• Education
• Collaboration
  • Successful ARRAINA “Technology for Novel Fish Feeds” Training Course
  • Ninth Issue of MaCuMBA Project News Now Available
  • COMMON SENSE Consortium Discuss Effective MSFD Implementation
  • COMMON SENSE Represented at 2nd International Ocean Research Conference (IORC) in Barcelona
  • Final SOCIOEC Meeting
  • SOCIOEC SWAT Stakeholder Workshops
• Student Corner  
  • Advanced Course: Advances in Flatfish Production
  • Call Open: EUROFLEETS2 "Oceanography at Sea: An Introduction to Practical Aspects of Oceanography" onboard the RV Dana, 20 May-3 June  2015
  • Ecosystem Based Management Training Course
  • An Introduction to Phytoplankton and Harmful Algal Blooms
  • Oyster Nursery and Hatchery Techniques Course
  • Grant funding for attendance of young fish technologists at the 2015 World Seafood Congress
• PiscesTT Jobs

To search for MSc programmes, MSc and PhD courses, and other training opportunities (short courses, online courses, work placements, etc.) in aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic resource management, please visit the Aqua-tnet Education Gate. This interactive web portal is the one-stop-shop for education in your field. For information on all educational opportunities (courses, workshops, etc.), as well as general events (conferences, meetings, etc.) please refer to the AquaTT Announcement newsletter which is sent out with Training News. A comprehensive overview of all events is given in the AquaTT Calendar.

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Successful ARRAINA “Technology for Novel Fish Feeds” Training Course

 A training course on the topic of “Technology for Novel Fish Feeds” was held in Olhão (Portugal) from 26-29 October 2014. This training course was co-organised within the framework of the ARRAINA project by Wageningen University and SPAROS Lda. The course was aimed at young professionals from the aquaculture industry and research institutions (e.g. PhD students) across the enlarged European Union and candidate countries.

The ARRAINA (Advanced Research Initiatives for Nutrition & Aquaculture) project aims to define quantitative nutritional requirements for the five main European aquaculture species (Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, common carp, gilthead sea bream, and European sea bass). ARRAINA is also investigating the long-term effects of alternative feeds on fish metabolism, performance, quality and waste management throughout the whole fish lifecycle (egg to brood stock).

During the three-day “Technology for Novel Fish Feeds” course, several topics relating to the ARRAINA project were covered and relevant information generated by, or related to, ARRAINA activities was presented.

The objective of the course was to provide participants with an in-depth perception on the state-of-the-art and future challenges in formulation and production of novel, sustainable and cost-effective fish feeds, with a focus on the interaction of current formulation trends (plant-rich, alternative feedstuffs, functional additives) and some feed processing constraints. Participants also had the opportunity to participate in live, hands-on demonstrations of feed extrusion, vacuum coating of fat and microencapsulation.

The ARRAINA project factsheet can be downloaded here as a PDF. For more information, please visit the project website www.arraina.eu or contact the ARRAINA Project Coordinator, Sadasivam Kaushik (kaushik@st-pee.inra.fr) or the Project Manager, Heloise Simonson (Heloise.Simonson@paris.inra.fr).

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Ninth Issue of MaCuMBA Project News Now Available

The ninth issue of the MaCuMBA (Marine Microorganisms: Cultivation Methods for Improving their Biotechnological Applications) project’s newsletter is now available to download from: www.macumbaproject.eu. MaCuMBA is a four-year EC FP7-funded project that aims to uncover the untold diversity of marine microbes using cultivation-dependent strategies.

In the ninth issue of MaCuMBA Project News: an interview with Prof Gerard
Markx, of Heriot-Watt University (HWU), UK, about MaCuMBA Work Package 8, Development of hardware and equipment for high throughput isolation, cultivation and screening; MaCuMBA Project Coordinator Prof Lucas Stal reports on the project’s second General Assembly, held in Cadiz, Spain, in September 2014; meet MaCuMBA’s new project partner SeaLife Pharma; get to know MaCuMBA’s researchers in the Culture Club; the latest publications resulting from MaCuMBA-funded research; updates on MaCuMBA’s recent participation at marine biotechnology events; and the latest news from the world of marine microorganisms.

You can also keep up to date with the latest news from MaCuMBA by “liking” the project’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/MaCuMBAProject. 

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COMMON SENSE Consortium Discuss Effective MSFD Implementation

The COMMON SENSE project’s annual partner meeting was held in Sopot, Poland, from 14-16 October 2014. The meeting, hosted by the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IOPAN), brought the COMMON SENSE consortium together to discuss the progress of the project and to partake in collaborative workshops. 

COMMON SENSE aims to develop innovative, cost-effective sensors that will increase the availability of standardised data on: eutrophication; concentrations of heavy metals; microplastic fraction within marine litter; underwater noise; and other parameters such as temperature and pressure.

During the meeting, partners engaged in participatory policy workshops where they collaborated to identify the most significant barriers to implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This was followed by an extensive review meeting where the progress of each of the project’s work packages was presented and evaluated in order to ensure good project development, the achievement of project objectives, and the successful delivery of project results.

Jose Alberto Saez, COMMON SENSE Project Coordinator, said: "The COMMON SENSE project aims to provide the latest generation of sensing technologies to support the effective implementation of the MSFD. During this first year of work, we have established the basis for cooperation between the multi-disciplinary and multi-national project team that will enable the achievement of our ambitious goals and will ensure the success of this exciting initiative."

