Recipient Organization
THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
WEST 5510 FRK MEL LIB
STONY BROOK,NY 11794-0001
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
An infectious disease has been causing significant mortality in adult bay scallop populations in New York, and recent investigations have revealed the presence of the causative parasite at a field site in Martha's Vineyard, where scallops exhibited poor tissue condition and reduced survivorship. This proposal aims to identify disease-resistant scallops that could be used for aquaculture and stock enhancement. In parallel, genetic analyses will be conducted to characterize resistant scallops and support future stock selection efforts. Disease-resistant scallop stocks will be maintained and used to strengthen the regional aquaculture industry. The expected outcomes will optimize aquaculture efforts in the Northeast and support the recovery of bay scallop populations in the region.Doing so, the study directly addresses Executive Order 14276 aimed at enhancing seafood production and competitiveness, and enhancing economic growth in the United States.
Animal Health Component
70%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
70%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
The overarching objective of this work is to identify scallops that better resist disease and have higher survivorship and overall market yield. Activities are designed to evaluate if resistance to Bay Scallop Marosporida (BSM) is heritable and whether genetic features associated with resistance can be identified, which would greatly facilitate future genome-based breeding approaches. To do so, we will contrast the performance of offspring derived from adult scallops that showed differential survivorship to the selective mortality events. The specific objectives of the proposal are to:(O1) Determine if resistance to BSM and field survivorship are heritable traits and identify better performing stocks,(O2) Genomically characterize superior stocks, and(O3) Maintain the best performing stocks for the development of resistant lines in support of the regional aquaculture industry.The work includes a robust extension and outreach plan and will serve as a pre-requirement for the development of selective breeding programs for the bay scallop, in support of the sustainability and growth of the aquaculture industry. Doing so, the proposed activities address major constraints to the U.S. aquaculture industry and directly address priorities identified in the request for proposals (a. Genetics of commercial aquaculture species; and b. Critical disease issues impacting commercial aquaculture species) and in Executive Order 14276 aimed at enhancing seafood production and competitiveness, and enhancing economic growth in the United States.
Project Methods
The study will compare the performance of scallop seed derived from different sources including those previously shown to display different resistance to Bay Scallop Marosporida (BSM). Seed from each stock will be reared following industry standards before being deployed in the field for performance assessment. Multiple farms will be used for field deployments in NY and MA. Performance (survivorship, disease development and yield) will be assessed following our standard procedures as detailed in the proposal.Genetic testing will primarily contrast scallops collected before field deployment (Time 0) with those that survive through harvesting size. This will be done using ddRADSeq. Since the main aim of this section of the work is to identify genetic features associated with disease resistance and survivorship, the choice of the survivor groups selected to undergo genotyping will be based on the extent and the timing of the mortality in each group. The analysis is expected to allow us to identify genetic features that differentiate resistant and susceptible scallop lines, as well as those associated with scallop resistance within each line. We will particularly evaluate whether there is convergence among different lines in the molecular features associated with resistance (i.e., same markers identified in multiple scallop lines). ddRADSeq data will then be used to select 15 scallops that will undergo whole genome resequencing using Pacific Biosciences HiFi long read technology. A bay scallop pangenome will be constructed and used to explore gene presence-absence variations (PAV) following protocols co-developed by co-PI Rosani.