FIELD TESING OF A HIGH-THROUGHPUT MOBILE CRYOPRESERVATION LABORATORY FOR AQUATIC SPECIES

The on-site cryopreservation of aquatic species sperm in nitrogen-vapor shipping dewars has been used for more than 30 yr, but there are many limitations. Due to the size of shipping dewars, most studies are small scale and can only produce tens of samples. The freezing temperatures that can be achieved are also affected by the size of the dewar and the number of samples being frozen due to the heat load. Over the past 15 yr there has been a push to adopt the equipment and processes used in high-throughput livestock cryopreservation for aquatic species, but such equipment is not easily transportable. The purpose of this project was to create a mobile aquatic cryopreservation laboratory (Figure 1) that could operate at research and commercial-scale capacities and, could function under multiple scenarios in different environments. We applied three operational designs in different scenarios: 1) self-contained working inside the mobile laboratory using generator power; 2) working inside the mobile laboratory using external facilities power; 3) setting up the equipment inside a host facility. Having the capability of using a generator or existing on-site facility power provides the ability to adapt to different working locations. The mobile laboratory is also equipped with air conditioning to provide a stable internal work environment. After samples are collected, initial motility and concentration are assessed with a counting chamber mounted on a microscope. The concentrations are adjusted and a small sample is taken and preserved for later assessment of membrane integrity by flow cytometer. The option to use automated packaging equipment and a programmable freezer provides operational capabilities suitable for different production scales and freezing applications. In the past when working with catfish farms or the Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, fish had to be shipped in groups over several weeks and held before processing, or the fish were processed and the germplasm shipped, often reducing quality. With this mobile laboratory we can provide on-site cryopreservation comparable to work at our central laboratory facility. Since our first trip in May 2015, we have traveled more than a combined 2,000 miles collecting germplasm from more than 600 males. These included freshwater and saltwater species, and from these males we froze more than 5,000 straws. These initial trips allowed us to test the operational design and refine the overall structure of the laboratory. We are currently working with user groups in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, and looking for additional collaborations for future work.