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ABOUT US

GEN-FISH was a massive collaboration of researchers, professionals, and community-members who collectively worked to determine the location and abundance of Canada’s 200+ freshwater fish species, and measure how they are performing in the face of increasing (mostly human-caused) stressors.

This national project was funded through a competitive grant awarded by Genome Canada (Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition: Genomic Solutions for Agriculture, Agri-Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture).

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

GEN-FISH was proposed as a game-changer for freshwater fish management and conservation in Canada.

Accurate & ComprehensiveThree stylized strands of DNA designed to resemble fish

Using genomics methods, an accurate assessment of the status of freshwater fish resources is now possible in order to answer critical questions, such as:

  • Where are foreign species starting to invade so we can launch an effective early intervention?
  • More than 25% of our freshwater fish species are considered “at risk”—are there unknown pockets where they are thriving?
  • Are there important fish species in habitats impacted by proposed development?
  • What markers of health and performance help assure species success after reintroduction or stocking measures?
  • Do our aquaculture broodstock have the necessary markers to adapt to domestication? Are these markers being reliably transmitted to offspring?
  • Where are our economically-important fish stocks (e.g., commercial, aquaculture and sport-fishing)? How many of them are there? Are they healthy and performing well?
  • Will Canada’s important fish stocks (especially species at risk and economically-important fish) be able to adapt in the face of climate change?
  • How are stressors distributed across different waterbodies?

One stylized strand of DNA designed to resemble a fishQuick, Easy, Reliable, & Inexpensive

The ease and low cost of using genomics tools mean that, for the first time, testing can be:

  • Wide-spread, instead of concentrated on a few model lakes.
  • In logistically difficult places, since all that is required is a simple water sample rather than a multi-day fish capture effort.
  • Repeated often to follow up on the effectiveness of intervention strategies. Are the species at risk or introduced fish thriving? Has that construction taken a toll on the local population? Were invasive species eradicated? What about in one year, two years, five years?
  • In the hands of people who feel the impact of changes in freshwater fish ecology the most: those who live around the river or lake.

Position Canada as a Global Leader…One stylized strand of DNA designed to resemble a fish

In Conservation & Management
Declines in freshwater fish stocks are a world-wide phenomenon, and managers have been searching for comprehensive, cost-effective survey and management tools. With the prospect of saving millions annually while gathering better data, governments, NGOs, and industry around the world will continue to have their eyes on Canada to gauge the effectiveness of genomics tools.

In Freshwater Fish Science & Genomics
This project has strengthened Canada’s position as a global leader in freshwater fish science: we have produced the largest eDNA resource pool for freshwater species in the world and upwards of 20 novel gene expression panels for fish health.