Selective breeding of shellfish is not a trivial undertaking. A large number of animals are involved, each of them needs to be recognisable as an individual, each generation of animals goes through all stages of the life cycle including the grow-out under typical farm conditions. Some of the pitfalls are of a scientific nature (eg inbreeding), others can be avoided by good collaboration with industry.

We are among the world leaders in shellfish selective breeding. We have demonstrated yield gains of up to 20% per generation for mussels and oysters. Our commercial oyster spat is from improved broodstock. The first commercial mussel crop from improved parents is growing.

Our expertise:

Quantitative genetics: The design of the breeding programme is based on a mathematical model. It takes into account our genetic knowledge and optimises the gain.

Family production: A ‘family’ is the offspring from two known parents. These siblings are grown together until they are big enough for transfer to the farm. 50-60 families per cohort make a good breeding programme.

Logistics, project management: The generation cycle of mussels and oysters is typically 2 years. In this time, a wide range of individual steps need to be done right to complete a successful generation.