Investigating the enhancement of Nile tilapia breeding in Uganda through integration of modern aquaculture breeding and genetics tools

About the project

UK-registered Partner: The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh – Robert Mukiibi
Africa-registered Partner: The National Animal Genetic Resources Centre & Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) – Ezra Byakora

Demand for animal protein is on the increase in Uganda due to the growing population and improvement of household incomes, with fish being a major source of this protein and currently this is mainly from the wild fisheries. Aquaculture is showing potential to cushion the exploitation pressure exerted on wild fisheries, however, availability of genetically improved seed to the small holder farmers remains a major challenge to the industry. In this study we are aiming at training Nile tilapia hatchery operators and outgrow farmers on the best practices in fish breeding. We are investigating the inbreeding and genetic diversity of farmed Nile tilapia in comparison to wild populations in three major lakes (L. Victoria, L. Kyoga and L. Albert) of Uganda. We are also investigating the genetic background of some economically important traits, and the potential to apply modern genomic tools to improve these traits.