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EATIP AT THE AQUACULTURE EUROPE 2023, VIENNA

Our EATiP booth #39 was a great success with lots of visits from many colleagues from all over.

 

Information was given about our project work including:

    • Providing technical input to The EC Aquaculture Assistance Mechanism
    • The AQUAEXCEL 3.0 project – opening up transnational access to EU research networks
    • OLAMUR – considering marine multi use (aquaculture and wind energy) as part of the EU Mission Ocean Baltic and North Sea Lighthouse

The  EATiP / EC / EAS INNOVATION FORUM was extremely well attended on Wednesday 20 September (Programme), as well as the AQUAEXEL3.0 networking drink following the event.

 

More on the AQUAEXCEL3.0 presentations 

Experimental assessment of the fish meal content requirements for Meagre feeds, by Ramon Fontillas | Skretting ARC (Netherlands).

The effect of krill meal inclusion on the growth of juvenile gilthead seabream, by Kiranpreet Kaur | Aker BioMarine Antarctic AS (Norway).

Metal amino acid complexes as a cost-effective strategy to help reducing fish meal in European seabass diets, by Claudia Silva | Zinpro (Portugal).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AQUAEXCEL3.0’s 1st training course: “Welfare Indicators”

We are pleased to announce that AQUAEXCEL3.0 is hosting its 1st online training course: “Welfare indicators” on October 4th, 2023, and registration is now officially OPEN!

Led by NOFIMA, this 1st training course will focus on welfare indicators for different fish species used in aquaculture research. Participants will learn about the latest technologies around developing welfare indicators, their advantages and disadvantages and carry out practical exercises around real-life cases for welfare monitoring. Environmental enrichment and exercise training will be examined in relation to how they can be beneficial in terms of promoting resilience and robustness in fish.

This training will be provided live online on 4 October, from 9:00-14:15 CEST. For more information on specific topics that will be discussed, and how to register for this course, please visit https://aquaexcel.eu/training-courses/training-course-1-welfare-indicators/. The live course will be recorded as the basis for the non-live online course that will be available on an on-going basis after the live course and further details will follow later.

If you have further questions, feel free to contact info@aquaexcel.

AQUAEXCEL3.0 Call for TransNational Access

Apply for fully EC-funded access to top class aquaculture research infrastructures with AQUAEXCEL3.0

The AQUAEXCEL3.0 project unites major aquaculture experimental facilities with capacity to undertake experimental trials on a selection of commercially important aquaculture species and system types. These facilities are made available to the research community for Transnational Access (TNA) with the support of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (Infrastructures).

Transnational Access involves a research group in one country collaborating with one or more AQUAEXCEL3.0 Infrastructures that are located in a different country to the applicant, and which offer facilities and expertise not available in their own country. The collaboration normally takes the form of one or more scientists from the applicant organisation visiting the selected AQUAEXCEL3.0 installation to undertake research work there for up to 3 months. In some cases, remote access is also available (where the applicant is not present for some or all of the experimental period at the installation).

The facilities available cover the entire range of aquaculture production systems (recirculation, flowthrough, cage, hatchery and pond systems); environments (freshwater and marine, cold, temperate and warm water); scales (small, medium and industrial scale); culture species (fish, shellfish, seaweeds and insects); and fields of expertise (nutrition, physiology, health and welfare, genetics, engineering, monitoring and management technologies).

The overall objective of the project is to promote the coordinated use and development of these experimental facilities and encourage problem-based research and knowledge transfer to more effectively support the development of a sustainable European production of high-quality seafood with reduced environmental impact. The establishment of new transnational collaborations is strongly encouraged, as well as the participation by SMEs.

Applications for Transnational Access can be made at any time (continuously open call).

More details and to apply: see attached flyer, and https://aquaexcel.eu/transnational-access/

More information on each facility can be found here: https://aquaexcel.eu/resource-infrastructures/ and https://aquaexcel.eu/interactive-map/ – including pictures and videos of the facilities. Interested people with a project idea who need a little help finding the right facility can contact our orientation committee at aquaexcel-OC@inra.fr.

