Dr Sally Isberg
Dr Sally Isberg
Phone: 61 8 8988 5554
Fax: 61 8 8988 2001
Email: sally@crocfarmsnt.com
Postal address: PO Box 86
Palmerston NT 0831 Australia
www.4porosus.com
Qualifications
B.Sc.Agr with Honours, University of Sydney, 2000
Ph.D. University of Sydney, 2004
Teaching Areas
- Animal Genetics and Breeding
- Quantitative Genetics
- Genetic Evaluation and Design
Professional Experience and Research
After becoming interested in the crocodile industry during her undergraduate degree, Sally’s PhD project was to develop a genetic improvement program for farmed saltwater crocodiles. The success of this project subsequently led Sally to her current position as chief scientist at Darwin Crocodile Farm (Australia’s largest crocodile producer).
Sally still holds strong ties to the University of Sydney as an honorary associate and, along with her USyd colleagues, was successful in obtaining substantial funding to conduct the first genetic linkage and QTL analysis of saltwater crocodiles. The ultimate goal is to select crocodiles based on marker-assisted selection (MAS) with greater accuracy and earlier than using traditional breeding methods alone.
Sally’s other research projects relate to increasing the overall efficiency of saltwater crocodile production for the international skin trade. Predominantly this research involves investigating reasons for juvenile mortality such as runtism and disease susceptibility. Due to her continued involvement in the crocodile industry, Sally has just become an invited member of the IUCN SSC Crocodile Specialist Group.