Genetic improvement of carp species in Asia (RETA 5711) : final report to the Asian Development Bank

Abstract

ADB RETA 5711 on the Genetic Improvement of Carp Species in Asia showed that the growth performance of carps, the most cultured fish in the world, could be improved by 10% per generation of selection, based on the preliminary studies of 4 carp species in the 6 Developing Member Countries (DMCs) participating (Bangladesh, the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam). This is similar to the results obtained by earlier research on tilapia selection and indicates great promise of gains, through selective breeding, in efficiency of production and potential increase in supply of carp. The longer generation time of carps compared to, say, tilapia, means that these gains will only be demonstrated adequately through a further project phase and may not be realized on farm from just the successful though preliminary work of Phase I. The major potential impact of the present project is the transfer of breeding technologies and methods that will enable participating countries to carry out their own breeding programmes.