International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.3, 123-133 http://ecoevopublisher.com/index.php/ijmec 131 7 Application Prospects and Research Prospects 7.1 Genetic diversity protection and germplasm resource management Clarifying the genetic structure of different catfish populations will help identify evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) and management units (MUs), thereby implementing targeted conservation strategies. For genetically significantly differentiated populations, mixed fishing and mixed breeding should be avoided to protect their unique gene pools. On the contrary, for fish with frequent gene flow and a single population (such as the Amazon whip catfish), each region should coordinate and control fishing intensity. It is not possible to implement fishing restrictions only in local areas while allowing over-exploitation in other areas, because the entire population is connected, and the decline of one area will affect the entire region. Through genetic marker monitoring, managers can also promptly discover the changing trends of population genetic diversity, so as to take early intervention measures such as enhancement and release. The latest IUCN guidelines also incorporate genetic diversity into the biodiversity monitoring framework, proposing that species and populations with unique genetic lineages should be monitored first (Hvilsom et al., 2022). 7.2 Aquaculture breeding and genetic improvement Catfish is an important farmed fish in the world, and genetic research has great potential in the cultivation of new strains and breeding of improved varieties. By analyzing the genetic structure of the cultured population, we can understand whether its genetic basis is robust and whether there is an inbreeding risk. On the other hand, population genetic analysis can identify the genetic distance between different strains and genetic markers related to excellent traits, which can be used to formulate breeding and mating strategies. Popoola (2022)'s study on African catfish suggested that farms should select parents from wild populations with a long genetic distance and implement hybrid breeding to produce offspring with better growth performance and higher genetic diversity. . With the development of genomic technology, molecular breeding has also begun to be applied to catfish: high-density SNP chips or whole-genome selection technology can accelerate the screening of individuals with target traits such as disease resistance and fast growth. Zhu et al. (2024) pointed out in their review that CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology has been successfully used in the study of catfish sex control genes and growth trait improvement experiments. In the future, it is not ruled out that new catfish strains with stronger stress resistance or better breeding performance will be directly cultivated through genetic engineering. 7.3 New technologies and data sharing cooperation In the future, catfish population genetics research will benefit greatly from the development of emerging technologies. Non-invasive methods such as environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring have shown promise for fish community and population detection and are expected to be applied to population movement tracking and genetic monitoring in catfish habitats. At the same time, the further reduction in the cost of high-throughput sequencing will make whole-genome-scale data more widely available, making it possible to analyze the impact of adaptive genetic variation and genomic structural variation on population differentiation. At present, reference genomes for some catfish have been constructed (such as channel catfish, blue catfish, and yellow catfish). In the future, these reference genomes can be used to carry out population resequencing to find functional allele differences related to environmental adaptation or reproductive strategies. In addition, the development of big data and bioinformatics platforms has also promoted global cooperation and data sharing. Both Formiga et al. (2021) and Vu et al. (2020) emphasized the necessity of transnational cooperation for the management of migratory catfish. At the policy level, international organizations such as IUCN have incorporated genetic diversity into the strategic goals of biodiversity. Countries should promote the establishment of genetic resource monitoring networks and incorporate genetic data of important species such as catfish into long-term observations. Through regional and global cooperation, we can more effectively respond to cross-border challenges such as invasive species and climate change and maintain the health and evolutionary potential of catfish populations. Acknowledgments We are grateful to review expert for critically reading the manuscript and providing valuable feedback that improved the clarity of the text.
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