Xelect

Xelect is a growth company targeting the global aquaculture supply chain. We are a market leader in supplying the latest genetic selection technology to improve the productivity of aquaculture operations to meet the ever expanding consumer demand for quality seafood. The company is a spin-out from St Andrews University and has been trading profitably since launch, three years ago. Xelect originated from the research of Professor Ian Johnston at the University of St Andrews and was launched with co-founder Dr Tom Ashton, following doctoral research into the genetic basis of fillet quality in Atlantic salmon. The use of genetic testing techniques underpins most modern agriculture breeding programmes, and the rapidly growing global aquaculture market presents a huge opportunity. Half of all seafood consumed now comes from aquaculture. Aquaculture production reached 66.6 million tonnes worth U$144 billion in 2012. Less than 10% of production currently uses genetically selected strains which have the potential to dramatically improve yield, sustainability, and the welfare of farmed livestock. In the face of increasing environmental constraints, the use of genetic selection will need to become the norm in order to meet increasing demand for seafood as the human population grows to an estimated 9 billion by 2050.