JST Top > Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development > Projects >

Development of Aquaculture Technology for Food Security and Food Safety in the Next Generation

Bioresources

Kingdom of Thailand

Finished

Development of Aquaculture Technology for Food Security and Food Safety in the Next Generation

A Team Effort between Thailand and Japan to Open Up New Horizons in Aquaculture

Principal Investigator

- Research Prof. OKAMOTO Nobuaki
  Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology

ODA Recipient Country

Kingdom of Thailand

Research Institutions in Japan

Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology / National Research Institute of Aquaculture, Fisheries Research Agency (FRA) / Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)

Research Institutions in Counterpart Country

Department of Fisheries (DOF) / Kasetsart University (KU) / Chulalongkorn University (CU) / Walailak University (WU)

Adoption fiscal year

FY 2011

Research Period

5 Years

Overview of the Research Project

Next-generation of aquaculture system promises solutions to current issues
Aquaculture has boomed in recent years worldwide, and now accounts for almost 50% of all fishery produce. However, fish farms face great many problems, including frequent disease outbreaks, securing stable supplies of feed, and maintenance of safety, and there is an urgent need for next-generation technologies that address these problems. As the leaders of Asia's aquaculture industry, Thailand and Japan have teamed up to leverage biotechnology to develop new systems for boosting production of groupers, sea bass, prawn and other commercially important varieties of seafood. In particular, molecular breeding, surrogate broodstock technology, immunization/ vaccines, development of feed alternatives, establishment of stricter seafood safety protocols will be the focus.

Focus also on creation of improved strains as a new departure in aquaculture
This project aims to leverage molecular genetic findings to develop strains that grow rapidly and are resistant to disease and stress. We will also attempt to use certain species of fish as surrogates to produce the gametes of species that have so far proven difficult to culture, as well as developing technologies for other aspects of aquaculture, including the production of alternatives to fish meal as feed, prevention of infectious diseases, and assurance of food safety.