The first genome sequencing of the native Shing fish have successfully completed by the researchers of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), in collaboration with experts from Japan and Sweden, (Heteropneustes fossilis), also known as the stinging catfish.
The research team, led by Professor Dr. Taslima Khanam from BAU’s Fisheries Biology and Genetics Department, announced this milestone at a press conference today. According to Dr. Taslima, this breakthrough has the potential to significantly boost Shing fish production.
Dr. Taslima highlighted that Tilapia is the second most important species in global fish production, largely due to monosex culture (the practice of farming either all-male or all-female fish populations). She emphasized that applying the genome sequencing findings to produce monosex Shing could revolutionize commercial catfish farming.
“Increasing fisheries production is essential to combat the impacts of global climate change and ensure food security,” Dr. Taslima stated. The Shing fish genome sequencing will be crucial in identifying genes responsible for sex determination, growth, disease resistance, and survival in adverse environments.
The identification of male and female Shing fish genes will enable rapid production of monosex populations through Marker Assisted Selection (MAS), bypassing traditional methods. This will expedite selective breeding processes, as male and female fish can be identified long before they reach sexual maturity.
Female Shing fish grow 40-60% faster than males, making sex identification vital for successful monosex Shing production. Thanks to next-generation sequencing technology, rapid identification of male and female Shing is now feasible.
Despite Shing and Magur (walking catfish) contributing only 2.52% to total freshwater fish production in 2020-21, these native species face threats from climate change, floods, overfishing, and habitat destruction.
The project, initiated by BAU’s Fisheries Biology Department during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 with its own funding, was later supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) from 2022 to 2024. Using PacBio HiFi Long Read (Revio) sequencing technology, Shing samples from the Brahmaputra River were sequenced at the University of Tokyo. The first draft genome of Shing was created through bioinformatic analysis using supercomputers.
