As the fastest-growing food production sector globally, aquaculture now supplies over half of the fish consumed worldwide—a feat made possible, in part, by remarkable advancements in genotyping, genomics, and advanced breeding. These innovations are at the core of breeding programs that balance environmental stewardship with economic growth.
Breeding strategies in aquaculture have evolved significantly, utilizing tools like genetic variation analysis, marker-assisted selection, and genomic selection to improve traits that enhance productivity and sustainability. Coming soon, genome editing has the potential to lead the next revolution in genetic improvement by enabling unprecedented precision and speed, making it possible for breeders to achieve breeding goals in as short as one generation, which would traditionally take decades.
At the forefront of this transformation is The Centre for Aquaculture Technologies (CAT), based in San Diego, a recognized leader in aquaculture genetics innovation. From genotyping and genomic selection to cutting-edge genome editing, CAT’s expertise spans the full spectrum of genetic tools, making them ideally placed to drive a new era of precision and efficiency by integrating genome editing with traditional breeding programs.
Driving innovation: CAT’s state-of-the-art research facilities
CAT currently works with aquaculture breeders and producers around the world to develop customized breeding programs for established and emerging species, from Atlantic salmon to shrimp and oysters. They also provide genotyping services for over 30 different aquatic species. Following their acquisition in 2019 by Cuna del Mar – a US investment company that supports innovative aquaculture methods – CAT has expanded, opening two state-of-the-art R&D research facilities for finfish and shrimp, in San Diego.
“At CAT, we firmly believe that genome editing presents the most feasible and sustainable pathway to meet the world’s increasing food requirements and contribute to the economic vitality of the aquaculture sector. Our genome editing research in finfish is the most advanced, but some very encouraging early-stage work is also well underway in shrimp and oysters. Our facilities include a genome editing and germ cell transfer laboratory for commercial-scale research applications, as well as a wet lab for data collection”, explains John Buchanan, CEO.
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- Dr John Buchanan, CEO
CAT’s California facilities also include in-house genotyping and sequencing capabilities providing the industry with an extensive library of arrays that support a wide range of applications, from understanding population genetics to selecting for commercially important traits. Plus, a world-class RAS system custom-built to support our research and animal welfare and streamline maintenance and husbandry activities. Bringing all these workspaces together under one roof has enhanced efficiency in conducting research toward genome editing delivery, driving the technology as ready for commercialization.
Genome editing explained
For decades, scientists have explored innovative genetic methods to transform aquaculture. Yet, a common question persists: how does genome editing differ from traditional breeding?
“Traditional breeding involves crossing organisms with desirable traits, relying on natural genetic variation and recombination. While effective, it can be less precise and can take many generations to reach the intended goal,” explains Buchanan.
Genome editing, the latest breakthrough, takes precision to an entirely new level. Using tools like CRISPR-Cas9, scientists can directly create new genetic variation in precise locations in the genome that will deliver a major improvement, without introducing new DNA. “This approach allows us to induce beneficial genetic changes with accuracy and speed—achieving results in one generation that could take decades with traditional selective breeding,” Buchanan adds.
Genome editing is already making a global impact in other fields. In human medicine, it has been used to cure diseases caused by faulty genes by repairing the genetic error for patients. In agriculture, genome-edited pigs resistant to endemic viruses will soon transform pig farming. There has also been great success and widespread adoption of genome editing technologies in plants and crops, enabling the development of high-yield, disease-resistant, and climate-resilient varieties that are now grown globally. The aquaculture sector is also starting to embrace the technology: genome-edited tilapia has been deregulated in Argentina and Brazil, while Japan has deregulated genome-edited red sea bream and tiger puffer. These species are now farmed in RAS facilities and sold commercially by the Regional Fish Company, in Japan.
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- Lab Center for Aquaculture Technologies
The benefits
Genome editing offers transformative benefits for farmers and the global aquaculture industry by enabling targeted genetic improvements that even more rapidly enhance productivity, resilience, and sustainability, working in harmony with traditional selective breeding. For farmers, these advancements translate to faster-growing stock, improved disease resistance, and better feed efficiency – ultimately reducing costs and increasing profitability. For the industry, genome editing drives innovation while supporting environmental stewardship.
“With a world-class genetics team and a focus on client success, CAT is strategically positioned to bring these technologies to market and make them accessible, creating impactful solutions. Moreover, the approach allows for agile integration with health and nutrition initiatives, fostering a more sustainable and efficient production system for the future,” notes Buchanan.
