Foodies have reason to celebrate the latest project led by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service aquaculture experts. They are advancing the sustainable supply of red drum fish from Texas’ Gulf Coast, where the majority of the U.S. supply originates.
(Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife)
AgriLife Extension researchers are launching the first-ever study focused on genetic improvement of Texas’ commercial red drum aquaculture stock.
The stock improvement program is supported by a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, SRAC.
The project is led by Todd Sink, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension aquaculture specialist and associate professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, and Brittany Chesser, AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation management program specialist and lead diagnostic scientist at AgriLife Extension’s Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory. Sink and Chesser are based in Bryan-College Station.
Texas leads the nation in red drum aquaculture
The origins of red drum aquaculture can be traced back to the 1980s when consumer demand and overfishing led to a population collapse in the Gulf of Mexico’s red drum fisheries.
“Within a decade, commercial fishing basically wiped-out red drum from the Gulf,” Sink said. “The industry had to scramble to develop red drum aquaculture techniques to not only meet the demand for food fish but also assist the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in stock restoration programs in the Gulf.”
Since then, red drum fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico have recovered and are a critical component of the state’s recreational fishing industry, which annually contributes more than $1 billion to the Texas economy.
“If you buy farm-raised red drum at a supermarket or order it at a restaurant anywhere in the U.S., there’s a very good chance that it was produced in Texas.”
Todd Sink
AgriLife Extension aquaculture specialist, associate professor, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management
The aquaculture industry contributing to the red drum fisheries recovery has also grown. According to the USDA 2018 Census of Aquaculture, Texas is home to eight of the 12 red drum farms in the U.S.
“If you buy farm-raised red drum at a supermarket or order it at a restaurant anywhere in the U.S., there’s a very good chance that it was produced in Texas,” Sink said.
Using data from the 2018 aquaculture census as well as a 2021 internal industry report, Sink estimates the red drum industry in Texas — from farm to restaurant to consumer — has an annual economic contribution of more than $220 million.
Research seeks to diversify, improve commercial red drum genetics
All the broodfish used in red drum aquaculture were captured from the wild, and because it is a long-lived species, Sink said many of those same fish have spawned on the same farms since the early stages of the industry.
“A large farm might produce 5 million food fish a year, and all of those fish might be from six to eight parents,” Sink said. “If something happens to one of your broodfish, you’re severely impacting not just that farm but the entire industry.”
Sink and Chesser’s work seeks to remedy this.
Together, the team will collect genetic information from at least half of the existing state and commercial hatcheries to generate new stock. This new broodstock will then be selectively grown out and genetically tested for ideal traits, including growth rate, improved feed conversion and cold tolerance.
Sink said cold tolerance is of great importance for producers following dramatic losses incurred during Winter Storm Uri and additional cold snaps in subsequent years.
“Since the industry started, producers typically would expect a damaging freeze about every 10 years, but we’ve seen three catastrophic freezes in the last six years,” Sink said. “They are in dire need of cold-tolerant fish.”
Project to produce guiding document on implementation of breeding plan
Sink said the three-year turnaround for this project is a very short timeline compared to the decades-long genetic improvement programs seen in catfish and striped bass.
During this time, the research team will also develop a guiding document for producers detailing the non-technical background, design and resources making it possible for them to implement the breeding program within their own operations.
“Breeding values, representing the value of each fish, and pedigree data will be used to create a breeding plan for producers to create the next generation of broodstock that will maximize genetic gains of desired traits while minimizing inbreeding,” Sink said.
The guiding document will provide multiple strategies from SRAC experts for producers’ red drum selective breeding programs.
Sink said he hopes this work will improve efficiency and continued success in Texas’ red drum production with the ultimate goal of industry expansion.
“The SRAC works under a producer-focused model that keeps them engaged in the research and decision-making process,” Sink said. “This project was determined by the producers, and we will have a deliverable guide available to them by the end of the project term.”
