Aquaculture PhD Scholarship

PhD Studentship

Mechanisms underlying the Impacts of Triploidy on Production Traits in Atlantic Salmon

University of Stirling - Institute of Aquaculture

Mechanisms underlying the impacts of triploidy on production traits in Atlantic salmon

SUPERVISORS: Dr. Herve Migaud, Pr. Gordon Bell, Pr. Douglas Tocher and Dr. John Taylor from the Institute of Aquaculture (University of Stirling, UoS) and Dougie Hunter from Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd (MHS).

BACKGROUND: There has been a dramatic increase in the production of farmed Atlantic salmon within the EU and Norway which has raised public concerns about the environmental impact of salmon farming activities. One particular concern relates to increases in numbers of escapee fish and their potential effects on wild populations (i.e. genetic introgression). The use of triploid salmon can make an important contribution towards this by preventing many of the perceived negative impacts of escapees on wild populations. Importantly, triploidy is the only commercially / publically acceptable means of achieving sterility in fish. Use of triploidy can also improve fish welfare by reducing maturation-associated disease and mortality and protects IP in the form of new strains developed by selective breeding programs. There is, however, a fundamental lack of understanding of the impact of triploidy on the physiology, development and production traits of these fish. Results obtained to date clearly show great potential for the use of triploid salmon in the industry, however this is countered by an increased prevalence of deformities. To date, no study has focused on triploid specific nutrient requirements despite the known higher prevalence of morphological deformities.

PROJECT: The aims of this 4 year PhD project are:

1) To study the mechanisms underlying key facets of triploid production traits including somatic growth, adiposity, skeletal development and response to environmental changes at the cellular and molecular levels,

2) To determine the implications of these mechanisms for commercial production quality traits, husbandry requirements and welfare of managed stocks and

3) To implement a knowledge transfer strategy, in collaboration with the industrial partner, to maximise the impacts of the project findings on a commercial scale.

The work will involve tank studies at the Machrihanish Environmental Research Laboratory and experiments carried out at commercial fish farms and trials units (MHS) in order to test a range of scientific hypotheses.  The project is funded through Biosciences KTN by a BBSRC Case Award Studentship, in collaboration with Marine Harvest Scotland.

TRAINING: The student will be trained in a range of techniques e.g. nutritional and disease challenge experiments, salmon husbandry and lab techniques such as hormonal/enzymatic/molecular assays and other transcriptomic tools, bone and myogenic cell culture as well as scientific writing/reporting.

APPLICANTS: Candidates must have a First / Upper Second Class BSc / MSc in a relevant subject. It is not expected that candidates will have experience in the above techniques, but they will need to demonstrate the aptitude and commitment to be trained and work in a farm environment. The applicant will be based at the UoS but periods of time (max 1-2 month/year) will be spent at external facilities on the west coast of Scotland (MERL and MHS).