Ram Moav (Milstein) was born in Israel at Kibbutz Afikim in 1930. He was educated at the Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi training farm in Jerusalem and studied at the Kadoorie Agricultural High School between 1946 and 1948. After his service in the Palmach and the IDF during the War of Independence, he traveled to California for academic studies. In 1953, he received a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Los Angeles, and in 1957, a Master’s degree in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Genetics from Berkeley University. In 1957, he returned to Israel and was accepted as a lecturer in the Department of Genetics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; he was elected Head of the Genetics program and Director of the Department. In 1970, he was appointed Professor. In 1976, Prof. Ram Moav joined the Agricultural Research Organization and was elected Head of the Institute of Animal Science.
Research Areas Aquaculture
Scientific Achievements One of the major projects he handled, starting from the late 1950s, was carp breeding. He served as chief geneticist in the Fisheries Department (1960), and conducted his experiments at the Dor Aquaculture Research Station and in many fish farms. The research team under his management improved the growth rate of the carp by using crossbreeding between outstanding parental lines, and developed a hybrid between two carp breeds, the cultivated European and the Chinese wild breed, which has a high growth capacity in ponds. He also introduced the use of organic fertilizers as a substitute for the feed given to pond fish. He was involved in poultry breeding. In the 1960s, he served as a genetics consultant to the Poultry Breeders Union, and led the effort to centralize breeding in order to produce uniform material for breeders. Following a market analysis, he proposed two separate breeding directions – for reproduction, a lightweight bird with a high laying rate, and for fattening, one with a fast growth rate. On the theoretical level, he was among the founders of an “integrative economic-genetic” approach to breeding problems. He initiated and encouraged many other projects, including: developing the goat branch, crustacean farming, mulard and muscovy ducks, and genetic engineering of subtropical fruit trees. He had a vision of developing aquaculture in the Negev by utilizing geothermal water and solar energy. In the 2000s, this idea is being realized, and indeed fish are being raised in various settlements in the Negev and the Arava.
Contribution and Public Activity Within and Outside the Research Organization His activities in fish breeding earned him international recognition. He was appointed as a consultant in fish genetics at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (1964) and was invited to deliver a keynote lecture at the World Aquaculture Conference on behalf of this organization in 1976. After the Yom Kippur War, he abandoned his academic pursuits and volunteered for a year at the Ministry of Defense, engaging in the formulation of research and development policy on defense issues. He directed the Animal Science Institute from 1976 to 1978. In 1978, he was appointed Deputy Head of the Agricultural Research Organization. Following the retirement of Prof. Yoash Vaadia, he was elected Head of the Agricultural Research Organization and Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture. During the short period, due to his illness, in which he served in the management of the Agricultural Research Organization, he invested his energy in improving management methods, setting priorities, and initiating projects. He published many scientific articles and lectured frequently at professional conferences in Israel and abroad. He also wrote two famous novels in which he presents his views on the future of humanity and science: “Zermat Chachamim” (Semen of the Wise) and “Luna”. Prof. Ram Moav passed away in 1984. It was said of him that he excelled in personal integrity and had a deep connection with the people and the land.