WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2022 47 repositories (or biobanks or gene banks). Surprisingly, dairy provided a great model for fish and shellfish because it is a large, mature global industry based on protecting, shipping and selling valuable genetics in the form of frozen semen. All those are activities that will be very important for eventual application of similar technology to aquatic species. This focus on applying the results of research in the real world was intended to help multiple aquatic groups. For example, fish farmers, just like ranchers or crop farmers, need genetic improvement to ensure that they can produce a high-quality product. Maintaining valuable broodfish in ponds is expensive and risky. Freezing the sperm offers a way to preserve valuable genetics and easily use them in selective breeding programs. This kind of approach could help ensure the future of oyster landings and support hatcheries and farmers in responding to problems such as low salinity, ocean acidification or disease. The genetic Following World War II, 1947 was a time of national growth and investment in the United States. In that year a 4,200ft2 state-of-the-art building was constructed adjacent to LSU, surrounded by agricultural lands next to the Mississippi River levee. The building housed the LSU Dairy Improvement Center (DIC). In the following decades, additions to the DIC more than tripled its size and additional facilities were constructed to support activities to improve the genetics and milk yield of dairy cattle. The activities of the LSU Dairy Science Department at the DIC were also partnered with on-site commercial entities including Genex Cooperative, Inc., and Continental Genetics LLC. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Terrence Tiersch of the LSU Agricultural Center – Aquaculture Research Station began work with LSU dairy scientist Dr. John Chandler at the DIC to pioneer the freezing of fish sperm by use of established industrial approaches developed for semen of dairy bulls. This work in cryopreservation provided the foundation for the shift from research laboratory protocols to establishment of programs and facilities called germplasm Emergence of the Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center Terrence Tiersch, Jack Koch and Yue Liu FIGURE 1. The Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center adjacent to the Mississippi River at Louisiana State University. FIGURE 2. The Small Animal Facility, one of six wet laboratories at the AGGRC. FIGURE 3. The AGGRC works to protect large investments in biomedical research by developing germplasm repositories for aquatic organisms such as axolotl salamanders (A), African clawed frogs (B), platyfish (C), and zebrafish (D). These animals are used worldwide for study in areas such as cancer, nerve function, tissue regeneration and numerous diseases. Aquatic animals have begun to replace traditional research animals such as mice, rats, and monkeys. ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 4 8 )
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