Ethiology:
Sparycotyle chrysophrii is a monogenean gill parasite specific for the sea bream (Sparus aurata), causing mortalities when contacted at high prevalence (61.5%) in fish cages (Sanz, 1992; Alvarez-Pellitero, 2004; Vigianou et al. 2006). A parasite has been isolated from the wild (Rajduković and Euzet, 1989; Faisal and Imam, 1990) and the cultured sea bream, and cultured sharpsnout bream (Diplodus puntazzo) (Mladineo and Maršić-Lučić, 2007).Continue reading
i) What is your contribution to the MedAID project?
In MedAID, I am working on Work-package 1 (Holistic sustainability assessment of Mediterranean aquaculture: zootechnical, environmental, economic, social and governance). This Work-package will carry out a thorough holistic assessment of the sustainability of the Mediterranean marine fish farming sector, with a particular focus on the farm’s zootechnical performance, environmental and social sustainability, health, welfare and diseases, economic aspects and governance.Continue reading
i) What is your contribution to the MedAID project?
In MedAID, We are working on Work-package 4 “Health Management and diseases and health”. This workpakage has the overall objective of improving the health and welfare of fish in the Mediterranean basin.
This objective is addressed in several tasks in the workpackage, where we participate as leader of Task 4.3 which has the objective to develop and test a new innovative vaccine to protect sea bass against infection with betanodavirus. Continue reading
Author/s: Irene Gartzia (AZTI), Irene Peral (AZTI), Begoña Alfaro (AZTI), Sonia Riesco (AZTI), Elena Santa Cruz (AZTI), Athanasios Krystallis (HCMR), Karen Brunso (AU), Violeta Stancu (AU), Anna Claret (IRTA), Luis Guerrero (IRTA)
Mediterranean aquaculture industry faces new challenges in an increasingly globalized market with competitiveness as the key factor and in which Innovations in the supply chain are as important as innovations in production. With and Increasing fish demand Aquaculture will be the clearly most important seafood production technology in next years.Continue reading
Although not being a partner of the MedAID project, in this occasion we invite Juan Fernández Aldana to participate “In the Spotlight” section. Juan is a PhD in Biology Sciences and MSc in aquaculture, and since 2015 he is the Coordinator of APROMAR-REMA.
i) What is APROMAR-REMA?
REMA (Aquaculture Marine Experimentation Network ) is a network created by APROMAR (Spanish Aquaculture Producers Association). APROMAR represents most aquaculture farmers in Spain. Its members produce finfish, shellfish, crustaceans and algae, as well as goods and services to the industry. It defends their common interests before any instance, advising, managing and reporting.Continue reading
i) What is your contribution to the MedAID project?
WP4 (Health management, diseases and fish welfare), in which I participate as a partner, aims at strengthening the diagnostic capacity of laboratories by standardizing diagnostic protocols and (Standard Operating Procedures) SOPs and by organizing Proficiency Tests (PTs). Since I am the Responsible of the OIE Reference laboratory for viral encephalopathy and retinopathy disease (VER), which is located in my laboratory at the IZSVE, I have been asked to lead the activities targeting this important marine pathogen. Continue reading
i) What is your contribution to the MedAID project?
In MedAID, I am working on Work-package 4 (Health management and diseases and fish welfare). In this work package we aim at providing tools and common strategies for prevention and diagnosis of major diseases, by creating an operative and collaborative platform. Within this work package, I participate as a partner in Task 1. Improve disease management based on risk assessment tools for new and emerging pathogens. Besides, I am a leader of the Task 2. Improve communication and harmonization on diagnostic competences, which has as objective to study the most important diseases of sea bass and sea bream and the most accurate, specific and sensitive procedure of diagnostics. The diagnostic procedures have to be standardized by interlaboratory testing and finally described in Manual of harmonized Continue reading
The term “Epigenetics” was first introduced by Conrad H. Waddington (1905–1975) in 1942 [1] to describe events that were found not to be congruent with the genetic principles. Today, epigenetic changes concern changes in the structure of DNA resulting from DNA modifications. Contrary to DNA mutations, epigenetic changes are reversible and occur fast.
Apart from the programmed epigenetic regulation that ensures cell differentiation, epigenetic regulation can be influenced by the environment, emphasizing the importance to investigate in depth epigenetic mechanisms (Fig.1). Especially in terms of climate change, which results in changes of temperature, acidity, and salinity in the marine milieu, epigenetics may shed light on the mechanism of phenotypic response triggered by environmental signals.Continue reading
i) What is your contribution to the MedAID project?
In MedAID, we are working in Workpackage 2 (WP2-Improving Zootechnical Performance). In this WP we work on the improvement of rearing conditions and feeding strategies that are fundamental to improve the key performance indicators of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). The research addresses current gaps in fish feeding, management practices and fish behavior, welfare and interlinks with genetics (WP3). Research is carried out not only in experimental laboratory trials and pilot tests, but also at farm level through case studies in Spain and Greece.Continue reading
Whenever a new technology with direct effect on our activity comes to light, it usually dazzles us. That first flash, the glow of novelty, is sometimes so intense that we forget the basics and focus on finding a direct, immediate application for it; and if it is a complex application, so much the better.
If we look at the unmet needs of farmers, as we are doing in projects such as MedAID or PerformFish, we realise the importance of ignoring those dazzling flashes and of the obligation to adopt a multidisciplinary approach based on simplicity, although in order to reach this simplicity, first we must go through a process that is apparently very complex. Such is our case.Continue reading