Algal Biomass in the Feeding of Fish Species

Cluster

Aquaculture and Wildlife Resources

Group's website

http://www.ciimar.up.pt/lanuce/?sec=projects&id=356

Description

A research group has been set up at the Department of Agri-food, Environment and Animal Sciences (DI4A). Research is based on the interaction between different specializations in the sectors of aquaculture (AGR20), chemistry (BIO10), physiology (VET02) and microbiology (AGR16). The group underlines the importance of a multidisciplinary approach necessary to support the use of algal biomass in the feeding of fish species to contribute to the environmental sustainability of aquaculture productions. At the moment, such aim has been implemented within the MARINALGA4AQUA project, aimed at improving the quality and promoting the production of sea bass and salmon in aquaculture, as well as contributing to the reduction of the environmental impact of this production activity. The MARINALGA4AQUA project, coordinated by the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) in Oporto, Portugal, will be developed through the collaboration of 12 institutions from Portugal, Norway, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Denmark and France. The project has made it possible to extend the aims of the research group also to productions of supranational interest such as salmon, and also deals with the selection and optimization of technological processes for the production of marine algae, whose cultivation will allow minimising the over-exploitation of marine resources and the loss of biodiversity, and will contribute to reducing the imports of raw materials into the European Union. The researchers of the research group involved in the project will be engaged in the assessment of the incidence of contaminants, such as heavy metals and mineral oils (MOSH and MOAH), in cultivated algal matrices in order to verify food safety requirements necessary for their use in animal feed. A second activity is the evaluation of possible effects on the functionality of digestive processes and the quality of the product for human consumption resulting from the use of algal matrices as ingredients in feeds for fish species.

Research subjects

Studio della presenza e accumulo di contaminanti nella filiera produttiva acquacolturale
Sviluppo di strategie per aumentare l'efficienza della produzione dell'acquacoltura (ad esempio di conversione degli alimenti, riduzione del tempo di macellazione ...)
Sviluppare strategie per diminuire gli impatti ambientali della maricoltura e l’acquacoltura