The genetic architecture of growth and fillet traits in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

• Published in: BMC Genetics
• Main Authors: Tsai, Hsin Yuan, Hamilton, Alastair, Guy, Derrick R, Tinch, Alan E, Bishop, Stephen C, Houston, Ross D
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central 2015
• Subjects: Atlantic salmon; Salmo salar
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-015-0215-y; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25985885; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4436873/

Performance and quality traits such as harvest weight, fillet weight and flesh color are of economic importance to the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry. The genetic factors underlying these traits are of scientific and commercial interest. However, such traits are typically polygenic in nature, with the number and size of QTL likely to vary between studies and populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic basis of several growth and fillet traits measured at harvest in a large farmed salmon population by using SNP markers. Due to the marked heterochiasmy in salmonids, an efficient two-stage mapping approach was applied whereby QTL were detected using a sire-based linkage analysis, a sparse SNP marker map and exploiting low rates of recombination, while a subsequent dam-based analysis focused on the significant chromosomes with a denser map to confirm QTL and estimate their position.