Capacity building and technology transfer in applied population genetics of aquatic species in the south of Vietnam

• Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 3, Vietnam
• University of Fisheries, Vietnam

Molecular genetic methodologies are integral to the study of wild fish populations and also are invaluable in aquaculture, helping to maintain high levels of productivity and long-term sustainability in culture lines. Senior scientists at Vietnam's Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 3 (RIA3) have identified building a strong capacity in applied genetics as a major goal, and recognise that any development in this area must be sustained for the future. The general objective of this project was to provide training, capacity building and experience in small model projects on local species of importance for RIA3 scientists destined to be part of the new applied genetics research group. An additional objective was to develop basic learning modules that could be incorporated into advanced undergraduate/postgraduate units for the University of Fisheries at Nha Trang.

The project fulfilled its objective to provide training, capacity building and experience in applied molecular population genetics theory and practice for RIA3 scientists and selected other Vietnamese scientists (including two Aquaculture academics from the Nha Trang University) undertaking applied molecular genetics research of aquatic species of importance in the south of Vietnam.

This involved developing and conducting two workshops at RIA3 (January and June 2008) that provided the basic theory and general practice of conducting molecular genetic diversity assessments for both wild and cultured aquatic species. Workshops consisted of a combination of formal lecture presentations (24 X 1-hour lectures), practical demonstrations (7 X 1-hour sessions in RIA3 Genetics research laboratory), tutorials (3 X 1 hour) and software analysis (7 X 1 hour). The workshop materials were combined into a manual, with all lecture material converted to formal text for participants. In addition, the lecture material was provided to the Faculty of Aquaculture at Nha Trang University to develop as a module for their Masters in Aquaculture course.