LE BOUCHER RICHARD

LE BOUCHER RICHARD

LE BOUCHER RICHARD

Adjunct Assistant Professor

rlebouch@nus.edu.sg

BIOGRAPHY

As an undergraduate student working on probiotic use in hatcheries at SEAFDEC in the Philippines, Richard Le Boucher developed a keen interest in aquaculture. He was particularly intrigued by the potential of global aquaculture growth to address the combined goals of food safety, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility. Upon completing his agronomy engineer’s degree in aquaculture from ENSAR-ENSAIA, he began his career with a PhD in quantitative genetics and nutrition at AgroParisTech-INRA-Ifremer. After working as a consultant is SYSAAF to aid French aquaculture farmers in implementing breeding programs, Richard established Genotop in 2003, a genetic company later acquired by IMV Technologies Group. Richard then oversaw IMV’s R&D and marketing for aquaculture. He successfully introduced mass cryopreservation practices in several salmon hatcheries across the globe (Chile, Norway, Iceland, France, USA, Thailand, and China). Additionally, he took on the role of manager for the Disruptive Innovation Department, where he spearheaded the development of cutting-edge technologies such as a high-speed sorter for salmonid eggs, a pneumatic device for handling cryopreserved straws, a microfluidic cell scanner, a bioencapsulation gel for spermatozoa, and an antibiotic-free cleaning for salmon ovocytes. In 2020, Richard relocated to Singapore and took the role of director in the Precision Aquaculture Department at Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, which specializes in conducting research related to nutrition, genetics, and farming systems. He also holds the position of director of Commercial Strategy for Aquaculture at the Institute, which involves connecting research, farmers, start-ups, and investors in Singapore. In 2023, Richard became one director of AquaPolis Programme, an initiative under Singapore Food Story R&D Programme 2.0, envisioning Singapore to be a leading research and innovation cluster for sustainable tropical aquaculture. Richard held an MBA from École des Ponts ParisTech and created the company Aquattaq in 2019, providing marketing and sales advice in aquaculture. Richard is a passionate food enthusiast who has dedicated his professional life to implementing cutting-edge ideas in agriculture, with a keen emphasis on promoting sustainability and optimizing future food production.

CURRENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

The Precision Aquaculture Department was created in 2020 and studies how aquaculture nutrition impacts farm productivity and food sustainability and answer the questions:

  • Is it possible to enhance the sustainability of aquafeed while maintaining farm productivity?
  • In what ways can the processing of alternative ingredients affect their digestibility?
  • Which farm husbandry practices can maximize productivity without compromising animal welfare?

 

THE PRECISION AQUACULTURE DEPARTMENT

In our department, we utilized two TLL genetically selected populations of aquaculture fish. These populations consisted of the Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) and saline tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), and their selection programs began in 2003 and 2009, respectively. The TLL hatcheries provide specific access to these juveniles for aquaculture research purposes to local research organizations and farmers. We based our researches on fine O2 modelling in a tropical seawater RAS, equipped with 32 oxygen probes. This allowed us to examine how animal husbandry practices, specifically density and feeding rate, affect both respiration and feed intake. By adopting this large-scale research approach, a yearly research fish harvest of 1-2 tons is achieved in commercial conditions. By collaborating with the R&D feed mill at the Marine Aquaculture Centre, new findings have been obtained on how extrusion processing parameters affect digestibility in tropical aquaculture. Every year, a quantity of 0.5-1 ton of experimental feeds is manufactured to investigate the effects of processing and imitate present-day aquafeed processing conditions. Close collaboration with local farmers is key in our approach. They provide us with updated questioning, biological material, and technical support. Over the past years, the Precision Aquaculture Department shows significant research achievements:

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  1. Le Boucher, R., Chung, W., Ng Kai Lin, J., Tan, L.S.E., Lee, C.S. (2024). Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal vs. Soy Protein Concentrate Meal: A Comparative Digestibility Study in Barramundi (Lates calcarifer). Aquaculture Nutrition 2024, e3237898. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/3237898

  2. Le Boucher, R., Chung, W., Ng Kai Lin, J., Tan, L.S.E., Poon, Z.W.J., Lee, C.S. (2023). Optimizing automated feeder algorithms for feed intake prediction in barramundi (Lates calcarifer). Aquaculture 577, 739909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2023.739909

  3. Abi Nahed, R., Martinez, G., Hograindleur, J. P., Le Blévec, E., Camugli, S., Le Boucher, R., Ray, P. F., Escoffier, J., Schmitt, E., & Arnoult, C. (2018). Slo3 K+ channel blocker clofilium extends bull and mouse sperm-fertilizing competence. Reproduction (Cambridge, England), 156(6), 463–476. https://doi.org/10.1530/REP-18-0075

  4. Veron, V., Panserat, S., Le Boucher, R., Labbé, L., Quillet, E., Dupont-Nivet, M., & Médale, F. (2016). Long-term feeding a plant-based diet devoid of marine ingredients strongly affects certain key metabolic enzymes in the rainbow trout liver. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, 42(2), 771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-015-0174-2

  5. Le Boucher, R., Vandeputte, M., Dupont-Nivet, M., Quillet, E., Ruelle, F., Vergnet, A., Kaushik, S., Allamellou, J. M., Médale, F., & Chatain, B. (2013). Genotype by diet interactions in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.): Nutritional challenge with totally plant-based diets. Journal of Animal Science, 91(1), 44–56. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2012-5311

  6. Le Boucher, R., Dupont-Nivet, M., Laureau, S., Labbé, L., Geurden, I., Médale, F., Chatain, B., Vandeputte, M., & Quillet, E. (2013). Amélioration génétique et utilisation des aliments à base de végétaux en pisciculture. INRAE Productions Animales, 26(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.20870/productions-animales.2013.26.4.3160

  7. Le Boucher, R., Dupont-Nivet, M., Vandeputte, M., Kerneïs, T., Goardon, L., Labbé, L., Chatain, B., Bothaire, M. J., Larroquet, L., Médale, F., & Quillet, E. (2012). Selection for adaptation to dietary shifts: Towards sustainable breeding of carnivorous fish. PLOS ONE, 7(9), e44898. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044898

  8. Le Boucher, R., Quillet, E., Vandeputte, M., Lecalvez, J. M., Goardon, L., Chatain, B., Médale, F., & Dupont-Nivet, M. (2011a). Plant-based diet in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum): Are there genotype-diet interactions for main production traits when fish are fed marine vs. Plant-based diets from the first meal? Aquaculture, 321(1), 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2011.08.010

  9. Le Boucher, R., Vandeputte, M., Dupont-Nivet, M., Quillet, E., Mazurais, D., Robin, J., Vergnet, A., Médale, F., Kaushik, S., & Chatain, B. (2011b). A first insight into genotype × diet interactions in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L. 1756) in the context of plant-based diet use. Aquaculture Research, 42(4), 583–592. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2010.02654.x