The YAFIT (R&D) Laboratory, a subsidiary of the Gan Shmuel Fish Breeding Center, is extensively involved in R&D of applicative projects in aquaculture. The major topics on which YAFIT works are; fish reproduction, genetics and ploidy manipulations (gynogenesis, androgenesis, polyploidy) of Japanese koi, common carp, grass carp, black carp and other fish species.
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YAFIT Laboratory
The Israeli Fish Complex (IFC) is an innovative solution for biological control of the aquatic environment. The IFC comprises four fish species, native to large Chinese rivers, which affect water quality due to their specific food habits. Due to special anatomical characteristics, each species selectively feeds at different levels of the food chain (see below the pharyngeal teeth of grass carp and black carp). Stocking the IFC in appropriate ratios can improve water quality of reservoirs and other water bodies by controlling nuisance organisms. Each species plays a specific role: The Silver Carp filters unicellular algae; the Bighead feeds on zooplankton; the Grass Carp eliminates water vegetation; the Black Carp controls water mollusk population. The fish are not an environmental threat because they can breed only in large river systems and can be stocked as sterile triploids. The species are reproduced by induced spawning methods, at the Gan Shmuel Fish Breeding Center, in Israel.
The Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
above - Wild-type colored
below - Albino mutant
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Ploidy manipulation in fish
