Our Fisheries department recently collaborated with a research group from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' College of Biological Sciences, offering technical advice on cyprinid spawning to the group, who are based in UMN's Michael Smanski Lab.
Nicholas Jacob, a research technician at the lab, contacted our Commercial Fisheries Manager, Brian Bailey, after seeing a YouTube video of a carp spawning day at Hadlow’s Bourne Hatchery.
Nicholas explained that The Smanski Lab had received a large grant to look at methods of genetic control in common carp and his group was trying to spawn carp off-cycle, in the hope of having a steady year-round supply of fingerlings for their research. Their first spawning had not been successful. He said: “In the United States, common carp outcompete native fish and increase the rate of eutrophication in our lakes. Our state, Minnesota, is nicknamed the "land of ten thousand lakes", so you can imagine the public's desire to control these invasives in our waters. Minnesota's fishing industry brings in 4.5 billion US dollars every year, so people want to protect it.”
He continued: “Currently, I’m looking to spawn carp off-cycle indoors so that we can attempt transgenesis on carp embryos at all times of the year. If we weren't doing this, we would only get one chance to harvest gametes in the spring when the carp spawn here.”
Our Fisheries team advised the University of Minnesota team on factors such as tank temperatures, photoperiods, weight of brood-stock fish, diet and feed amounts, timing of egg collection and spawning agent. The genetic methods employed in the group’s project would involve releasing GMO male carp into the wild which would mate with wild females. These fish would be genetically incompatible with the wild fish, so interbreeding would result in no offpsring and no gene mixing with wild populations. Nicholas commented: “We will have to go through rigorous regulations before any of this is approved, but we want to have the biology completed so that we can create a better ecosystem for our native fish. “Americans look to Europeans when it comes to carp research, so I appreciate your department’s knowledge and feel lucky to have learnt from their wisdom and skillset.” Nicholas previously worked on the largest rainbow trout farm in North America, Riverence. He has conducted research on the skin and gill microbiome of rainbow trout farmed in different facilities and research into marine fish in Florida, working to identify larval pathogens in Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana). His research allowed him to present at The Aquaculture America 2020 conference in Hawaii. He is looking at starting a PhD programme in an aquaculture-related field, with possible travel to this side of the Atlantic. We are looking into the possibility of him offering a guest Zoom lecture on salmonids for students on our BSc programme - and we also look forward to welcoming him in person if, and when, we can!