A MULTIDISCIPLINARY DANISH RESEARCH-PROGRAM ON RAINBOW-TROUT (ONCORHYNCHUS-MYKISS) FARMING

A new research programme involving eight Danish institutions is descri bed. The programme started in 1993 and is expected to run for 5 years. The primary objective of the research initiative is to exploit and in tegrate the knowledge of several institutions and disciplines for the benefit of the production of rainbow trout. The programme includes sev eral projects with aspects of disease prevention, genetics, and nutrit ion. In most of the projects, the work has been divided into stages of 2 and 3 years, respectively. During a 2 year period, production, mana gement and health status are recorded at the participating fish farms, and all data are organized in a database. Diseases cause major proble ms in rainbow trout production, therefore a great deal of the effort i n this programme deals with diseases caused by vira, bacteria and para sites. On the basis of the. database, epidemiological examinations are carried out as well as investigations of the possibilities of prevent ive measures and cost-benefit analyses. In the genetic studies, polymo rphic genetic markers will be developed and used for analysis of the g enetic structure of selected fish stocks. Microsatellites will be deve loped and introduced in the study. Primarily genetic differences betwe en lines/strains and their crossings will be estimated with the purpos e of describing the genetic level and the importance of additive and n on-additive genetic effects. In the nutritional area the product quali ty and pollution questions will be in focus.