We also have a number of “success stories” from previous TNA users – https://aquaexcel.eu/videos/ and https://aquaexcel2020.eu/results (check out the Video and Innovative Outputs sections) which can be used as inspiration.

FEAP Award for Excellence in European Aquaculture 2023

We are delighted to announce that our President – Gustavo Larrazábal, CEO of Aquanaria has been awarded the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers 2023 award for excellence in European Aquaculture during the FEAP General Assembly, this year hosted by the Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers in St Julians, Malta.

Noting during the speech in which the FEAP President, Lara Barazi-Geroulanou, presented the award was recognition of the very significant contribution Gustavo has made in the support and promotion of research and innovation in European aquaculture, primarily in the encouragement and support of EATiP and through his long service as our President.

The EATiP Board and membership extend our congratulations at this well deserved award, in recognition of the support and long service that Gustavo has given to so many and, in the case of EATiP, on a voluntary basis.

The EATiP President Gustavo Larrazábal with the FEAP Award for Excellence in European Aquaculture 2023

Presented with the award by the FEAP President, Lara Barazi-Geroulanou, during the 2023 General Assembly of the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers in St Julian’s, Malta.

 

 

OLAMUR – a new EU funded project addressing aquaculture and renewable energy.

EATiP are delighted to be participating in a new EU Mission Ocean Lighthouse project, considering the integration of aquaculture production with renewable wind energy in marine multi use sites.

The OLAMUR project, running from January 2023 to December 2026 will engage 25 partners across European industry and research organisations who will work together to farm kelp and mussels at three pilot sites in Europe: two existing offshore wind farms and one fish farm that produces rainbow trout.

The Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Norway is leading the project, whilst EATiP will take responsibility for leading on communication and dissemination activities.

The offshore wind farm Kriegers Flak in Kattegat is operated by the swedish company and project partner Vattenfall. This is one of the sites for kelp, mussels and artifical reefs. Photo: Vattenfall

The project is due to receive total European Union funding of €8,2 million over the course of the four year project duration.

“The OLAMUR project is a prime example of the way we have to work to solve the big problems of our time. It is not only an interdisciplinary, international scientific effort, but a lighthouse project which is set to provide specific, sustainable solutions for actual industries – today”, noted Nils Gunnar Kvamstø, Director of IMR, during his welcome address to project partners at a kick off meeting hosted by IMR in Bergen, Norway.  “In this case, how can you combine energy production and sustainable food production, while perhaps also providing services to the ecosystem?”

The project will investigate several aspects of this, such as:

  • Practical solutions to the challenge of farming in exposed offshore environments.
  • Will the kelp/bivalves produced be safe to eat? (For example, concerns have been expressed about microplastics and hydraulic fluid from wind turbines)
  • Potential carbon storage and habitat enhancement from farming kelp/bivalves.
  • Legislation and regulation (including considering bureaucratic barriers to co-location and MSP?)
  • In practice, wind farms can act as reserves for fish and other animals, since fishing is prohibited – can this type of reserve benefit some species, fisheries and aquatic ecosystems?
  • Can we improve the habitat for fish and other animals by creating artificial reefs there?

As a “lighthouse” project the work will contribution to a number of EU policy priorities including working towards the 2030 Mission Ocean goal of restoring oceans and waters through research, innovation and blue investment.

The project is based in the Baltic basin, but seeks to benefit other EU and international basins through knowledge and innovation transfer. In many states, the offshore wind industry and marine multi use sites are only in the early stages of development.  The project will also contribute in discussions surrounding the increasing emphasis on Marine Spatial Planning and engage with the EU MSP Platform.

The project partners in the various work packages are now in the planning process.  Project partners include:

Project parnters attending the project kick off meeting in Bergen, Norway in January 2023. (Photo: Erlend A. Lorentzen / IMR)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the pilot facilities in Denmark and Estonia, equipment will probably be put into the sea this year, with Germany following in 2024.

