Re:[GSAS-Member]Inbreeding

[steev ward <steevward@mac.com>]

John Ruhland wrote:
"In researching some fish I recently got, the literature clearly states that
this inbreeding has caused certain fish lines to be unhealthy."

John-

The expression that many lines of fish are unhealthy due to inbreeding is
mostly just "something we say" in the fish hobby. As far as I know there has
never been any good evidence of such. Be careful when you refer to such
information as coming from "the literature" (especially if this information
comes from a fish magazine or from the web) because that implies that there
is some kind of standard for accuracy, which there probably is not. Just as
with human health everyone is free to make whatever statement they want,
regardless of truth. In both cases there are a lot of things that we state
as if they were true, when really there is no good evidence. If it seems to
make sense then we repeat it. If enough people repeat it we accept it. After
we have accepted it for a long time it becomes common knowledge. Then if you
write it down or put it on the web it becomes fact.

I am reminded of an article I read a few years ago called "Inbreeding is a
Good Thing."  By Brian Ahmer, Ph.D.  I believe it may have been published in
Flare, the publication of the International Betta Congress.
The genetic principles in question are very interesting. They involve LOSING
either beneficial traits or deleterious ones. The GAINING of a detrimental
gene is not all that much of a threat. The other point, that inbreeding
produces more fish with more than one copy of a detrimental gene, is
something that Mr. Ahmer sees as a GOOD thing, because such fish can be
weeded out.

Steev

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