Corbion

Feed Ingredient Evaluation

Develop a scientific dossier validating and supporting the beneficial use of a specific ingredient to be used to formulate aquafeeds.

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ProNuvo

Insect Ingredient Evaluation

Analyze a variety of aquafeed ingredients produced by black soldier fly larvae and carry out a comparative study with other traditionally used animal and plant protein sources. Identify possible strategies to improve protein and lipid separation. 

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University of Miami Experimental Hatchery
Aquaculture Research
Marine finfish broodstock and larvae husbandry for scientific and commercial research. The captive held animals are cobia, Nassau grouper, mahi-mahi, red snapper, hogfish, triple tail, Japanese olive flounder, almaco jack and yellowtail snapper. Duties are life support system maintenance and operation, water parameters and chemistry, feed preparation and feeding, tank cleaning, anesthesia, prophylaxis, medications, transportation, physiological evaluation and cannulating. Additional tasks are egg quality and quantity assessment, live feed operations, plumbing, chemical handling, fiber glassing, packing and shipping of eggs and juvenile, and biosecurity. Additionally, a project was undertaken to study the in vitro digestibility of insect meal; and a master thesis on testing the performance of fishmeal free rabbitfish in Palau was carried out and awarded. Currently working towards a PhD on cobia nutrition, endogenous markers, digestibility, and bio-energetics. 
Camperio Ciani, J.F., R. Jones & F.T. Barrows. 2020. Performance of fishmeal-free rabbitfish (Siganus lineatus) feed in Palau, Micronesica 2020-03, 11 pp. Published online 03 June 2021. http://micronesica.org/sites/default/files/camperioetal2020.pdf

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Benetti, D. D., Suarez, J., Camperio, J., Hoenig, R. H., Tudela, C. E., Daugherty, Z., McGuigan C.J., Mathur, S., Anchieta, L., Buchalla, Y., Alarcon, J., Marchetti, D., Fiorentino, J., Buchanan, J., Artilles, A., Stieglitz, J.D. (2021). A review on cobia, Rachycentron canadum, aquaculture. 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/jwas.12810

 

Benetti, D.D., J. Stieglitz, J. Suarez, R. Hoenig, C. Tudela, Z. Daugherty, C. J. McGuigan, J. Geng, S. Mathur, Y. Buchalla, J. Camperio and L. Anchieta. (2020). Marine Finfish Aquaculture Research and Development at the University of Miami. World Aquaculture, Dec. 2020: 43-56.

 
 
 
 







Reef Resilience Network & The Nature Conservancy
Contracted Consultant 
Develop an aquaculture educational toolkit geared towards marine ecosystem managers that want to learn more about coastal marine finfish aquaculture. Some of the topics include potential impacts and mitigation strategies, regulations governing the practice of aquaculture, good management practices, and community involvement. A final webinar was hosted for the launch of the toolkit and a large attendance was seen from all over the world. The toolkit can be access through https://reefresilience.org/aquaculture/
 
 
 










Future of Fish Feed & The Nature Conservancy
Aquaculture Nutrition Research
Execution of two growth and performance trials on locally farmed rabbitfish in Palau utilizing formulated feeds where the fishmeal had been completely replaced with plant based meals. asks there were undertaken were the development of the experimental design, feeding protocol and regime, sampling frequency, husbandry and data collection and analysis. Additionally, regular farm visits were carried out to determine stock growth and condition, discuss with farmers on new feeding regimes and guidelines, and understand overall island farming practices and potential corrective standards. 

Camperio Ciani, J.F., R. Jones & F.T. Barrows. 2020. Performance of fishmeal-free rabbitfish
(Siganus lineatus) feed in Palau, Micronesica 2020-03, 11 pp. Published online 03 June 2021.
http://micronesica.org/volumes/2020

Spring Genetics 
Tilapia Farm
On site living to assist daily farm operations in harvesting, grading and sexing tilapia for future broodstock genetic programs. Harvested and collected eggs from fertile females to produce fry to deliver to clients. Carried out biometrics growth trial to determine growth of different cohorts for potential broodstock breeding programs. 

Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami
Diabetes Research
Imagery data analysis of pancreatic tissue for diabetes research. Mice and human pancreatic tissue was used to better understand the role of pericytes, neurological implications, delta cell communication, and macrophage activity. Images from a confocal microscope were taken, manipulated and analyzed, and data was organized, standardized, tabulated and statistically tested.  

