Department of Animal Science, UC Davis
HIGHLIGHTS
A PUBLICATION FOR OUR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
Fall 1996

Raising Fish in the Desert?

Animal Science Professor Graham A.E. Gall initiated a new research project on the development of a new breed of Tilapia during a visit to Israel in September.

Tilapia, a tropical fish, has emerged as a major component of fist production in the United States, Israel ana many Asian countries.

Collaborating with Dr G. Hulata (Israel), Dr. B. May (UC Davis) and Dr. E. Hallerman (Virginia), Dr. Gall will work on crossing various species of Tilapia to produce a new breed with high growth performance in cool and high-saline water.

As the species crosses are produced in Israel, genes will be mapped to their respective chromosomes using molecular-genetic markers to enhance genetic understanding of the species and to locate genes directly affecting performance traits.

While the approach of producing species crosses to create genetic variation has been highly successful in plant breeding, this is the first attempt to apply the methodology to an animal species.

[BACK] [NEXT] [TABLE OF CONTENTS]