Establishment of an organic line of rainbow trout

Denmark is one of the largest producers of organic rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the EU. Organic breeding populations have
been established, which are kept separate from the conventional ones.
However, these populations have not been bred specifically for organic
production, which is a problem since EC regulation 2018/848 states that
fish populations bred for organic production need to fit the specific
environmental conditions, be feed efficient and possess good health and
welfare. The leading breeding company in production of certified organic
rainbow trout eggs Troutex, and Center for Quantitative Genetics and
Genomics, Aarhus University, which are experts in breeding and
genetics, will work together to increase robustness of organic fry, reduce
mortality, and the climate impact from organic trout production as well as
improve fish welfare. We will do this by developing a line of trout
specifically adapted for the organic system including; 1) defining a
breeding goal reflecting the view of different stakeholders, 2) developing
genetic and genomic breeding tools that make it possible to breed for
increased disease resistance; 3) developing a breeding plan that will
control the inbreeding rate to ensure genetic diversity in the breeding
population. By developing a trout line tailored specifically for organic
production, 210 tons more fish will survive, CO2 will be reduced by
525.000 equivalents and fish welfare will improve 3 years after project
completion. This breeding program combined with Denmark’s unique
disease status offers us the opportunity to be world leading in the organic
trout aquaculture sector.