La diversidad constituye la base de la seguridad alimentaria del medio acuático

Current Members

Ingrid Olesen (2015-2021; Chair 2017-2021)

Ingrid Olesen

Professor and senior scientist Ingrid Olesen has more than 30 years of experience from research in animal breeding and genetics, and has been involved in aquaculture research since 1997 in Nofima and the former AKVAFORSK. In 2005, she was appointed as Adjunct Professor at the Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), where she still lectures in fish breeding and genetics, and supervises post graduate MSc and PhD students in animal breeding and genetics. She was also heading the department of Breeding and Genetics in Nofima for 9 years.

She has lead numerous projects funded by the Norwegian Research Council, and has participated in three EU projects as task or work package leader (Genimpact and Eurocarp) and coordinator (OrAqua). She has published 43 peer reviewed articles in international journals and more than 10 book chapters or books. The majority of the publications are on aquaculture genetics (genetic parameters, selection strategies, genetic disease resistance and breeding objectives), but several articles have also dealt with access and rights to genetic resources and adoption of breeding technologies as well as fish welfare and organic aquaculture (such as social interactions, consumer attitudes, willingness to pay, regulations, etc.). She has a lot of experience in interdisciplinary cooperation, including involving social scientists such as lawyers, economists and experts in political science. She has participated in numerous National and International committees and boards, including: National board of animal ethics (2007-2012); National committees of farm animal genetic resources as appointed by the Norwegian Ministry of Food and Agriculture (2006-2014); and the Expert group for the 4th Standing Committee on Agricultural Research foresight exercise appointed by the European Commission (2014-2015).

Ingrid Olesen (Ms)
Professor, Research Director Genetics and Breeding
Nofima, Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research
Tromsø, Norway

E-mail: [email protected]

István Lehoczky (2015-2021; Vice-chair 2019-2021)

István Lehoczky

Dr István Lehoczky is currently working as a senior research fellow in the Research Centre for Farm Animal Gene Conservation where he is responsible for fish genetics research and genetic conservation work. Before joining the Institute he worked for the Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture (HAKI) in Szarvas, Hungary (2007-2013) where he focused on the genetic characterization of the in vivo common carp and sturgeon gene banks. He also participated in the maintenance of the common carp gene bank.

Since 2010 he has acted as the head of the Fish Biology Department of the Institute and his tasks include the management and administration of the department, finding domestic and EU project possibilities and funding such as the development of new partnerships. He also supports the dissemination of project results through the organization of national and international events and conferences. From 2004-2007 he worked at the University of Kaposvár as a research fellow. His research focused on the genetic characterization on different common carp strains, and at the same time worked on red deer genetic resources. He holds an MSc and a PhD in animal breeding from Kaposvár University. During his career he has participated in several EU and Hungarian Government founded projects dealing with fish genetic resources, including: AQUAEXCEL - Aquaculture infrastructures for excellence in European fish research, (2011-2015, EU FP7); EUROCARP - Disease and Stress Resistant Common Carp: Combining Quantitative, Genomic and Proteomic and Immunological marker technologies to identify high performance strains, families and individuals, (2008-2010, EU FP6); and Genetic Background of stress and disease resistant Common carp strains (2007-2009, Hungarian-Chinese intergovernmental Science and Technology project).

Istvan Lehoczky (Mr.)
Senior Research Fellow
Centre for Farm Animal Gene Conservation
Gödöllő, Hungary

E-mail: [email protected]

Mohammad Pourkazemi (former WG Chair 2016-2017)

Mohammad Pourkazemi

Professor Mohammad Pourkazemi has more than 30 years of experience in molecular population genetics in Aquaculture and Fisheries, and earned his PhD from Swansea University, UK. From 2014 to July 2019, he has acted as the director of the Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute with 12 affiliated fisheries and Aquaculture research centers. Before moving to this position, for more than 16 years (1996-2012) he was the director of the International Sturgeon Research Institute, in Rasht, Iran, I.R. He conducted several applied genetic research projects on sturgeon, cyprinids, trout, artemia and shrimp regarding various branches of genetics including: population genetics, hybridization, chromosome set manipulation (gynogenesis), triploid selection, cryopreservation, gene cloning and expression. In 2012, he established the first fish (sturgeon) gene bank in Iran, I.R., and also supervised several regional and international projects on conservation of shared stocks of sturgeon genetic resources.