”There are no off the shelf solutions for the type of aquaculture we are about to do. We have to develop the solutions from scratch, tailored to meet the local conditions” – Bela H. Buck, Professor at the German Alfred Wegener Instiute, leading the work package which looks at the farming itself. (Photo: Erlend A. Lorentzen / IMR)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project communication and dissemination tools are currently being developed including a project website, communication and dissemination plan and social media contacts.  Look out for futher details coming soon!  Please see here for further contact details on the project.

GENE EDITING


The webinar recordings and report are now available.


CRISPR-Cas9 is a specific gene editing methodology that allows genetic material to be altered at particular locations of the genome. This technology is fast, cheap, accurate and efficient, and provides a potential supplement to traditional breeding methods. Genome editing gained interest by the aquaculture community as it can contribute to increasing the sustainability of the sector through the production of more robust and/or sterile fish. So what exactly are the opportunities gene editing creates for aquaculture, are there any ethical concerns, and is the legislation on the verge of being more liberal when it comes to using this technique in the cultivation of food from the oceans?

EATiP Forum /  Breeders Talk Blue event,  was jointly organized EATiP and EFFAB-FABRE TP, on the potential and opportunities of Gene Editing in Aquaculture.

Various presentations from the European Commission, different scientists from renowned Institutes and private sector experts exchanged and discussed around the following topics:

  • The use of gene editing technique (like CRISPRR-Cas9) to improve the breeders toolbox linked to specific applications, such as sterility, disease resistance..
  • The link to exploring opportunities to adapt legislation
  • Search for evidence and research gaps that help understand the safety of the technique
  • Exploring the expectations of the sector and stakeholders, including concerns related to Animal Welfare

Find the report here

Watch the video


26 APRIL 2022

Agenda  (10:00 – 12:00)

Welcoming address:

  • David Bassett | EATiP and Ana Granados | EFFAB / FABRE TP 

Opening talks

  • Gene editing in Europe – a policy status, by Frank Swartenbroux | EC DG SANTE Biotechnology unit
  • Gene editing – what is it about?, by Diego Robledo | Roslin Institute

Presentations

  • Targeting sterility in fish, by Anna Wargelius | Institute of Marine Research
  • Disease resistance, by Ross Houston | Benchmark Genetics
  • Salmon lice resistance, by Tone-Kari Knutsdatter Østbye | Nofima
  • Gene editing approaches, by Alan Tinch | Center for Aquaculture Technologies

Mentimeter results

Webinar conclusions

 

BEST PRACTICES IN AQUACULTURE


Report now available.


The development of best practices is an important part of the recently launched strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture. The European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATiP) and the Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)  jointly organized this workshop to stimulate sharing of knowledge and to promote best practice development across aquaculture systems and regions in Europe. The aim to consolidate data sharing and best practices relates to a broad range of aquaculture areas such as spatial planning, animal health and welfare, traceability, environmental performance.
The workshop provided the participants with a better understanding of how to develop and maintain best practices within the existing boundaries for sharing of data. It also showed examples of how good practices at a local, regional or EU level can contribute to better aquaculture planning and control. It also looked into opportunities for guidance and collaborative actions on how to support best practices in aquaculture.


5 APRIL 2022  – 13:00 – 16:30 (CEST – UTC+2)

Agenda

  • Welcome by EATIP. David Bassett | EATiP
  • Welcome by OBPS. Jay Pearlman | OBPS
  • Policy and regulations. Lana Bezinovic Sostar | European Commission, DG MARE
  • About Best Practices and OBPS. Johannes Karstensen | GEOMAR, IODE OBPS Steering Group
  • Aquaculture operations across standards, certification schemes and best practices. Panel dialogue.
    • Javier Ojeda | FEAP
    • Bruno Guillaumie | EMPA
    • Otto Gregussen | Standards Norway
  • Best Practices in Aquaculture – use cases across Production System and Regional approaches.
    • OPS Seafood – Norway. Edvard Pedersen | The Brønnøysund Register Centre
    • PerformFish benchmarking system – Mediterranean. Giovanna Marino | ISPRA
    • General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. Houssam Hamza & Linda Fourdain | FAO-NFIGD
    • AquaPEF – implementing PEF in aquaculture. Saioa Ramos | AZTI

Break

  • Framing the issues on sharing of best practices in aquaculture
  • Breakouts for discussion & Report out
  • Recommendations
  • Adjourn

New Year: New Members!

