Six projects receive funding from SLU Aquacultures open call

The following applications were granted funding:

International workshop on Arctic aquaculture

In December 2021 an internationel workshop was hosted by SLU as part of the project ARCTAQUA, funded by Kolarctic CBC.  The workshop gathered participants from academia and industry from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia to discuss challenges connected to development of aquaculture in the Arctic region. Special emphasis was on Arctic charr farming.

Main Applicant: Henrik Jeuthe, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, VH-Faculty at SLU.

• Read more about the project and the related research

Consumer acceptance and risk perception of insect-based aquafeed

Insects are increasingly considered as sustainable source of protein as fish feed, but what are the consumers' attitudes towards fish fed insects instead of conventional protein sources?

Main Applicant: Aleksandar Vidakovic, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, VH-Faculty at SLU.

• Read more about the project: Consumer acceptance and risk perception of insect-based aquafeed

Generating a reference genome assembly for Arctic charr using long-read sequencing

The current proposal project aims to boost the Swedish Arctic charr breeding program through the construction of a reference genome assembly. Modern aquaculture breeding programs rely on DNA information to guide selection decisions. A critical resource for the successful implementation of the above is the availability of a reference genome.

Main Applicant: Christos Palaiokostas, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, VH-Faculty at SLU.

• Read more about the project: Generating a reference genome assembly for Arctic charr using long-read sequencing

Mitigation of interaction effects between farmed and wild fish in Sweden

A not foreseen effect of the blockage of fish migrating routes by hydropower dams was the formation of environments with different biosecurity, i.e. the infectious diseases present in the inland zone and the coastal zone differ to some extent. The situation of the present barriers is now changing due to a number of reasons and new knowledge is needed to prevent disease transmission.

Main Applicant: Elin Dahlgren, Department of Aquatic Resources, NJ-Faculty at SLU.

• Read more about the project: Mitigation of interaction effects between farmed and wild fish in Sweden

Germ-free and germ-associated experimental set-ups for rainbow trout larvae for nutraceuticals-gut microbiota interaction studies and beyond (TroLar)

The aim of this project is to develop a standardized germ-free and germ-associated rainbow trout larval model systems as a means to understand the interplay among novel nutraceuticals, defense system and gut microbiota with a focus to improve larval quality.

Main Applicant: Kartik Baruah, Department of Animal Nutrition & Management, VH-Faculty at SLU.

• Read more about the project: Germ-free and germ-associated experimental set-ups for rainbow trout larvae for nutraceuticals-gut microbiota interaction studies and beyond (TroLar)

Fish wastes - origins, forms and functions as fertilizers in agricultural systems

In a future, circular economy, it is desirable that mineral nutrients from fish wastes are utilized for plant production in agriculture and horticulture. Challenges related to the closing of the loop between aquaculture and agriculture are collection and treatment of the waste to preserve nutrients as well as the formulation of efficient fertilizers.

Main Applicant: Siri Caspersen, Department of Biosystems and Technology, NJ-Faculty at SLU.

• Read more about the project: Fish wastes - origins, forms and functions as fertilizers in agricultural systems