Genetic Variation in Resistance of Arctic Char to Fungal Infection

Mortalities during outbreaks of fungal infections were recorded for 92 families of Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus reared at two commercial fish farms. A positive relationship was demonstrated between mortalities of replicated families raised at two fish farms (r = 0.52; P < 0.01). Heritability for mortality was estimated to be 0.34 ± 0.14 (SE) from sires and 0.10 ± 0.08 from dams. Genetic correlations between growth characters and mortality suggest a positive genetic relationship between good growth performance and resistance to fungal infections.