Game

Reindeer

Fish

Aquaculture

Economics and society


	Natural resources		Food production		Aquaculture Forum

Game-, Reindeer- and AquaFood Research Program – GRAF :


»	Consumer needs and expectations in the global markets

»	Healthy, tasty, and high-quality food products

»	Diverse and sustainable food production

»	Changes in livelihoods and business sector competitiveness


»	Projects
	•	Developing Reindeer husbandry and Reindeer meat market
	•	Markets for products of captive fisheries
	•	BENEFISH – the economic impact of the welfare of fish in European fish farming
	•	Development of fish product quality research
	•	Effects of live-chilling on product quality
	•	Regulating the sexual maturity of rainbow trout in food fish production
	•	Improving fish quality
	•	The quality of European whitefish in the supply chain
	•	Electric stunning of vendace
	•	Action plan for sustainable aquaculture in Åland
	•	Effects of location guidance on the fish farming economy
	•	Environmental investment in fish farming
	•	Diversifying aquaculture
	•	Research on the selective breeding of whitefish
	•	Research on production biology
	•	New wave
	•	Software for assessing the profitability of fish farming
	•	Economic success factors of the reindeer husbandry
	•	Fish Consumption and the Catering Sector
	•	Utilization of less-valuable fish material in food, feed and bioenergy

Research on the selective breeding of whitefish

Selective breeding is a widely used method that improves both the productivity and product quality of domestic animals. European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) is a new species in food fish farming; it has only been farmed for a few generations. With selective breeding, the characteristics of the partly wild whitefish can be improved for farming purposes.

The goal of the project

The project formulates an efficient whitefish breeding programme that offers optimal financial benefit. The heritability values of different production parameters and product qualities are studied, and their significance for different agents in the value chain is assessed. With the help of the programme, it is possible to make breeding decisions based on the characteristics that give the highest benefit to the whole value chain: from primary production to the fish shop. The programme is split into four projects: Market and economic studies (FGFRI, Turku), Sea farming and product quality studies (FGFRI Rymättylä), Nutrition studies (FGFRI Laukaa) and Formulating and optimizing the breeding programme (Agrifood Research Finland and FGFRI Tervo).

Scientist in charge of project

Juha Koskela
Jyväskylä Game and Fisheries Research
Survontie 9 FI-40500 Jyväskylä, Finland
Phone +35820 575 1516
e-mail: firstname.lastname@rktl.fi

Other research staff: Kari Ruohonen, Jari Setälä, Markus Kankainen, Susanna Airaksinen and Tapio Kiuru from FGRI
Antti Kause, Cheryl Quinton ja Esa Mäntysaari from MTT Agrifood Research Finland

Cooperation: MTT Agrifood Research Finland

Duration: 2004–2008

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