LIFFE

LIFFE stands for Ljubljana International Film Festival. Four years ago we were checking the programme and saw a movie with a very fish related title. So members of the BTRG went to see Fickende Fische (Do Fish Do It?). The idea was good and worth repeating. The following year we waited too long to get the tickets so we went to see a movie with absolutely no fish related subject, Les Poupées russes (The Russian Dolls). Last year it was Sonhos de Peixe (Fish Dreams) and this year we selected a documentary Encounters at the End of the World.

4 core members of the BTRG went to see the movie plus 1 special guest star, we also met 2 former co-workers in the cinema. About the movie shot in Antarctica.... It is not a "fluffy penguin movie", more a series of interviews with "professional travellers and occasional workers", and weirdo scientists. We now understand a little bit better what people we meet on field trips think about us and our work.

BTRG and Fisheries Institute of Slovenia have started extensive genetic analysis of brown trout across Slovenia

Native populations of brown trout in Slovenia are seriously endangered by introduced trout originating from Atlantic hatchery-reared strains.

BTRG and Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia have started systematic screening of brown trout populations across Slovenia in order to assess the extent of “foreign blood” in native brown trout, to locate genetically pure populations and to promote an action plan for rehabilitation and preservation of native brown trout stocks.

The project is funded by the Slovenian Research Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food in the amount of 100000 €, and is being performed in a co-operation with several local angling clubs and associations across Slovenia.

Rozman et al., 2008

A paper based on Tamara's PhD thesis was just published in Animal Genetics. Two actively transcribed transferrin loci were found in both Salmo trutta and Salmo marmoratus, another evidence of ancient duplication (tetraploidization) of salmonid genome.

Preparation of metaphase chromosomes was performed in cooperation with Petr Rab's lab in Libechov, Czech Republic, fluorescent in situ hybridization was carried out at the Maribor Teaching Hospital, Slovenia.

Reprints available on request.

Introducing Gašper

Introduction of the new member of BTRG, PhD student under "Young Researcher" program, financed by the Slovenian Research Agency for the next 4.5 years:

My name is Gašper Pustovrh and I study genetics. I love to do things that involve water - like fishing, underwater fishing, free diving, etc. I graduated from veterinary medicine I already as an undergraduate student I knew I want to work with fishes. That is why I applied for a young researcher at the Chair of Genetics, Animal Biotechnology and Immunology in the Balkan trout restoration group. I am trying to find new markers that can differentiate Marble trout from Brown trout which is of great importance in preservation of the Marble trout.

Field trip (sep 2008) - photos

As promised, here are pictures from Morocco. Most of pictures are by Johannes and some from Aleš's trip from 2006. Saša's camera was stolen somewhere on the way back home.

Field trip (sep 2008)

BTRG went to Morocco trying to get more brown trout samples for genetic analysis being performed in co-operation with Mohamed Ghamizi and Said Janjani, both from University Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, and Patrick Berrebi. Aleš, Saša and Johannes crisscrossed the country searching mainly for brown trout from the Mediterranean drainage.

Brown trout of Atlantic lineage was recently found in Sicily, therefore populations in North Africa might represent a link to populations of Atlantic lineage in Spain. Preliminary genetic analysis of Moroccan brown trout confirmed that at least those from the Atlantic drainage appear to be closely related to brown trout from Iberian Peninsula. Previously, Bo Delling has studied Moroccan brown trout from morphological perspective, now, we intend to analyse them also from the genetic perspective.

Picture gallery will be uploaded in the next few days.

Workshop in La Fouly

Andrej participated in a workshop "Managing adaptive genetic variation in conservation biology" organized by the University of Lausanne in La Fouly, Switzerland, between 3-6 September 2008. Invited speakers and participants presented theoretical and practical examples of how to detect and manage traits that are under selection in a specific local environment. Andrej presented his work in progress "Establishing a brood stock of least introgressed native brown trout from admixed populations".

Some pictures from the workshop can be found here.