Efficient management of aquatic animal husbandry is essential to the sustainability of live animal populations in aquatic genetic stock centers. However, achieving this requires innovative strategies to ensure uniform and consistent care across research animals. Since 2014, the Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center (AGGRC, www.aggrc.com) has expanded from several aquaria to 14 distinct husbandry spaces (Figure 1), now including 24 recirculating systems supporting over 850 animals from 18 aquatic species including fishes, amphibians, and invertebrates. This increasing scale of operations, coupled with species-specific requirements, has highlighted the limitations of traditional task management and record-keeping methods.
To address these, we have focused on centralizing husbandry operations and developing an advanced management platform tailored to the unique demands of aquatic animals. We partnered with a team of industrial engineering students at Louisiana State University to develop a low-code, open-source mobile application for husbandry management using Microsoft PowerApps. The system includes several key features including streamlined task assignment, comprehensive documentation of daily care activities, accessible instructional resources for student workers, longitudinal water quality monitoring, automated emergency notifications, and animal-specific history information for research. Importantly, the app also ensures compliance with the detailed record-keeping requirements of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and other oversight bodies to foster animal welfare.
This system enhances operational efficiencies, promotes centralized awareness among staff and researchers, and supports improved animal care practices in aquatic genetic stock centers. By modernizing husbandry management, we can further the sustainability of the AGGRC and its mission to support aquatic species repository development.