February 5, 2007

US scientists poised to start the Blue Revolution

Hoping to mimic the Green Revolution which brought significant increases in crop yields to the world, US marine biologists at the University of Southern California are proposing to start a "Blue Revolution" in ocean farming.

Donal Manahan, co-author of a study appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition, said oysters, which was a mass market food in the past and currently a delicacy, could again become "the soy bean of the sea". 

Researchers have discovered the genes responsible for "hybrid vigor," or the ability of some children of crossbreeding to outgrow both parents. Hybrid vigor is of evolutionary as well as agricultural interest because it appears to favour biodiversity.

However, most animals do not express hybrid vigor to such an extent, and that makes oysters particularly strong candidates for aquaculture. Oysters are like corn as their hybrids grow much faster than the parents when there is biodiversity, researchers said. 

Knowing the genes for hybrid vigor takes the guesswork out of research which may enable companies to develop the best cross of corn strains, or oyster types.

Oysters already are the number one farmed aquatic species worldwide.

However, when it comes to large fishes, the sector is still hampered by environmental concerns and the apparent lack of hybrid vigor in most fish.