4. Discussion
The main objective of this study was to compare profitability using different two-step selection strategies in the dissemination of genetic gains from the nucleus to the grow-out tiers in a breeding program for salmonids. The comparisons were made by assessing alternative selection methods and selection proportions from the nucleus tier to the multiplier tier, and from the multiplier tier to grow-out tier. The six alternatives (Table 2) that were compared revealed a large effect of selection on profit, compared to random sampling of parents, but smaller effects between the different selection schemes ( Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). This study showed that two-step selection schemes will yield 22–218% higher profit for the grow-out producers than random sampling of parents, which may legitimate a higher egg prize, leading to higher profit also for the breeding companies/programmes.