Tilapia has been the subject of the most research
So far, over 25 aquaculture species have been successfully genome-edited. Tilapia is used as the key research species due to their short generation interval, robust nature, and fecundity with research findings being used to drive focussed development efforts in other species.
“Our scientific team at CAT are pursuing three main areas of research,” shares Buchanan. “The first focuses on developing sterility as a biocontainment solution for the commercial application of genome editing and other benefits to environmental sustainability. The second involves genome editing to introduce genetic variations that enhance commercial performance and improve the economics and sustainability of fish farming. The final focus has been on developing scalable tools for commercial application of genome editing.”
A breakthrough from CAT’s research is the commercialization of Sterility+®, an innovation that combines sterility with additional desirable traits for farmed environments. The technology is designed to be broadly applicable to all fish species. “We view sterility as a crucial prerequisite for commercializing other beneficial genome edits in aquaculture, and as a general need for the industry,” adds Buchanan.
The results of CAT’s 12+ years of genome editing research are remarkable. In their edited tilapia line, they have achieved a 40% increase in growth rates, a 60% increase in filet yield, and a 10% improvement in feed conversion efficiency—realized within just one generation and with 100% sterility in the fish to be farmed. These outcomes far outpace traditional breeding programs, where achieving even a 1% improvement in feed conversion efficiency per generation is considered a success.
Sterility in aquaculture is more than just a breeding technique
Beyond improving performance, producing 100% sterile fish addresses some of the most significant challenges to introducing more genome-edited production. Sterility alleviates regulatory concerns, safeguards biodiversity by preventing interbreeding with wild populations, and enhances productivity and profitability. As CAT continues to refine genome editing technologies, their efforts are firmly focused on innovations that deliver benefits for the environment, consumers, and the aquaculture industry.
“We’ve made remarkable progress using molecular and genetic tools, including genome editing, to induce sterility,” explains Buchanan. “Our team has developed strategies to create broodstock capable of producing only sterile offspring. By leveraging genome editing, we envision hatchery processes where animals function normally without requiring additional steps to induce sterility. Instead, edited broodstock would naturally produce completely sterile progeny—whether they’re laying thousands or millions of eggs—thanks to the precision of genome editing applied to the parents.”
There are compelling reasons to produce animals that cannot undergo sexual maturation—reasons that align closely with the core objectives of the aquaculture industry.
Improved Performance – Avoiding sexual maturation enhances growth rates and feed conversion efficiency, cutting costs and reducing waste.
Environmental Protection – Avoiding gene flow from farmed to wild populations protects the distinctive genetic traits of wild populations that help them thrive in their native habitat, supporting a balanced ecosystem.
Animal Welfare – Removing sexual maturation during grow-out reduces stress and aggression, improves health, and can reduce mortalities.
With a growing global population and increasing demand for sustainable food production, the need for accessible, innovative, solutions has never been more urgent. CAT believes genome editing offers the most efficient and effective method for inducing sterility and delivering large improvements in farm performance, setting the stage for responsible innovation that helps feed a growing population with nutritious food. By addressing key challenges while improving productivity, sterility provides a foundation for a more sustainable and resilient industry.
Introducing genome editing at a commercial scale
Bringing genome editing to a commercial scale is not without its unique challenges. Tools like CRISPR require precise application to deliver the intended results. Successfully integrating these edits into existing breeding programs demands creative thinking in maintaining genetic progress while ensuring the process is scalable enough to move valuable innovations from research to commercialization.
“In the past year, we’ve achieved groundbreaking milestones in scaling genome editing for aquaculture,” shares John Buchanan. “We’ve demonstrated high-throughput editing in finfish, achieving over 90% editing efficiency across thousands of embryos daily. This innovative approach establishes a framework for scaling genome editing technologies to commercial levels.”
By leveraging cutting-edge techniques and fostering collaboration, CAT has made significant strides in genome editing. These advancements underscore the immense potential of the technology as we prepare to embrace this new era of genetic innovation to enhance sustainability, improve resilience, and unlock new opportunities for the aquaculture industry.
“Yonathan Zohar, Professor and Chair, Department of Marine Biotechnology, Director, Aquaculture Research Center at UMBC, and I, are set to discuss these topics further when we lead the ‘Genetic Engineering in Aquaculture’ session at the Aquaculture 2025 conference in New Orleans this March. We will be joined by other leading scientists covering critical topics such as the introduction of genome editing, CRISPR technologies, performance metrics, and commercialization strategies, as well as regulatory frameworks and risk assessment,” concludes Buchanan.