National Taiwan Ocean University Aquaculture Entrepreneurial Team Creates High-Quality Taiwanese Fish Breeding Brand, Receives FITI Competition Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award

In recent years, the development of the aquaculture industry has been severely affected by factors such as global climate change. The entrepreneurial team of the Aquaculture Department at National Taiwan Ocean University, "Taiwan Aqua Breeding Technology," has utilized the genomic scientific research strategies and molecular marker technology platform developed by the Taiwan Aquatic Breeding Team(TABT) to enhance the quality of fish breeding. They have successfully mass-produced a strain of Taiwan Tilapia with stress-resistant characteristics, aiming to establish a high-quality Taiwanese fish breeding brand. Recently, out of the 40 outstanding academic research teams selected in the first stage of the 2023-1 FITI (Future Innovators of Taiwan Initiative) Program organized by the National Science Council, they have stood out to receive the highest honor, the "Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award," along with a startup fund of 1 million NTD!

The Taiwan Aqua Breeding Technology team is led by Associate Professors Huang Chang Wen, Gong Hong Yi, and Assistant Professor Hsu Te Hua, who are part of the TABT. The team is composed of four graduates and current students from the aquaculture department: Chiang Chung-Ping, Chu Pei-Yun, Chang Yung Cheng, and Hou Wei Wei. Chiang Chung-Ping mentioned that the team itself has experience in molecular-assisted breeding research and hopes to commercialize the technology of precision breeding platforms. However, they found that the commercialization of new technologies in the aquaculture industry is not easy. To ensure that aquaculture industry stakeholders clearly understand the benefits of precision breeding platforms and their potential market, the students formed a startup team. Their goal is to mass-produce high-quality, economically viable Taiwan Tilapia strains, continuously improve cultivation efficiency, quality, and nutritional flavor. After establishing the company, they plan to leverage their teachers' expertise to drive innovation in the Taiwan Tilapia industry.

The Precision Breeding Platform can screen for high-quality fish fry before traits are expressed.

Chiang Chung-Ping added that Taiwan Tilapia is an improved variety of high-quality Tilapia. It is currently farmed in over a hundred countries worldwide and holds significant global market potential. The precision breeding platform utilizes genomic marker-assisted selection to identify superior fish fry before their traits are expressed, reducing the time required for multiple generations of breeding by more than half. While Taiwan Tilapia already exhibits good growth rates and environmental adaptability, the TABT team has further enhanced its stress resistance. Their cold-resistant strains survive at 10°C water temperature, salt-tolerant strains thrive in full seawater farming, and disease-resistant strains exhibit over 90% survival rates even after exposure to Streptococcus iniae infection. Additionally, the team can achieve combinations of multiple favorable traits through hybrid breeding, providing flexibility aligned with market demands.

Taiwan Excellent Fish Breeding Biotechnology Inherits NTOU Aquatic Breeding Team

The team stated that the aquaculture division of the Taiwan Tilapia industry typically involves simple roles: seedling breeding farms produce fish fry, which are then raised by growers until they reach market size, and subsequently processed and sold. They have already achieved mass production of their selected high-quality strains and plan to begin by selling fish fry. Ultimately, they aspire to become leaders in the seedling breeding sector, offering scientifically guided genetic management services to seedling breeders. This will enhance genetic management and selection, cultivate high-value strains, and propel Taiwan's Tilapia aquaculture industry toward international markets with a high-precision and efficient production model!