Gene bank collection

Last modified: 08. October 2022

The fish gene bank of MATE HAKI

The gene conservation project has been a long running focus of the HAKI research centre , especially regarding  the live gene bank of common carp strains and sturgeon species.

The objectives of the live gene bank of common carp strains:
The main goals are the gene conservation of old Hungarian common carp landraces and foreign strains as well as to carry on breeding programs by utilizing the maintained genetic resources of common carp. According to the conservation strategy of the gene bank, common carp strains can be found in the following categories:

• Szarvas common carp breeds;
• Szarvas common carp crossbreeds (hybrids) with the required parental pure lines;
• Hungarian landraces and foreign strains with advantageous traits for breeding purposes;
• Old Hungarian landraces;
• Wild carps.

The objectives of the live gene bank of sturgeon species:
All natural populations of sturgeon species are vulnerable/endangered or at the brink of extinction. Therefore, one of the main conditions for the rehabilitation of their natural stock is the conservation of their gene pools in gene banks. Four of the five native sturgeon species are present in the ex-situ live gene bank (Beluga, Russian sturgeon, stellate sturgeon and sterlet).  Furthermore, three non-native species (Siberian sterlet, Siberian sturgeon and paddlefish) are also present in the gene bank and are utilized in aquaculture research.

Utilization of the above species:

• The gene bank is the basis of natural stock rehabilitation for mainly sterlet;
• The foreign species of the gene bank with high commercial value could broaden the range of domestic fish production with the development of culture technologies unique to the species.

The main activity in the gene bank is the maintenance of genetic diversity of fish stocks through appropriate broodstock management procedures, some of which are: 

• panmictic or targeted reproduction to maintain genetic diversity;
• gene pool replenishment with individuals from original populations, if applicable;
• tagging of all specimens for individual identification;
• recording of phenotypic characteristics of each fish;
• microsatellite marker-based genotyping of the individuals;
• recording and storage of all data in a cloud-based online registry (database)

The research staff perform population genetic studies based on microsatellite data on gene bank stocks and wild stocks.

Regarding the common carp, beside the gene conservation activity, the breeding has an important role in utilizing the available genetic resources of the available strains.

Other activities as ex-situ conservation in sturgeons are: 

1. supportive restocking programs where natural sturgeon populations are strengthened with genetically sound juveniles (known genetic background)
2. aquaculture oriented research (development of culture, reproduction and feeding technology as well as animal welfare conditions) in order to broaden the species range of domestic fish production.