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Top 10 Under 40: María Estela Busto Talavera

Health is wealth

Fish health can be the only measure of success in any hatchery. This is why María Estela Busto Talavera is being highlighted for her meticulous care of the tilapia broodstock at La Noria hatchery in Ingiernillo, Mexico. The 31-year-old veterinary zootechnician has transformed the local hatchery’s survival rates and egg production rates with diligent practice.

In her three short years at the hatchery, the production has seen significant results. Talavera implemented a methodical vaccination program against streptococcosis, an infectious disease that commonly plagues warm water fish in these tropical regions. This resulted in hatching rates to increase from 28 to 50 per cent and an overall increased survival rate in the first and second fingerling stages from 80 to 95 per cent.

Talavera also spearheaded the installation of a recirculating biofloc system to not only reduce the spread of pathogen but also reduce water usage overall. “Animal welfare and efficient technical production must go hand-in-hand with good aquaculture,” she says, translated from Spanish. “That teamwork is of vital importance and aquaculturists must always seek to train and update themselves in this medium.”