Biochemical & Genetic Engineering In Marine Aquaculture: The Role Of Modern Biotechnology In The Production Of Food From The Oceans

Intensification of production, modernization of techniques, and improvement of cultivars are needed to increase the economic efficiency of marine aquaculture industries in the United States and many other countries, to make these industries compatible with contemporary economic reality.Recently developed methods of biochemical and genetic engineering can be adapted for control of those biological processes which intrinsically limit the efficiency and yield of aquaculture production, to help achieve these necessary improvements. As illustrated by results obtained with abalones and other commercially valuable marine molluscs described here, critical life-cycle stages which thus far have proved amenable to improved control by these methods include:reproduction, larval settlement, metamorphosis, and the acceleration of early growth.