The EATiP Platform extend to all readers our best wishes for 2022!  We look forward to a successful year full of innovation and development for our sector and stakeholders.

We begin this New Year in a very positive way by welcoming two new members to our network!  Indicative of our multi-stakeholder nature, one member comes from the aquaculture industry, the other from aquaculture academia.

Ace Aquatec is an award-winning aquaculture technology company specialising in in-water electric stunners; automated waterjet bleeding; gentle contactless pumping; predator deterrents, biomass cameras and Sea Lice removal systems.

Ace Aquatec – one of two new members joining EATiP in January 2022

Ace Aquatec help their customers businesses to thrive by making their operations efficient, ethical and sustainable.  With the high importance attached to aquatic animal health and welfare within European aquaculture, EATiP will certainly benefit from the knowledge and experience this company can bring.  With a head office in Dundee (Scotland, UK) Ace Aquatec were co-founded in 1999 by inventor John Ace Hopkins and investor Annette Pyne-Carter after they saw the potential technological innovation could have in accelerating the adoption of responsible fish farming practices. The company project manages global R&D projects, manufacturing at two UK factories, and co-ordinate installers and engineers worldwide. The company also has a Canadian office and distribution partners in key markets.

Ace Aquatec has grown from a family run business into a global supplier of aquaculture solutions retaining a key focus on local partnerships and personal customised solutions and we are delighted to welcome them to our network – sure in the knowledge we will value their experience and knowledge.

 

From the academic side, The University of Stavanger (Norway) represents another type of Technology Platform membership category, bringing an additional wealth of expertise to our scientific and academic membership.  The Department of Aquaculture offers a number of areas of specific knowledge and expertise, where the University is keen to collaborate with EATiP members and engage in both project and other activities. Specifically, the University seeks to engage in the areas of:

  • Offshore Fish Cage Design, Environmental Load Modelling, Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), Artificial Reef, Contaminant Transport, Digital Twin Modelling, Fluid Mechanics and Dynamics, Turbulence Modelling
  • Aquatic diseases, Emerging infectious diseases, Pathogen molecular biology and sequencing
  • Innovation, Seafood markets, Competitiveness and resilience in Aquaculture
  • Fish health, fish welfare, Environmental impact, Risk assessment

The University of Stavanger – brining a wealth of expertise to the EATiP Platform.

Welcoming the new members to the EATiP platform, President Gustavo Larrazábal commented “at a challenging time for both the European aquaculture sector and European citizens in general, we are delighted to welcome these two new members to our platform, demonstrating that collaboration and engagement in the fields of research and innovation remain strong within our sector.  With the increasing emphasis on fish welfare in addition to fish health, and the ambitions set out in the Strategic Guidelines for European Aquaculture and Blue Economy, along Horizon Europe and the European Missions, the wealth of knowledge and expertise brought to EATiP through the University of Stavanger and Ace Aquatec will further extend and improve our contribution to the development of a sustainable and innovative European aquaculture sector.”

AQUAEXCEL 3.0 – First E-Newsletter

The AQUAEXCEL3.0 project has just published its first e-newsletter containing news and highlights from the first 12 months of the project. The e-newsletter also contains information on the Transnational Access Program which is now open for applications and will remain open for the duration of the project!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

 

 

OFFSHORE AQUACULTURE

The European Farm to Fork strategy aims to reach higher levels of food self-sufficiency through sustainable food production systems. Many different human activities at sea cause pressures and high competition for space in the marine space. The expansion and intensification of economic activities in coastal areas are important drivers to look for opportunities to produce seafood in exposed coastal and ocean areas. This expansion demands new technologies and knowledge to enable safe and profitable operations.

The EATiP Forum, co-hosted by its Mirror Platform NCE Aquatech, linked offshore aquaculture to Europe’s ambitions for Blue Growth, and addressed new trends, systems and technologies that contribute to expanding the suitable space for aquaculture production.


 

Opening talks

Presentations

Mentimeter results

Open discussion

Webinar conclusions