Aquaculture America 2020

February 9 - 12, 2020

Honolulu, Hawaii

COMPARATIVE GENOMICS OF TWO Trachinotus SPECIES: TOOLS TO ENHANCE THE AQUACULTURE OF FLORIDA POMPANO

Laura E King*, Carlie S Perricone, Paul S Wills and Nicholas J Dickens
 
FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
5600 US 1 North
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
USA
 lpescitelli@fau.edu
 

The Florida p ompano (Trachinotus carolinus ) is a finfish found in warm marine waters on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. This food fish dem ands high market value and is a prized catch for fishermen. Previous  research  has validated the commercial viability of Florida p ompano. However, an economical and technological  challenge in expanding domestic production is the supply of high quality seedstock (juveniles for grow-out) optimized for the production environment. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can  potentially facilitate selective breeding processes by enabling discovery of genetic markers associated with favorable traits such as disease resistance, size, growth efficiency, and diversity.  With a representative draft genome that we have previously assembled and annotated, o ur study focuses on Florida pompano as a model species for  improvement using this genetic information as a tool to inform better aquaculture breeding practices. Here, we will be presenting a sequenced and assembled genome for permit (Trachinotus falcatus), a closely related species whose males grow nearly ten times larger than pompano,  which we will use in a comparative analysis to that of Florida pompano.

The permit genome was sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq 2500 System, and the Florida pompano genome was used  to perform a guided assembly of the permit genome . We will use the  permit and pompano  genomes  to identify regions of variation that may play a role in the significant size difference between these two species. In addition, we will use  a Restriction-Site Associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) method to genotype Florida pompano samples from wild and cultured populations. This will allow us to investigate population diversity and through integration with the comparative information identify candidate markers of pompano growth. Our goal is to  provide a platform that will enhance the sustainable production of high quality seedstock of Florida pompano for aquaculture through the combination of WGS and RADseq technologies.