Turning the tide against a deadly oyster virus
In late 2010, Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS) hit Botany Bay’s Georges River estuary. Within a matter of days, nearly all the area’s cultivated Pacific oysters were dead. Worse was to come. By 2013, POMS had spread to a second NSW estuary – the Hawkesbury River, a prime oyster growing region – where the disease killed more than 10 million oysters in three days. Then, in January 2016, it turned up in Tasmanian waters, considered by some to be the least likely destination for POMS in Australia, due to the disease’s preference for water temperatures above 21-22°C.
How could the industry survive? Part of the answer lay in an already-flourishing genetic improvement program. Prior to 2010, Australian Seafood Industries – the sole supplier of selectively bred Pacific oyster broodstock to the Australian industry – had been working closely with CSIRO Aquaculture and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) on a genetic improvement program for Pacific oysters.
While that research was focused on breeding oyster ‘thoroughbreds’ – larger, juicier and more robust than their wild cousins – its direction quickly changed once POMS struck. Now, the race was on to breed oysters genetically predisposed to resist the disease. “Essentially, the message from industry was, forget your other priorities, have a look at this” says CSIRO Aquaculture senior geneticist, Dr Peter Kube. “Tell us whether genetics is going to be a solution, a management tool for this disease.”
CSIRO’s findings showed there was indeed a genetic basis. However, the genetic trait that was identified was new to science and a lot of new knowledge needed to be generated. For Dr Kube, the genetic improvement research continues. “CSIRO provides the specialist genetic knowhow. We’ve been analysing the trial data and interpreting it so that ASI can use it to choose which animals will be used as breeding stock in each new cycle” he says.
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CSIRO Aquaculture contact
Dr Peter Kube – Principal Research Scientist & Senior Geneticist