Policies to promote breeding for lice-resistant salmon – incentives designed for resilient and sustainable growth in aquaculture?

Sea lice represent a persistent and growing problem, challenging the resilience and growth of the salmon aquaculture industry. In this Norwegian case study, we studied and discuss how the absence of policy instruments directed at stimulating breeding for lice resistance (LR) might be explained. We found well-documented opportunities for selection progress for LR. Hence, breeding on LR appears with an untapped potential. We discuss how market-based, legal, institutional, and interest-based factors can explain this. Methodologically, we obtained data from document and literature studies and interviews with key players (salmon breeders, farmers, NGOs and governmental bodies in Norway). First, LR is a polygenic trait, that makes it poorly suited for patenting. Furthermore, if only a small proportion of fish farmers choose seeds with higher LR, other operators can easily take on the free-rider role, because they will not suffer from reduced gain in growth performance, as a result of a much stronger emphasis on LR in the breeding goal. The market is thus hardly expected to stimulate stronger selection for LR in Norwegian salmon breeding. Second, neither genetic engineering (e.g. gene editing), still struggling with consumer acceptance, nor the uncertainty associated with possible changes in the Norwegian Gene Technology Act stimulate investment in LR via e.g. CRISPR technology. Thirdly, public policy instruments in their entirety have targeted other types of innovations against salmon lice, and none have so far been used to stimulate breeding companies to emphasize LR more strongly in their breeding programs. From a political point of view, it seems that breeding has been left to the market and the private sector. However, neither the NGOs nor the public seem to be aware of, or pay significant attention to the breeding potential to improve LR and fish welfare. Fragmented management of the aquaculture sector can camouflage the close ties between political and business interests. The industry is hesitant to invest significantly in long-term breeding targets such as significantly higher genetic LR. This may strengthen the assumption that strong economic interests will reduce the role of science in knowledge-based management. As farmed salmon are increasingly being exposed to stressful delousing treatments, mortality and associated welfare problems have increased significantly. For instance, large fish die more often from CMS (cardiomyopathy syndrome). The result is growing demand for CMS-resistant salmon. This gives rise to a paradoxical situation: increasing treatments with high mortality and fish welfare issues in farmed salmon, while the lice threat to wild salmon persists.Policies to promote breeding for lice-resistant salmon – incentives designed for resilient and sustainable growth in aquaculture?publishedVersio

New Developments in Biotechnology and IPR in Aquaculture – Are They Sustainable?

The objective of this chapter is to give an overview and analysis of the current trends and developments in biotechnology in aquaculture research and management. The technological developments along with structural changes in the aquaculture sector may affect access and intellectual property rights (IPR) regimes. These issues will be discussed in a wide perspective involving both short and long-term biological effects, ethical and other social aspects (economic, legal and political issues), including their partly inherent contradictions needing compromising for sustainable development. The chapter will focus on current biological challenges within aquaculture as a growing food production sector, with less emphasis on external effects such as environmental effects. Cases from farmed salmon and cod in Norway in addition to shrimp and tilapia in Asia will be highlighted

Overcoming barriers to breeding for increased lice resistance in farmed Atlantic salmon: A case study from Norway

Lice is a persistent and major problem in the salmon aquaculture sector with serious environmental impacts and reducing growth potential and income of the salmon industry. This article discusses whether there is an untapped potential in breeding for improved lice resistant of Atlantic salmon. To this end, three sets of factors that may impact the state of breeding for lice resistance are examined, using document analysis and key actor interviews. First, our data material indicates that market-based factors will hardly stimulate this type of breeding, as the benefits from breeding for lice resistance is predominantly a public good, and because the polygenic nature of lice resistance does not enable patenting as a powerful instrument to secure private goods or privatize the benefits of genetic improvement. Second, the regulation of gene editing technologies is in flux, and increase the risk of investments in technologies as selective breeding that could handle the polygenic challenges of lice resistance. Finally, policy instruments aimed at stimulating relevant innovation has been applied generously for other types of innovations to deal with the lice problem. For instance, new technologies for delousing have resulted in increased treatments and caused higher stress and mortality the recent years. However, none of these have targeted major root causes of the salmon lice problem (e.g. big monocultures or susceptible fish) or been exploited by breeding actors. Seen from a social and environmental point of view this could paradoxically lead to increased demand for fish that better endures harsh delousing treatments rather than demand for more lice resistant fish

