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Title: Interdisciplinary
Aquatic Researcher
Location: Aquatic Germplasm Genetic Resource Center, LSU Campus
Strategic Goal Focus: Enhance the
conservation of Louisiana’s natural resources by developing talent,
technologies, products and practices.
LSU AgCenter researcher Terrence Tiersch and his team at the Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center have worked with cryopreservation to preserve fish and shellfish. The primary mission is to safeguard and commercialize genetic resources of aquatic organisms through the development of germplasm repositories. Since the center was founded in 2014, Tiersch and his colleagues have formed partnerships spanning the globe. They’ve made extensive use of 3D printing technologies to craft innovative tools for processing and storing genetic materials. They also have created a wide variety of open-source hardware and educational videos and manuals.
It is estimated that 200 million people worldwide rely on fishes as their primary source of protein, and 60 million people rely on them for their livelihoods. Yet nearly 30% of fish species are threatened. Genetic resources can be considered as the gene pools that provide value at present or in the future. These may be genes with resistance to a new disease or genomes that provide biodiversity to a species.
"There are thousands of aquatic species that are not protected by preservation of germplasm and genetic resources. It’s a gigantic global problem," said Tiersch. "We built our center to try to address the problems in how to build and support communities to deal with these different species."
The AGGRC has become a hub of educational outreach and technological development aimed at helping scientists, farmers, and businesses in Louisiana and around the world to develop aquatic germplasm repositories and use open hardware.