Olakai Farms
Seaweed Farm
Seaweed production and processing for commercial purposes. The seaweeds that were being produced were strains of red and brown macroalgae. Duties included supervising the production, harvesting, transportation, cleaning, washing, packing, storing, labelling, fertilizing and drying of seaweeds. A weekly production of 1 ton of seaweeds was reached with a bi-weekly delivery schedule. Daily tasks were given to farm workers to complete each days tasks in an effective and timely manner. Harvesting, fertilizing, cleaning and packing schedules were maintained. Additionally a small tilapia hatchery and broodstock was assembled and maintained, and a standard operating procedure document was compiled for the seaweed production. 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Amphibian Research
Husbandry of amphibians and nutrition experiment for conservation research. The animal that was mainly worked on was the tropical Pirre harlequin toad, while other species of harlequin frogs were taken care of. Duties were the planning and construction of experimental units, parameters, water exchange, siphoning, diet preparation and feeding, tadpole and frog husbandry, and biometrics acquisition and interpretation. The research looked at the effects of diet quantity, quality and water composition on the development of spindly leg disorder. Additionally, insect culture of fruit flies and crickets was carried out to produce live feed for the frogs. Furthermore, worm and black soldier fly composters were built to provide the frogs with alternative feed in case of cricket colony collapse. On a regular basis field trips were organized to locate and collect specific species of frogs to be provided to the local museum for exhibit and educational purposes. 

Camperio Ciani JF, Guerrel J, Baitchman E, Diaz R, Evans M, Ibanez R, et al. (2018) The relationship between spindly leg syndrome incidence and water composition, overfeeding, and diet in newly metamorphosed harlequin frogs (Atelopus spp.). PLoS ONE 13(10): e0204314. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204314













Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology & Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Coral Cryo-conservation Research
Ex situ coral spawning and cryoconservation of gametes for research and conservation purposes. Corals that had been worked on were mushroom, lobe, rice and cauliflower. Duties included motorboat operator, collection, transportation, tank parameters and cleaning, husbandry of grazer fish, isolation and protocols for gamete collection, and determination of motility and quality. Following was the freezing of gametes with liquid nitrogen, thawing and fertilization, and biometrics to assess fertilization rate post freezing. Additionally rearing of corals was carried out to colonize nubbins and collection of starry goby for tissue conservation.
Hagedorn M, Carter VL, Lager C, Camperio Ciani JF, Dygert AN, Schleiger RD, Henley EM. (2016) Potential bleaching effects on coral reproduction. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 28, 1061–1071. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/RD15526

Hagedorn M, Daly JP, Carter VL, Cole KS, Jaafar Z, Lager C, Parenti L. (2018) Cryopreservation of Fish Spermatogonial Cells: The Future of Natural History Collections. Scientific Reports 8(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24269-3. (acknowledged)

Marine Science Institute of Gran Canary
Aquaculture Research
Husbandry of marine fish and nutrition trial of freshwater fish for research. Marine fish consisted of almaco jack and corvina, freshwater fish consisted of Nile tilapia. Marine husbandry duties included parameters, dry feed preparation, feeding, siphoning, tank cleaning, harvesting, transportation and grading. Additionally live feed tasks such as rotifer, Artemia, and phytoplankton cultures, harvesting, fertilizing or enriching and cleaning were carried out. Furthermore husbandry of seahorses, clownfish and cuttlefish was carried out. Freshwater husbandry duties were feeding with controlled feed and quantification of consumed feed, water exchange and filter cleaning. Subsequently samples from each treatment were taken and analyzed for lipid and protein content using the Folch and Kjeldahl methods. The marine system was flow-through of 8 tanks of 10 tons each, while the freshwater relied on daily water exchange and filter cleaning of 6 tanks of 300 liters each.

New England Aquarium
Coral Research
Husbandry and data collection of northern star coral intended for conservation research. Duties included daily parameters, feeding, cleaning of tanks and life support systems, handling, scarring, biometrics and collection from the wild. The research was looking into how different water temperatures affect the recovery rate of scarred tissue over time.
Burmester EM, Finnerty JR, Kaufman L, Rotjan RD (2017) Temperature and symbiosis affect lesion recovery in experimentally wounded, facultatively symbiotic temperate corals. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 570:87-99. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12114

New England Aquarium
Giant Ocean Tank & Cold Marine
Husbandry of tropical and cold marine fish for exhibit purposes. Tropical exhibit consisted of feed preparation and the use of SCUBA to carry out targeted feedings, siphoning, cleaning of windows and structures, removal of mortalities, and isolation, removal, transportation, and re-introduction. Cold marine exhibit consisted of daily parameters, feed preparation, targeted feeding, siphoning and cleaning of life support systems. Additionally biometrics were taken of Endangered Red-Bellied Plymouth turtles for conservation and re-introduction programs.  

Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
Aquaculture Research
Husbandry of California sea hare for neurological research. Duties included daily parameters, feeding, cleaning of tanks and life support systems, handling and packing. To carry out the feedings a culture of macroalgae was maintained outdoors, and thus appropriate tasks were carried out like parameters, cleaning of tanks, removal and quantification of seaweed, and application of fertilizer. Additionally a brief experiment was carried out to determine the growth of macroalgae in different salinity levels.