Genomic selection tools for tilapia disease resistance are maturing, enabling faster genetic progress toward strains with reduced disease welfare burden.
Genomic selection for tilapia disease resistance represents a scalable welfare improvement mechanism. Traditional selective breeding requires large challenge test populations and multi-generation timelines. Genomic tools enable prediction of breeding values from genetic markers alone, accelerating the rate of genetic progress. As streptococcal disease is one of the most welfare-significant pathogen challenges in tilapia farming — causing bacterial meningitis and septicemia — genetic resistance that reduces disease incidence has direct welfare benefits at production scale.