On-site Capabilities of a Mobile Laboratory for Aquatic Species

Authors: CHILDRESS, WILLIAM - Louisiana State University; Bosworth, Brian; CHESNEY, EDWARD - Louisiana State University; WALTER, RONALD - Louisiana State University; TIERSCH, TERRENCE - Louisiana State University

Submitted to: North American Journal of Aquaculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Interpretive Summary. Freezing of sperm for use in breeding programs and development of genetically unique, diverse germplasm repositories is well established for many livestock and endangered mammalian species. This same technology is beginning to be more widely used for aquatic species including fish species important in aquaculture, fisheries management and endangered species programs. The diverse geographic locations fish species inhabit, the seasonal nature of the maturation cycle for most fish, issues with transporting live fish to centralized cryopreservation facilities, and the lack of centralized facilities all complicate routine cryopreservation of fish germplasm. The goal of this study was to cryopreserve sperm on-site and evaluate use of a mobile laboratory with high-throughput and quality control capabilities comparable to those of a centralized facility for 3 fish genera. Over the course of this project the mobile unit travelled approximately 4,000 miles in two years and sperm was cryopreserved for the following three species and purposes: 1) Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) for aquaculture breeding programs (n = 136 males); 2) Xiphophorus spp. (platys and swordtails) for biomedical and imperiled repository development (n = 571 males), and 3) Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) for wild fisheries research (n = 17 males). This is the first report of a mobile cryopreservation laboratory with high-throughput capability. We demonstrated the feasibility of mobile laboratories for cryopreservation of fish sperm and resulting sample were equivalent in quality to those from centralized laboratory facilities. The use of mobile laboratories for cryopreservation of aquatic species germplasm creates the opportunity to collect high quality germplasm, increase the number of species sampled, and cooperate directly with more user groups leading to more widespread use of cryopreserved samples and greater benefit derived from those samples.

Technical Abstract: Technical Abstract. Cryopreservation of genetic material has become an important tool for user groups in imperiled fishes, wild fisheries, aquaculture, and biomedical research. A growing challenge within aquatic cryopreservation is collection of diverse, high quality samples. The goal of this study was to cryopreserve sperm on-site at the facilities of diverse user groups to evaluate use of a mobile laboratory with high-throughput and quality control capabilities comparable to those of a centralized facility. Sperm was cryopreserved for the following three species and purposes: 1) Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) for aquaculture breeding programs; 2) Xiphophorus spp. (platys and swordtails) for biomedical and imperiled repository development, and 3) Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) for wild fisheries research. Over the course of this project, the mobile laboratory traveled more than 4,000 miles collecting germplasm from more than 650 male fishes. Blue Catfish (n = 136 males) were processed in 2015 and 2016 resulting in a total of 6,146 0.5-mL French straws; 11 different species in the genus Xiphophorus (n = 571 males) were processed in 2015 resulting in a total of 488 0.25-mL French straws; and Red Snapper (n = 17 males) were processed during 2015 resulting in a total of 316 0.5-mL French straws. This is the first report of a mobile laboratory with high-throughput capability. Mobile laboratories could play an important role in aquatic germplasm cryopreservation and repository development. User groups are no longer limited to centralized cryopreservation facilities and use of mobile laboratories for cryopreservation creates the opportunity to collect higher quality germplasm, access new species, and cooperate directly with more user groups.