World society honors D'Abramo as fellow
Lou D'Abramo
An aquaculture researcher at Mississippi State University has been named a Fellow of the World Aquaculture Society for his contributions to the advancement of global aquaculture.
Aquaculture specialist Lou D’Abramo -- who serves as dean of MSU’s Office of the Graduate School, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, and Giles Distinguished Professor of wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture -- will be honored in late February in Nashville at the World Aquaculture Society’s annual meeting. He is one of three experts elected by their peers as fellows in 2013 to honor their outstanding achievements in aquaculture science, industry, outreach or extension.
D’Abramo’s aquaculture research interests focus on the development of commercial fish production practices that are environmentally sustainable and use natural resources wisely. He has studied the farming of freshwater prawn, hybrid striped bass, catfish, crawfish, abalone and sea urchins.
He is currently involved in developing a standardized diet for zebrafish, a fish scientists are using as a medical model. They hope to understand diseases by studying the relationship between nutrition and the expression of genes in the zebrafish.
“Lou D’Abramo has an international reputation for his work in crustacean nutrition and production strategies,” said Jimmy Avery, Extension aquaculture professor and director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Southern Regional Aquaculture Center at MSU’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. “This recognition by his peers is an honor both for Lou and MSU as only four U.S. scientists have been chosen during the three years of the fellows program.”
The World Aquaculture Society was founded in 1969 and has a membership of more than 3,000 in about 100 countries. D’Abramo served as its president from 1992-1993 and received the organization’s Exemplary Service Award in 2003. A founding member of the U.S. Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society, D’Abramo received the chapter’s Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
Bonnie Coblentz | MSU Ag Communications
