Dr. Tereso A. Abella (BSA '76), director of the Freshwater Aquaculture Center, is this year's recipient of Tanging Alay sa Tanging Anak ng Nueva Ecija sa Larangan ng Agham at Teknolohiya, a prestigious provincial award for outstanding Novo Ecijanos who excel in their fields of endeavor. He received the award during the 108th Anniversary of the First Cry of Nueva Ecija held last September 2, 2004 at the Provincial Convention Center.

Dr. Abella has been in the field of Fisheries Science and Technology for more than two decades now. He has made significant contributions in the said field not only in Central Luzon but also in the entire Philippines and Southeast Asia. As a fish geneticist, he was responsible for the initial development of improved strain of Nile tilapia - the FAC Selected Tilapia (FaST) strain. He was among the pool of scientists involved in the development of the Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) strain of Nile tilapia. He was also involved in the development and production of the super male tilapia (YY technology) from which comes the genetically male tilapia (GMT). These improved strains of Nile Tilapia are now being used by tilapia farmers all over the country.

Dr. Abella sits as an officer or resource person in various societies and government and non-government bodies that play significant roles in the development of fisheries and aquaculture policies of the country.

During his term as dean of the CLSU College of Fisheries for more than eight years, Dr. Abella generated scholarships for fisheries students and his leadership has placed the college as one of the strong colleges in fisheries in the country.

His reputation as a scientist in his field has enabled him to receive research grants from various government and international agencies. Among these was a grant from the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) which enabled the establishment of the Living Fish Museum at CLSU. Complementing the Museum is a project on Conservation of Freshwater Fish Biodiversity in the Philippines, funded by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). This project had a significant impact on the conservation of freshwater fishes such as native catfish and giant gourami.