CRSP project he is involved with titled, "Cost Containment Options for Tilapia Production in Central Luzon, Republic of the Philippines," is uncovering ways to reduce operating costs and increase the profit of tilapia farming. To date, the project has successfully evaluated the methods and technologies available to local aquaculturists. One finding was that traditional feeding quantities might be greater than necessary to optimize profitability.
All production studies encounter a similar problem—not enough time or resources to collect adequate data. Conventional methods of growth rate analysis require tedious measurements of body weight over time. Another CRSP investigation that Vera Cruz is working on could provide the solution. The idea is that IGF-I measurements can assess growth rate much more quickly than conventional body size measurements. The project is still underway.
With help from his advisor Christopher Brown of FIU and collaborating researcher Russell Borski of North Carolina State University, Vera Cruz hopes to overcome the challenges of assessing the correlation between tissue concentration of IGF-I and growth rate. To do this, a complex RNAse protection assay will be performed. Although difficult to precisely execute, the assay is the most exciting aspect of his research thus far. Before analyzing tissue samples from the field, Vera Cruz will establish the accuracy of the procedure on tissues with known concentrations of IGF-I.
After graduation, Vera Cruz plans on continuing his research on Nile tilapia. He believes that, "Nile tilapia are the most promising freshwater fish species in the Philippines for the new millennium." Vera Cruz will return home after his project is finished at FIU. He hopes to continue his research at the CLSU, Freshwater Aquaculture Center in the Philippines.
All production studies encounter a similar problem—not enough time or resources to collect adequate data. Conventional methods of growth rate analysis require tedious measurements of body weight over time. Another CRSP investigation that Vera Cruz is working on could provide the solution. The idea is that IGF-I measurements can assess growth rate much more quickly than conventional body size measurements. The project is still underway.
With help from his advisor Christopher Brown of FIU and collaborating researcher Russell Borski of North Carolina State University, Vera Cruz hopes to overcome the challenges of assessing the correlation between tissue concentration of IGF-I and growth rate. To do this, a complex RNAse protection assay will be performed. Although difficult to precisely execute, the assay is the most exciting aspect of his research thus far. Before analyzing tissue samples from the field, Vera Cruz will establish the accuracy of the procedure on tissues with known concentrations of IGF-I.
After graduation, Vera Cruz plans on continuing his research on Nile tilapia. He believes that, "Nile tilapia are the most promising freshwater fish species in the Philippines for the new millennium." Vera Cruz will return home after his project is finished at FIU. He hopes to continue his research at the CLSU, Freshwater Aquaculture Center in the Philippines.