He was one of the foundation members of World Sturgeon Conservation Society (WSCS) in 2003, and later acted as board member (2003-2014) and vice president (2007-2010). He was a representative of Asia to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Animals Committee (2002- 2013) and he has been the Chairman and Co-chair of IUCN Sturgeon Specialist Group (from 1999-2012 and 2012-2016, respectively). He also was the chairman of Committee of Fisheries (COFI) 29th and 30th sessions in Rome, Italy. As chairperson in 2005, he hosted and organized the fifth International Symposium on Surgeon (ISS) in Ramsar, Iran, I.R.

Dr. Pourkazemi still lectures part time in several national universities for doctoral and masters students on genetic breeding of fishes, population genetics, aquatic molecular genetics, and biotechnology in fisheries. He has published more than 130 ISI and scientific papers in various fields of fish genetic, aquaculture, fisheries, conservation and rehabilitation program.

Mohammad Pourkazemi (Mr)
Professor in Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute
PO Box 14155-6116
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

E-mail: [email protected]

John Benzie (2015-2021)

John Benzie

Professor John Benzie has more than 30 years of experience in the application of genetics to natural resource management, biotechnology and aquaculture. He has worked in the government, university and private sectors on a variety of species, leading aquaculture programs in Australia at AIMS, the Aquaculture Cooperative Research Centre, as Director of the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies of the University of New South Wales and as Chief Scientist for the Moana shrimp breeding company.

He is currently Professor of Marine Molecular Ecology at the University College Cork in Ireland and leads the genetics programs worldwide for the CGIAR Research Centre, WorldFish, based in Penang, Malaysia.

John Benzie (Mr)
Genetics Team Leader and Genetics Flagship Leader
WorldFish and Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR)

Penang, Malaysia
E-mail: [email protected]

Clemens Fieseler (2015-2021)

Clemens Fieseler

Clemens Fieseler is a Senior Officer for aquatic genetic resources in the Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity (IBV) of the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) since 2011. His work focuses on providing technical and scientific advice in the area of aquatic genetic resources, as well as representing Germany in various scientific committees, advisory councils and commissions. Previously he worked seven years for a local Fishery Authority, where he was involved in fisheries and conservation management planning. Before that he worked for a company who projected and constructed fish passes.

Clemens Fieseler studied aquaculture, inland fisheries and freshwater management at the Humboldt University, Berlin. Apart from other activities, he gained practical experience in the fields of carp pond management, warm- and cold-water aquaculture, fish breeding and fish species monitoring in inland waters.

Clemens Fieseler (Mr)
Senior Officer for Aquatic Genetic Resources
Information and Coordination Centre for
Biological Diversity (IBV)
Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE),
Bonn, Germany

E-mail: [email protected]

Marcela P. Astorga (2015-2021)

Marcela P. Astorga

Professor Marcela P. Astorga works at the Aquaculture Institute of the University Austral of Chile in Puerto Montt, Chile. She holds a Degree in Biological Sciences (P. Catholic University of Chile), and a PhD in Biological Sciences (University of Concepción, Chile).

Currently Dr Astorga is the Director of the School of Aquaculture and Fisheries as well as the Director of the Doctorate Programme on Aquaculture Sciences of the aforementioned University. Her research has been focused on the application of molecular markers in aquatic genetic resources as a methodology to resolve problems of evolutionary population genetics and also as a tool for selective breeding in aquaculture. Currently, her major area of focus is the application of molecular tools in the Chilean mussel, which is becoming a key farmed species.

She has been conducting undergraduate and graduate courses in the specialty, acting as advisor professor in undergraduate and graduate theses and has made about 40 presentations at conferences. In the last 10 years she has participated in about 13 international and national research projects, funded mainly by the Chilean National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT) and by the international cooperation for innovation section of the Chilean economic development agency (CORFO). Lastly, she has developed approximately 28 ISI publications and book chapters in the past years.

Marcela Astorga (Ms)
Professor, Instituto de Acuicultura
Universidad Austral de Chile
Puerto Montt, Chile

E-mail: [email protected]

Daniel Jamu

Daniel Jamu

Professor Daniel Jamu is the Deputy Chief of Party (Programs) for a USAID-funded project Malawi Fisheries Integration of Society and Habitats (FISH), focusing on Malawi's four lake ecosystems of Lakes Malawi, Malombe, Chiuta, Chilwa and upper and middle Shire River in Malawi. He is an Aquaculture Systems Expert and Ecosystem Ecologist and has over 25 years of experience working in the aquaculture and capture fisheries research and development field in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Professor Jamu started his aquaculture research in 1990 working with WorldFish, and in 2012 joined the private sector where he was involved in the development and management of tilapia production including the setting up of a tilapia hatchery. Since 2015, he has been working with the Coastal Resources Center of the University of Rhode Island where he is responsible for programme management of the FISH project. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Fisheries Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Rhode Island.

