First 4 kg farmed cherry salmon born thanks to Japanese genetic breeding technology

A Japanese university-based startup, Smolt Inc., has successfully raised the first 4 kg cherry salmon (yamame) by combining all-female triploid technology, a three-year extended cultivation period, and high-temperature tolerance.

Thanks to this high-temperature resistance, this breakthrough opens new possibilities for aquaculture in warmer regions, enhances adaptation to global warming, and improves overall production stability.

Additionally, all-female triploid technology suppresses sexual maturation, allowing energy to be directed toward growth rather than reproduction and enabling longer cultivation periods.

Due to rising sea temperatures, suitable areas for salmon and trout farming have been declining each year, shortening production periods and reducing overall efficiency.

According to Smolt, cherry salmon raised using its technology can grow stably even at temperatures close to 20°C, paving the way for more sustainable aquaculture.

The company also plans to apply its all-female triploid technology to the mass production of salmon roe using a 100% female system, promoting more efficient roe production.

"In the future, we will work to optimize the breeding period in order to mass-produce the fish, and aim to create a production system that will enable cherry salmon to be recognized around the world as a delicious fish," assured Smolt CEO Ken Ueno.