Fisheries institute in Kerala decodes genome secrets of oil sardine

Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi has decoded the whole genome of the Indian oil sardine, the staple fish of Kerala. This is the first time that the genome of a marine fish species from the Indian subcontinent has been decoded.

Describing the feat as a ‘milestone’ in Indian marine fisheries, CMFRI director Dr A Gopalakrishnan said the decoded genome would be a valuable resource for understanding the biology, ecology and evolution of the oil sardine. “This critical 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 46,316 protein-coding genes. It is the cutting-edge next-generation technology for sequencing that helped decode the genome. The technology was developed by a group of researchers led by CMFRI Marine Biology division principal scientist Sandhya Sukumaran. The research has been published in the journal Scientific Data of Nature.

“Small pelagic fish like the Indian oil sardines can be considered as model organisms to study the climatic as well as fishing impacts on the Indian Ocean resources. Sardines are an ecologically important part of the marine ecosystem as they form an intermediate link in the food web and serve as prey for larger predators. The genome assembly of the sardines is a valuable tool in the research to find out how fish adapt to climate change,” said Gopalakrishnan.

“This fish is a transboundary resource and the whole genome information can be utilised for certification of the fishery and identification of the origin of catch and tracking its movements,” he said.