for over 30 years. The impact of large seabass aquaculture operations on wild populations is essentially unknown as there is little previous research on this subject. However, evidence from salmon aquaculture indicates that large numbers of escaped fish can lead to significant threats to the sustainability of wild populations and consequently marine biodiversity. The aim of this project is to use genetic markers to investigate the genetic profile of the wild seabass population in Cyprus and determine how they compare genetically to other Mediterranean populations. The frequency of cultured fish in the wild and the potential for interactions between wild and cultured fish will be examined using the genetic profiles of both wild fish and current aquaculture populations. Biological data on the wild population will also be collected to confirm the possibility of interbreeding between the two groups. Cyprus offers a unique opportunity to study such interactions due to the limited number of hatcheries producing seabass locally, the small size of the wild population and the potential for genetic differentiation from other Mediterranean populations. There have been very few genetic studies on fish populations in the Eastern Mediterranean and none in Cyprus' waters. This project will capture samples of wild fish over a large area of coastline and cooperate with aquaculture enterprises to sample farmed fish. A range of genetic markers will be employed to provide a high resolution power to distinguish between Cypriot and other Mediterranean seabass populations, as well as between wild fish and fish originating from local fish farms. This genetic information will provide evidence for the size and status of the wild seabass population, its relationship with other Mediterranean populations and evidence of the presence of cultivated fish in the wild. Samples of wild adult seabass will also be examined for evidence of sexual maturity and reproduction, to determine if wild seabass spawn in Cyprus' waters. Genetic data collected from seabass hatcheries will allow analysis of the geographic origin of the stocks, loss of genetic variation and the potential for developing genetic traceability schemes. The results of this project will assist in developing policies to protect livestock genetic resources in Cyprus by identifying genetic characteristics of wild fish and evaluating the level of interaction between wild and cultured seabass. Such interactions are a risk to marine biodiversity due to the genetic changes that can result from interbreeding and the poor fitness (survival and reproductive success) of farmed fish in the wild. The genetic information produced by the project will also provide important data to the Cyprus aquaculture industry for the future application of biotechnology.