132 NEWS REVIEW – BREEDING AND GENETICS
Breeding and
Genetics
From new hatcheries to genomic analysis, investment in this sector continued to move forward
Above: Benchmark ova at different stages Opposite from top: Jonas Jonasson; The Pure Salmon facility; Charles Høstlund
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N January, we reported that Benchmark Genetics had been awarded a five-year contract to supply eggs to Nordic Aqua Partners’ massive land-based salmon farm in Ningbo, China. Using recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology, the farm will have an initial capacity of 8,000 tonnes annually, but it plans to increase this to 16,000 and then 40,000 tonnes. It will be the first fully integrated and commercially viable RAS facility in China. Ningbo is a coastal city, strategically close to Shanghai and with a
population of 7.6 million in the city and surrounding area. The port of Ningbo-Zhoushan is one of the busiest in the world. Benchmark has committed to provide 9.5 million ova from its site in Iceland. Also, genetics specialist Xelect signed a partnership agreement with FirstWave Group, Africa’s largest tilapia fish producer. The deal will create a breeding programme aimed at developing local, high-performance Nile tilapia breeds in East Africa, working with FirstWave’s operating companies, Yalelo Zambia and Yalelo Uganda. FirstWave is Africa’s leading aquaculture firm, operating a vertically integrated group of companies across the production, distribution, and retail of aquafeed and fish in southern and eastern Africa. In February, Benchmark’s Iceland arm, StofnFiskur hf, changed its name as part of the parent company’s “single brand” strategy. Stofnfiskur will now be known as Benchmark Genetics Iceland hf, but “StofnFiskur” remains as the brand for its Atlantic salmon breeding programme.
29/11/2021 15:08:35
