** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE DECODE THE SALMONID GENOME PROJECT IS A MAJOR RESEARCH EFFORT AIMED AT BETTER UNDERSTANDING HOW CHANGES IN THE GENETIC CODE IN ANIMALS CAN INFLUENCE BIOLOGICAL TRAITS. THIS KNOWLEDGE WILL IMPOROVE THE SELECTION OF HIGHER PRODUCING AGRICULTURAL ANIMALS THAT CAN PRODUCE MORE FOOD ON LESS FEED AND WITH LESS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. INSIGHT IN TO HOW THE GENOME FUNCTIONS COULD ALSO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ANIMAL AND HUMAN HEALTH AS WELL AS HOW TO BETTER PROTECT OUR PRECIOUS NATURAL SPECIES FROM BIOLOGICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR ABILITY TO CHARACTERIZE GENOME FUNCTION IN ANIMALS IS CURRENTLY LIMITED BY THE TIME AND RESOURCES REQUIRED TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE GENETIC CODE AND THEN MEASURE THEIR EFFECT ON THE WHOLE ORGANISM. TO OVERCOME THIS LIMITATION, THE DECODE THE SALMONID GENOME PROJECT WILL USE ADVANCES IN CRISPR GENOME EDITING TECHNOLOGY AND A UNIQUE AGRICULTURAL MODEL SYSTEM, THE RAINBOW TROUT, TO PERFORM THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE PROFILING OF THE GENOME INAN AGRICULTURAL SPECIES. THE RESEARCH AIMS TO EVALUATE THE FUNCTION OF OVER 1000 LOCATIONS IN THE TROUT GENOME TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO REGIONS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE GROWTH OF ANIMALS AND THEIR ABILITY TO TOLERATE HIGH TEMPERATURES AND LOW OXYGEN LEVELS. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, TROUT FAMILIES WILL BE ENGINEERED WITH CRISPR GENOME EDITING TECHNOLOGY TO HAVE MULTIPLE GENETIC MODIFICATIONS (4-12). NUMEROUS FAMILIES WILL BE PRODUCED TO CREATE A MIXED POPULATION WITH OVER 1000 GENETICALLY MODIFIED LOCATIONS. HIGH AND LOW PERFORMING FAMILIES WILL THEN BE IDENTIFIED USING A HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING PROCESS THAT ASSESSES THE GROWTH, THERMAL TOLERANCE AND HYPOXIA TOLERANCE OF EACH FAMILY. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO RAPIDLY IDENTIFY GENETIC CHANGES THAT INFLUENCE THESE KEY BIOLOGICAL TRAITS OF INTEREST.THROUGH THIS EFFORT, A NATIONAL RESOURCE OF GENE EDITED FISH WILL BE PRODUCED THAT CONTAIN UNIQUE GENETIC CHANGES WHICH CAN BE STUDIED BY FUTURE INTERESTED RESEARCH GROUPS. THE GENE EDITED LINES WILL FORM THE FOUNDATION FOR MORE ADVANCED STUDIES INVESTIGATING THE INTERACTION OF THESE GENETIC CHANGES ON COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL TRAITS, SOMETHING THAT IS DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO PERFORM USING CURRENT METHODS. THE MODEL SYSTEMS PRODUCED IN THIS RESEARCH WILL ALSO LIKELY CONTAIN MANY NOVEL PRODUCTION TRAITS THAT CAN BE IDENTIFIED AND SELECTED FOR TO IMPROVE THE GENETICS OF US CULTURED SALMON AND TROUT SPECIES. TAKEN TOGETHER THE RESEARCH WILL FUNDAMENTALLY ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SALMON AND TROUT BIOLOGY AND THE GENETICS UNDERLYING IMPORTANT AQUACULTURE TRAITS WHILE ALSO PROVIDING KNOWLEDGE OF CONSERVED BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THAT COULD HAVE BROADER IMPACTS ON OTHER AGRICULTURAL SECTORS OR EVEN HUMAN HEALTH.