In a major breakthrough in Indian marine fisheries research, a team of scientists at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) have decoded the whole genome of the Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps), a popular food fish. This is the first time that the genome of a marine fish species from the Indian subcontinent has been decoded. 

 

CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan said that the decoded genome will be a valuable resource for understanding the biology, ecology and evolution of the oil sardine. “This critical genome data could be used to improve the management strategies for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of this fish”, he said. 

 

The decoded genome is 1.077 Gb in size and contains a total of 46316 protein coding genes. This landmark research accomplishment was achieved through the cutting-edge Next Generation Sequencing technology by a group of researchers led by Dr Sandhya Sukumaran, Principal Scientist at Marine Biotechnology division of the CMFRI. This research has been published in the high impact journal Scientific Data of Nature group. 

 

Indian oil sardine is a vital fisheries resource in the Indian subcontinent, contributing substantially, approximately 10%, to the total marine fisheries industry in India.

(Release ID: 1955382)