Professor Jamu has led and overseen numerous national and regional aquaculture development and fisheries projects funded by various development partners including USAID, OPEC International Fund for Development and Norway. He has published over 40 peer reviewed and technical papers, four book chapters on aquaculture technologies, interactions between terrestrial ecosystem process and fish production. Recently, his work has also focused on climate change adaptation in freshwater fisheries, mitigation of environmental and fishing threats to sustainability of freshwater aquatic genetic resources, fisheries ecosystem and community resilience monitoring of climate change impacts and development technologies for fish processing. He has also served on various boards and committees (board member of the Malawi National Commission for Science and Technology (2010-2014), member of the Steering Committee of the NEPAD Fish for All summit (2004-2005), Thematic team member for FAO/GSI Joint Workshop on "Reducing Feed Conversion Ratios in the Global Aquaculture to reduce carbon and other footprints and increase efficiency" (2016) and Chairman of the Malawi Aquaculture Innovation Platform (2010-2012). He is currently Associate Editor (Aquatic Ecology) and Member of the Editorial Board of African Journal of Ecology and member of the Regional Aquaculture Advisory Board for the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Africa Region PhD Program in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management.

Daniel Jamu (Mr)
Deputy Chief of Party Programming USAID/Malawi Fisheries Integration of Society and Habitats (FISH) Project
Lilongwe, Malawi

E-mail: [email protected]

Jane Symonds (2019-2021)

Jane Symonds

Dr Jane Symonds is a Senior Scientist in the Aquaculture Group of the Cawthron Institute in New Zealand. She has over 26 years of experience in aquaculture breeding and genetics and has worked on multiple finfish and shellfish selective breeding programmes in New Zealand, Canada and Australia. This included establishing and managing the first commercial family-based selective breeding programme for all-female Chinook salmon in New Zealand in 1994. She has worked for industry as well as independent research organizations, including the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. As Director of Aquaculture at the Huntsman, Dr Symonds co-led the Atlantic Cod Broodstock Development Programme, a Genome Canada funded programme to establish selective breeding and genomics resources for Atlantic cod.

Dr Symonds is currently leading the "Feed-efficient salmon for the future" programme at the Cawthron to understand the main drivers behind feed efficiency in Chinook salmon, one of the three main species farmed in New Zealand. This includes developing genomic resources and assessing the potential for genomic selection for improved feed efficiency. She is also working with the New Zealand Pacific oyster industry to select for oyster herpes virus resistance as well as growth and harvest quality traits. This includes involvement in overseas research projects to optimize selection in this global species. She is also an adjunct researcher at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia and is actively collaborating with researchers at four Universities, including PhD student supervision.

From 2007 to 2015 she was a Principal Scientist and leader of the "Breeding and genetic technologies" programme, based at the Bream Bay Aquaculture Park operated by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NZ). This programme developed broodstock management protocols for new species such as hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios), yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) and abalone (Haliotis iris).

Dr Symonds has a PhD in molecular population genetics from the Australian National University and has published over 40 papers and technical reports, predominantly on aquaculture breeding and genetics.

Jane Elizabeth Symonds (Ms)
Senior Aquaculture Scientist
Cawthron Institute
Nelson
New Zealand
E-mail: [email protected]

Kuldeep K. Lal (2019-2021)

Kuldeep K Lal

Dr Kuldeep K Lal is Director of ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resource, Lucknow, India. The Broad area of his expertise is aquatic genetic resource management. During 26 years of research career, he worked on exploration of fish genetic resources, genetic-stock identification & ex situ conservation of aquaculture species and wild relatives. He has published 107 research papers in peer reviewed impact journals and discovered three species, new to science.

He worked as Coordinator, Genetics and Biodiversity Program at Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia Pacific (NACA) at Bangkok, Thailand and contributed to FAO's program on State of the World's Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food & Agriculture. He is involved with consultative bodies under Government of India related to genetic resources, agrobiodiversity & access benefit sharing.

