Genetically-improved WorldFish G3 Rohu commercially supplied to Bangladeshi farmers for the first time in 2022 grows 37% more rapidly than previously-available unimproved strains
Published on: August 23, 2024, Submitted by Megi Cullhaj on: March 13, 2023, Reporting year: 2022
Sustainable Development Goals Contribution
CGIAR Impact Areas
CGIAR Action Areas
An on-farm performance trial across different grow out systems revealed that the WorldFish G3 Rohu multiplier populations supplied to Bangladeshi hatcheries grew on average 37% more rapidly than currently available unimporved strains. WorldFish G3 Rohu was sold to nurseries and farmers by commercial hatcheries for the first time in 2022. The impact of WorldFish G3 Rohu will increase in coming years as more broodstock become mature, the production of spawn from individual broodstock increases as they grow, additional hatcheries obtain
Fishermen are catching the G3 rohu mother fish to check the regular health condition such as hight and weight. Hai Hatchery is one of the first hatcheries got the seeds of G3 rohu from World Fish. Hai Hatchery is producing Renu pona (fish fry) from the seeds and successfully providing to the local fish farmers at Kaharol, Dinajpur, Bangladesh on 10 October 2022
Carp represent over half the aquacultural production in Bangladesh. Despite this, no genetically improved carp strains were available in the country until recently, limiting the productivity of farms. Of the carps, rohu is the most important species in Bangladesh – it is produced in the greatest volume, and is an indigenous and culturally-significant species – with production worth around one billion USD per year wholesale.
WorldFish aims to improve the productivity of aquaculture in Bangladesh by maintaining family-based genetic improvement programs for three carp species: calta, silver carp and rohu. Of these, rohu is the most advanced with Generation 4 (G4) families to be spawned in 2023 - G2 Catla and G3 silver carp families to be generated in 2024. Through its genetic improvement programs, WorldFish aims to improve growth rate in each of these species by 10% per generation (i.e. every two to three years).A genetically-improved WorldFish G3 Rohu multiplier-population was supplied to Bangladeshi hatcheries as hatchlings in 2020 and 2021. These fish have subsequently been grown into broodstock or on-sold to additional hatcheries. As of early 2023, over 30 hatcheries, widely geographically distributed across the country, are known to hold WorldFish G3 Rohu broodstock. Most of these hatcheries will spawn mature broodstock in 2023.
In parallel to the 2020 release of the WorldFish G3 Rohu multiplier to hatcheries, on-farm trials of this product were conducted to validate genetic gains from selective breeding under ‘real-World’ conditions. These trials were conducted across 19 semi-commercial farms in two distinct regions of Bangladesh (Jashore and Natore–Rajshahi). They compared the harvest weight of the G3-multiplier against two other treatment – a WorldFish unimproved (i.e. control) strain and a well-regarded commercial strain – and were concluded in 2022, prior to the first commercial spawning of WorldFish G3 Rohu in Bangladeshi hatcheries. These trials revealed that WorldFish G3 Rohu had a harvest weight greater than other treatments at all 19 farms, with an average harvest weight 37% greater than the control treatment.
In 2022, eight hatcheries successfully spawned their young (two-year-old) broodstock. WorldFish G3 Rohu spawn was in high demand in 2022 and hatcheries were able to obtain a premium of two to three time the price of their standard rohu spawn to nurseries and farmers.
Although spawn production was limited to 8 hatcheries and around 170 kg in 2022, by the end of the year approximately 1400 farmers had purchased G3 fish from for grow out and additional sales of fingerlings spawned in 2022 will occur in early 2023. The impact of WorldFish G3 Rohu will increase in coming years as more broodstock become mature, the production of spawn from individual broodstock increases as they grow, additional hatcheries obtain and spawn WorldFish G3 Rohu and the benefits of adopting WorldFish G3 Rohu are experienced by Bangladeshi hatcheries, nurseries and farmers.
Stage of Maturity and Sphere of influence
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Stage of Maturity: Stage 1
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Contributions in sphere of influence:
1.4.4 - Increased conservation and use of genetic resources
Acknowledgement
This work was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Initiative on Resilient Aquatic Food Systems for Healthy People and Planet, and funded by CGIAR Trust Fund donors. Funding support for this work was provided by CGIAR Trust Fund donors, USAID Feed the Future Fish Innovation Lab.
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