Pearls of wisdom - Breeding for increase tolerance to juvenile pearl oyster mortality syndrome (Old ID 23472)

Department of Industry
Role

Principal Investigator

Description

A decade ago pearl farming was one of the major employers and contributors to the social-economic fabric of northern Australia, contributing $189.7 million farm-gate to the national economy. However, in recent years Australian pearl production has been severely impacted by episodic and large-scale mortality events by an as yet unidentified causative factor. These mortality events, termed juvenile pearl oyster mortality syndrome (or JPOMS), have resulted in massive write-downs in production and economic value of the industry. This project will develop the genetic knowledge and lay the foundation for a selective breeding program in pearl oysters that are resistance to JPOMS.

Date

01 Feb 2018 - 30 Jun 2021

Project Type

GRANT

Keywords

Pinctada maxima;JPOMS;Selective Breeding

Funding Body

Department of Industry

Amount

685875

Project Team

Kyall Zenger;Dave Jones;Jan Strugnell