Kuldeep K Lal (Mr)
Director
ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources
Canal Ring Road, PO Dilkhusha,
Lucknow -226002
Uttar Pradesh , India
E-mail: [email protected] OR [email protected]

Eric Hallerman (2019-2021; Rapporteur 2019-2021)

Eric Hallerman

Professor Eric Hallerman has over 35 years of experience in applied genetics, especially in use of genetic markers as an adjunct to selective breeding and conservation management. His research embraces aquaculture genetics, conservation genetics and the interface of genetics and public policy. He maintains an active laboratory group involving graduate and undergraduate students. He teaches classes in survey of genetics, conservation genetics, and applied conservation genetics. He engages with government agencies (including the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service), non-government organizations (Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council), international agencies (U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization), and the press. He has held leadership positions in his institution, the American Fisheries Society, and the National Association of University Fisheries and Wildlife Programs.

Eric Hallerman (Mr)
Professor, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
E-mail: [email protected]

Past Members

Thuy T.T. Nguyen (2015 – 2017)

Thuy T.T. Nguyen

Dr Thuy T.T. Nguyen earned her PhD from Deakin University, and is now a research scientist at the BioSciences Research Division of the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. Previously, Thuy's career was focused on aquaculture genetics. She was employed by the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (2004-2009), based in Bangkok, Thailand, where she headed the Genetics and Biodiversity Program. She then moved to Australia and played a key role in the blue mussel breeding program funded by Fisheries Victoria (2009-2012). She served on the Advisory Panel to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on the role of agricultural biotechnologies in sustainable food systems and nutrition, and Advisory Working Group on Aquatic Genetic Resources and Technologies to the Fisheries Committee of the same organization. Since the start of her career in dairy genetics in 2013, Dr Thuy has been involved in the establishing the Genomic Information Nucleus dairy herds in Australia. In the past three years, she dedicated her time in the development of the world's first genomic breeding values for heat tolerance in dairy cattle. She has published over 50 peer reviewed journal articles and several book chapters.

Thuy Nguyen (Ms)
Research Scientist
Department of Environment and Primary Industries
Biosciences Research Division
Melbourne, Australia

E-mail: [email protected]

Anne Kapuscinski (2015 – 2017)

Anne Kapuscinski

Professor Anne Kapuscinski is the inaugural Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Sustainability Science in the Environmental Studies Program at Dartmouth College. She is known for designing rigorous methods to assess environmental risks of genetically modified fish, and for extraordinary contributions to conservation policy and sustainability issues.

Dr Kapuscinski has been a scientific advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Global Environment Facility, European Union Food Safety Agency, and the state of Minnesota. She previously served on four U.S. National Academy of Science committees addressing salmon conservation and risk analysis of genetically modified organisms. She was also a Trustee and chaired the Science Advisory Committee of the WorldFish Center, CGIAR.

Professor Kapuscinski is Editor in Chief of Sustainability Transitions, a domain of the open access journal Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. She is also Chair of the Board of Directors of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Professor Kapuscinski's awards include an Honor Award from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for environmental protection (1997), Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation (2001), Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Conservation Biology (2008), and Rachel Carson Award from the Natural Products Association (2014). Her current research examines the food-energy-water nexus and develops more sustainable microalgae-based feeds for aquaculture.

Anne Kapuscinski (Ms)
Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Sustainability Science and former Chair Environmental Studies Programme
Dartmouth University
Hanover, the United States of America

E-mail: [email protected]

Note: Anne Kapuscinski is currently Director of Coastal Science and Policy at UC Santa Cruz, California , USA
https://csp.ucsc.edu/ | [email protected]

Graham Mair (Vice-Chair & Rapporteur, 2015-2017)

Graham Mair

Professor Graham Mair is an internationally recognized science leader in the seafood industry specializing in aquaculture and genetic breeding programmes, with a strong international profile, as demonstrated by election to the Presidency of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS - 2013). He is the recipient of four research excellence awards and recent top MBA student award. He is also Program Manager for Production Innovation with the Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre for the past 8 years; in this role applied a strong science background and major strengths of innovation and legacy building to develop and implement over 100 research projects, valued at over AU$30M. He has worked closely with business leaders from aquaculture and capture fisheries to identify researchable constraints and build end-user driven research partnerships. Working with 40 researchers across multiple partners, he has delivered on all government mandated milestones and has produced over 75 tangible outputs, the majority of which have been effectively commercialized by end users. Professor Graham has now moved to a more academic environment, but his goal has remained the same: to deliver an enduring legacy in the national and global seafood industry through effective application and commercialization of R&D.

Graham Mair
Director of Marine Sciences
Flinders University
Adelaide, Australia
E-mail: [email protected]

Note: Graham Mair is currently Senior Aquaculture Officer in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department at FAO
http://www.fao.org/aquatic-genetic-resources/home/en/ | [email protected]