Genetics of Fish Domestication in Aquaculture

This chapter aims to account for the degree of mastery of the lifecycle of fish in captivity and the degree of freedom from wild populations. Five successive levels of domestication have been proposed: initial breeding trials, controlling part of the lifecycle in captivity, controlling the entire lifecycle in captivity, controlling the lifecycle without wild input and implementation of breeding programs. It is also very likely that genetic techniques and methods will continue to expand within the aquaculture industry, at all levels of domestication, so as to help improve fish performance while maintaining sufficient genetic variability across generations. The sustainable future of aquaculture will first depend on the continuous improvement of fish species that have already been domesticated, and, second, on our willingness and ability to diversify farmed fish species, preferably indigenous ones, to promote more resilient and balanced aquaculture production worldwide.