BAU research team successful in genome sequencing of Shing fish

Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) researchers, along with other researchers from the country, Japan and Sweden, have successfully completed the first genome sequencing of native Shing fish, a kind of catfish also known as stinging catfish. 

The team was led by Professor Dr Taslima Khanam, from the university's Fisheries Biology and Genetics Department.

According to the researchers, this achievement has the potential to significantly increase the production of Shing. Lead researcher Dr Taslima presented the factual arguments at a press conference organised at BAU today.

Speaking at the conference, Dr Taslima said Tilapia is the second most important species in global fish production, the majority of which comes from monosex Tilapia. (Monosex refers to the culture of either all-male or all-female fish populations, a popular approach in aquaculture).

"Similarly, using the research findings, it is possible to produce monosex Shing, which will revolutionise the commercial farming of the species of catfish. 

"There is no alternative to increasing fisheries production to combat the effects of global climate change and ensure food security," she added.

She further said, "Shing fish genome will be important in identifying not only genes that determine male-female fish, but also genes responsible for other traits such as growth, disease resistance and survival in adverse environments."

"The identification of genes determining male-female fish will enable the production of monosex Shing in a short period of time through Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) instead of conventional methods," she added.

She also noted, "The identification of male and female fish long before they become sexually mature will speed up the traditional selective breeding processes."

According to the researchers, female Shing grows 40-60% faster than the male Shing. 

So, identifying the male and female fish is important for successful production of monosex Shing, they said adding that by utilising the latest next-generation sequencing technology, rapid identification of male and female fish is now feasible.

The researcher also said, according to statistics from 2020-21, only 2.52% of total fish production in sweet water comes from Shing and Magur, another form of catfish also known as walking catfish. 

However, due to climate change, floods, excessive harvesting, and destruction of natural habitats, these native fish species are currently facing threats, they added.

The project, initiated by the Fisheries Biology Department of BAU during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 with its own funding, was completed by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) from 2022 to 2024. Using the PacBio HiFi Long Read (Revio) sequencing technology, samples of Shing collected from the Brahmaputra River were sequenced at the University of Tokyo in Japan. Subsequently, utilising supercomputers, the first draft genome of Shing was created through bioinformatic analysis.