Believe it or not, there are a few people for whom broodstock sciences sends them shivering like a salmon on a redd. New information or new techniques makes their mouths gape, the eyes gloss over and they revel in the moment. But, where it’s great to have new discoveries, the information flow somehow seems to stop at the level of the researcher or academic. This is similar to grant money on budget day; most of it stays in the house and precious little actually gets where it’s needed. Be that as it may, if the finfish aquaculture industry is to progress, it will be built on sound broodstock practices. This means improving information flow.

Imagine the following to illustrate the point of broodstock knowledge disparity in salmon farming companies:

That well-known and much-loved Canadian Alex Trebek is at the podium; on the board behind him are the Jeopardy TV’s that everyone thinks they can beat. Lined up are three contestants: first is a farm worker dressed in ball cap and a PFD (other clothes too), second is a manager dressed in the clothes they slept in because it’s budget time, third is an academic in a tweed jacket with leather patches on the elbows (or a labcoat if preferred).

The categories are things like Nutrition, Feed Rates, Handling Techniques Sedation and Anesthesia, Determining Ripeness, Cost of Production, Equipment and the lot. Like any good gameshow, not every contestant is proficient in all categories. Imagine the academic "I’d like ‘Handling Techniques’ for 1,000, please Alex." Or the farm worker "’Cost of Production’ for 10,000, please Alex." What if the Manager got the ‘Daily Double’ on ‘Determining Ripeness’? Who knows, there are those that are knowledgeable in all categories. The point is this: all the information behind the screens is important information that everyone at every level needs to have at least a rudimentary understanding.

The farm worker needs to know the business and science of raising broodstock. The manager has to know the needs of the worker and how to pass innovation on to the farm in a user-friendly way. The researcher has to be aware of the fundamental issues as they relate to production and to biological principles. Like any journey, getting there is half the fun.

The issue here is not intelligence, rather communication. Both ends and the middle, meaning the farm worker, the manager and the researcher have valuable contributions to knowledge about broodstock. All stakeholders have vested interest in getting their knowledge out and receiving that of others. The key here is how to do it.

Everyone collects data. Some people may not record it, but everyone collect it. Some of the most valuable data is experience. The only data of value is data shared.

How to communicate data. There are several logistical hurdles here that include time and space; the three contestants in the gameshow have only just met. The outcome of the show could be different if all three met on a regular basis. So how can this be done with travel costs, time, and pure bother.

One good way to get all parties on the same page is construction of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This is not a burden to pass to the farm worker, rather, a living document that has its roots in the theoretical (eg. stress effects when handling), to practical (cost of sedatives per unit volume yield – eggs), to technical (you want me to do this on how many fish?). A SOP gets reviewed twice each year, once before and once behind the spawning season. It keeps the manager and researcher abreast of new information, the manager abreast of performance and results and the researcher gets perspective on just how the new information translates into life.

In the virtual world there are a multitude of communication possibilities. Some of these you can do in your jammies and in the comfort of your own home. Shared files or folders are an option as are bulletin boards. Several professional organizations use ‘Chat’ rooms to parlay information and share ideas. So the time and treasure costs need not be high. What it really boils down to is attitude and willingness. And a dose of commitment.

Much of the information is not seasonal. This includes progress on selective breeding programmes, hatchery through-put, seawater performance data. That is, evaluation of the breeding cycle is a perpetual process and can not be separated from growout cycle. This means sharing and updating information is continuous.

On the other hand, some of the brood sciences are seasonal. This means discrete files of information can be updated on a regular basis or seasonally. SOPs fall into this category.

The idea here is to get organized with the data. Within a group or division of brood people, categorize the key features and set tasks according to priority. This goes for information and data gaps. What is most urgent? Address these issues first and move onto other priorities.

Seminars and workshops are valuable tools to updating and upgrading information. Most researchers are keen on presenting their data to eager ears and will travel to deliver information. As well, a few companies can pull it together to invite a couple of researchers to give talks and exchange information. This need not be elaborate or include tote bags that end up hauling groceries or little plastic name tags that clog desk drawers. For example: feed companies are often eager to do site visits and talk brood nutrition. The tough part is management buy-in. Validate and justify the time and a seminar or meeting will occur.

The message here is simple: communication means progress. This occurs within companies, regions, nations and as an industry. Everybody profits from shared information. And the fish lead a better life too.