Specially developed and extensively selected for key commercial traits
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Overview
Benchmark’s Spring Genetics produces genetically improved high performing tilapia broodstock and sex-reversed fingerlings. From its breeding nucleus operations in Florida, USA, Spring Genetics distributes robust and disease-free genetic material to farms, integrated companies, and affiliated multiplication hatcheries around the globe. Our Spring Tilapia strain is the result of a long-term breeding program and intensive innovation, focused on solving our clients’ challenges and optimize their opportunities.
Why choose our tilapia genetics?
Benchmark Genetics is a world leader in breeding services and offers a wide range of products and services for the global aquaculture industry around the globe. By acquiring Spring Genetics’ genetic material, you get access to the experience, technology and knowledge accumulated by Benchmark Genetics worldwide.
Benchmark’s Spring Genetics has pioneered the use of the latest genomic tools for the selection of broodstock with improved resistance to Streptococcus iniae and S. agalactiae.
Implementing new technologies that enable more accurate selection, the Benchmark Genetics’ team of experts conducted genomic association studies on the molecular biology for both varieties of Streptococcus and implemented genetic marker-assisted selection methods that allow us to obtain individual and more accurate breeding values to help improve the performance of Spring Genetics tilapias.
Benchmark Genetics has an extensive international team of genetic and genomic selection experts with experience in high-level genetic programs, such as Atlantic salmon in Europe and the Americas. Our Tilapia breeding program focuses on the main traits of commercial importance, such as FCR, growth rate, and filet yield, as well as on traits for improved overall robustness and disease resistance.
Pioneering in disease tolerance selection, the Spring Genetics programme is one of the most modern in the world. With the use of the latest genetic and genomic tools, we help aquaculture producers increase the quality, yield, health, and welfare of their animals.
We work with the most rigorous biosecurity and health surveillance programmes in all our production units to offer our customers the best quality pathogen-free product.
Spring Genetics
Spring Genetics operates the most advanced family-based breeding programme for Nile tilapia. We select stock for key traits such as fast growth, pond survivability and increased resistance to diseases such as Streptococcus iniae S. agalactiae and Francisella sp.
The Selection of Disease Resistance is based on controlled challenge testing of nucleus families. Additional key traits such as resistance to other pathogens are currently assessed for implementation.
Genetically improved Spring Genetics material is distributed to large producers and affiliated multiplication hatcheries in key markets in the Americas, Africa and Asia. These multipliers regularly receive new batches of breeders from selected lines produced at the breeding nucleus. They rear them until sexual maturation and use them as commercial breeders to supply their regional markets.
Pioneering breeding programme
The breeding programme pioneers the development of selected stocks by uniquely combining high performance, disease resistance and robustness.
Designed and supervised by Benchmark Genetics Norway (formerly Akvaforsk Genetics), it is is the world’s most scientifically documented genetic improvement program for Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia). It focuses on developing lines with improved growth and a high level of resistance to some of the major diseases affecting the tilapia industry worldwide, such as Streptococcus iniae, S. agalactiae and Francisella sp.
The population
Prior to its introduction to Miami, the Spring Genetics’ base population had undergone 12 cycles of selection for harvest weight. The base population at Spring Genetics was derived from a selective breeding programme in Nicaragua, with three generations of selection primarily focused on growth rate and fillet yield.
The genetic material used in Nicaragua originates from a 1991 Vietnamese family-based breeding programme. It was genetically improved for growth in freshwater earthen ponds for four cycles of selection. This Vietnamese material originates from the fifth generation of the Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) breeding project conducted in the Philippines and local Vietnamese strains. The collaborative GIFT research project started in the Philippines in 1989 as a complete diallel cross experiment. The experiment was carried out with eight strains of Nile tilapia from Africa and Asia.
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