World-first mapping of the Aussie tiger prawn genome

James Cook University researchers have been part of the first-ever successful effort to map the genome of an iconic Australian seafood species—that of the Australian black tiger prawn—which may lead to bigger and more disease resistant farmed stock in the future. JCU Professor of Aquaculture Dean Jerry said the research came out of the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Advanced Breeding, a collaboration between JCU, the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF), the University of Sydney, CSIRO and Seafarms Group. The partnership aimed to improve productivity and efficiency of farming prawns through the use of genetic selection."The idea was to improve the capability of Australian prawn farmers to apply selective breeding practices to produce larger and ...