Ignatz et al. (2021)
Ph.D. Thesis
Influences of Stress Phenotype, Nutrition and Genetic Background on the Upper Thermal Tolerance of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)
My Ph.D. research used a multi-faceted approach to study the influence of stress coping phenotype, nutrition and family/genetic background on, and the role played by the expression of specific genes in, mediating salmon physiology and survival at high water temperatures. By using functional genomic tools, alongside measurements of biochemical stress markers, I assessed the role of the above factors in determining how the salmon’s performance (i.e., growth, feed conversion efficiency, stress/immune responses and thermal tolerance) was impacted by elevated temperatures that salmon are experiencing (or will likely experience in the future) at sea-cage sites.
M.Sc. Thesis
Rearing Temperature’s Effect on the Growth Performance, Nutrient Utilization and Immune Response of Growth Hormone Transgenic Female Triploid Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)
The objective of my M.Sc. research was to determine the optimal rearing temperature for the commercial production of AquAdvantage Salmon. I investigated the effects of rearing temperature on the growth performance, nutrient utilization, innate antiviral immune response, and hepatic transcript expression of AquaBounty's transgenic line of salmon. This novel information can be used to aid industry expansion by promoting optimal physiological performance and health in land-based recirculating aquaculture systems.
Ignatz et al. (2022)
B.Sc. Honours Thesis
Source: LaBudde Group, Incorporated
Sustainable Improvement of Feather Meal Through Enzymatic and Reducing Agent Treatment For Use as an Aquafeed
I assisted a Ph.D. student in examining the effect of different concentrations of a commercial alkaline serine protease and reducing agents on the degree of hydrolysis (as a substitute measurement of digestibility) of feather meal. The objective of this research was to identify an economically feasible process that enhanced protein digestibility of what would normally be considered a waste product for use in animal feed formulations.