Overcoming barriers to breeding for increased lice resistance in farmed Atlantic salmon: A case study from Norway

Lice is a persistent and major problem in the salmon aquaculture sector with serious environmental impacts and reducing growth potential and income of the salmon industry. This article discusses whether there is an untapped potential in breeding for improved lice resistant of Atlantic salmon. To this end, three sets of factors that may impact the state of breeding for lice resistance are examined, using document analysis and key actor interviews. First, our data material indicates that market-based factors will hardly stimulate this type of breeding, as the benefits from breeding for lice resistance is predominantly a public good, and because the polygenic nature of lice resistance does not enable patenting as a powerful instrument to secure private goods or privatize the benefits of genetic improvement. Second, the regulation of gene editing technologies is in flux, and increase the risk of investments in technologies as selective breeding that could handle the polygenic challenges of lice resistance. Finally, policy instruments aimed at stimulating relevant innovation has been applied generously for other types of innovations to deal with the lice problem. For instance, new technologies for delousing have resulted in increased treatments and caused higher stress and mortality the recent years. However, none of these have targeted major root causes of the salmon lice problem (e.g. big monocultures or susceptible fish) or been exploited by breeding actors. Seen from a social and environmental point of view this could paradoxically lead to increased demand for fish that better endures harsh delousing treatments rather than demand for more lice resistant fish

Overcoming barriers to breeding for increased lice resistance in farmed Atlantic salmon: A case study from Norway

This article discusses whether there is an untapped potential in breeding for improved lice resistant salmon roe and fish, and if so, what factor may explain the gap. Three sets of factors that may impact the state of breeding are examined: market-based factors, regulation of breeding technologies, and policy instruments. Methodologically, our data material relies on the literature on breeding for lice resistance and in-depth interviews with key actors in salmon farming and salmon breeding programs. Market-based factors do not stimulate lice resistance in breeding and policy instruments has not targeted breeding measures. Meanwhile, delousing treatments leads to high mortality in fish. This could paradoxically lead to increased demand for fish that better endures harsh delousing treatments rather than demand for more lice resistant fish

Overcoming barriers to breeding for increased lice resistance in farmed Atlantic salmon: A case study from Norway

This article discusses whether there is an untapped potential in breeding for improved lice resistant salmon roe and fish, and if so, what factor may explain the gap. Three sets of factors that may impact the state of breeding are examined: market-based factors, regulation of breeding technologies, and policy instruments. Methodologically, our data material relies on the literature on breeding for lice resistance and in-depth interviews with key actors in salmon farming and salmon breeding programs. Market-based factors do not stimulate lice resistance in breeding and policy instruments has not targeted breeding measures. Meanwhile, delousing treatments leads to high mortality in fish. This could paradoxically lead to increased demand for fish that better endures harsh delousing treatments rather than demand for more lice resistant fish

Overcoming barriers to breeding for increased lice resistance in farmed Atlantic salmon: A case study from Norway

This article discusses whether there is an untapped potential in breeding for improved lice resistant salmon roe and fish, and if so, what factor may explain the gap. Three sets of factors that may impact the state of breeding are examined: market-based factors, regulation of breeding technologies, and policy instruments. Methodologically, our data material relies on the literature on breeding for lice resistance and in-depth interviews with key actors in salmon farming and salmon breeding programs. Market-based factors do not stimulate lice resistance in breeding and policy instruments has not targeted breeding measures. Meanwhile, delousing treatments leads to high mortality in fish. This could paradoxically lead to increased demand for fish that better endures harsh delousing treatments rather than demand for more lice resistant fish.Overcoming barriers to breeding for increased lice resistance in farmed Atlantic salmon: A case study from NorwaypublishedVersio