New knowledge about sexual maturation in cod
The use of artificial lighting in cages has proven effective in delaying sexual maturation in salmon - but the effect on cod is not the same. Now researchers are investigating why.
"With continuous 24-hour artificial lighting in land-based tanks, we have succeeded in delaying sexual maturation, even in cod, by at least a year. Using additional lighting in the cages only postpones sexual maturation by six to nine months," explains project manager Birgitta Norberg of the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen. "That is not enough to justify the added costs."
The project is profiled in the most recent newsletter from the HAVBRUK programme ("Nytt fra HAVBRUK" no. 1/2009, available in Norwegian only).
(Photo: Skjalg Ekeland)
Knowledge needed
Dr Norberg does not deny that lighting control could be an important method in cod production as well, but first, she asserts, it is necessary to generate more knowledge about the basic biological mechanisms that control sexual maturation in cod.
"This is why we have gone to the molecular-biological level to study the expression of key genes and hormonal effects under various light regimes, and their relation to sexual maturation in cod."
Putting theory into practice
She believes that the findings of this project, along with those of other ongoing research, will eventually translate into practical knowledge about lighting - when it should be applied in the cages, as well as its intensity and colour - in order to inhibit sexual maturation most effectively.
"We are currently carrying out basic research," points out Dr Norberg, "because the more we understand of the basic mechanisms, the better we will be able to control them in the future."
- Published:
- 25.05.2009
- Last updated:
- 26.05.2009
From the newsletter
The newsletter (in Norwegian):
- Nytt fra HAVBRUK nr 1/2009 (PDF-310.7 KB)
Contact
- Rolf Giskeødegård +47 22 03 70 97 rg@forskningsradet.no