Under the MSFD, EU Member States are expected to assess the overall status of their marine environments and to put in place the necessary measures to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020. Member States must implement cost-effective monitoring programmes in order to achieve MSFD monitoring objectives, as well as other European maritime and environmental policies such as the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Through the development of automatic, low maintenance and efficient sensors, the tools provided by the COMMON SENSE project will support effective monitoring of our waters and so help protect the marine environment in Europe, enabling a sustainable use of them.

For more information, click HERE.

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COMMON SENSE Represented at 2nd International Ocean Research Conference (IORC) in Barcelona

COMMON SENSE partners attended the 2nd International Ocean Research Conference (IORC) in Barcelona from the 17-21 November, where they exhibited an informational poster on the project and its aims.

Members of the partnership also attended a number of workshops at the event, including “European marine policy and its implementation through projects for marine monitoring for blue growth” which was organised by CYRIC (Cyprus Research and Innovation Center).

This workshop gathered together the four projects financed under the EC Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) topic “Innovative multifunctional sensors for in-situ monitoring of marine environment and related maritime activities”: SENSE OCEAN, SCHEMA, NEXOS and COMMON SENSE; as well as other innovative projects such as MARIA BOX, BRAAVOO, ENVIGUARD, SEA-ON-A-CHIP and SMS.

The consortium was also represented at a parallel workshop on “Achievements and future research on micro-plastics in the marine environment” as well as at the “Presentation of the Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) report in reference to microplastics”. The core research of COMMON SENSE includes the design, development and integration of a cost-effective sensor for in-situ monitoring of microplastic fraction within marine litter.

Furthermore, the consortium attended the workshop on “Scientists sharing data: existing databases, improving access, data poor areas”.

To keep up to date on all the latest project news and progress updates, and to find more detailed information on the project, please visit the COMMON SENSE website: www.commonsenseproject.eu. 

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Final SOCIOEC Meeting

The final SOCIOEC (Socio Economic Effects of Management Measures of the Future Common Fisheries Policy) project meeting took place in the Aquarium Tropical Palais de la Porte Dorée, Paris, from 19-20 November.

During the two-day event, each work package leader provided a status update on their respective work package and explained their plans for the remaining months of the project. As the SOCIOEC project is nearing its end date in February 2015, this meeting provided an ideal opportunity for the partners to assemble all the results thus far and plan for the concluding activities of the project. 

SOCIOEC aims to focus on the socioeconomic effects of management measures of the CFP. The project is developing possible new future measures to be introduced in order to achieve a more profitable and efficient fishing sector that provides sustainable employment, supports society’s aims, and contributes to societal well being.

For more information, please visit the SOCIOEC website.

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SOCIOEC SWOT Stakeholder Workshops

SOCIOEC hosted a stakeholder workshop at the headquarters of AZTI, Derio, Spain, from 4-5 November 2014. This workshop focused on Western Waters Case Study using a SWOT (strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats) analysis approach.

The workshop focused on the topics of regionalisation and fishing concessions in the context of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). A SWOT analysis approach was taken for each topic with the participants actively contributing. A total of six SWOT analysis results were obtained. These results were based on both regionalisation and fishing and then analysed for each of the following parameters: economic, social and environment.

Workshop coordinator, Arantza Murillas-Maza said; “More than 200 ideas have been obtained from the six SWOT analyses. This represents a very good result, and, given the success of the meeting, we hope to export the same methodology to develop other regional meetings.”

A second SWOT workshop was held at the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Hamburg, Germany on 11 November 2014. This workshop focused on the Baltic Sea case study and was also deemed to be very successful in achieving its objectives.

The SOCIOEC project will come to an end in February 2015 with the final concluding Symposium taking place in Royal Flemish Academy for Sciences and the Arts, Brussels from 17-19 February.

For more information, click HERE.

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Advanced Course: Advances in Flatfish Production

A new course on advances in flatfish production offers participants an opportunity to be updated on existing and new practices in flatfish production.

The course, which will take place in Zaragoza, Spain, from 11-15 May 2015, is designed for a maximum of 25 professionals with a university degree, and is intended for fish farming professionals, technical advisors and researchers interested in the field.

At the end of the course participants will:

• Know the current status of flatfish culture and the main bottlenecks affecting its expansion.
• Understand the science behind the technological progress in management, nutrition and reproduction.
• Be informed of the recent advances on recirculating systems specifically designed for flatfish.
• Have acquired practical skills in the use of technologies to control reproduction.
• Be aware of best feeding practices and formulation for flatfish and its impacts on flesh quality.
• Be able to apply best practices for disease control, vaccination and fish welfare.

The deadline for the submission of applications is 25 February 2015.

For more information, click HERE.

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Ecosystem Based Management Training Course

An Introduction to Phytoplankton and Harmful Algal Blooms

Oyster Nursery and Hatchery Techniques Course

This course is designed to assist the expansion of the oyster aquaculture industry; teaching growers and business owners successful nursery and hatchery techniques proven to grow high value end product, and providing government and industry stakeholders with an inside knowledge of critical success factors and current issues affecting the industry. It will be held from 12-13 February 2015 at SAMS, Oban.

Delivered by oyster growers, hatchery experts and leading aquaculture scientists from Viking Fish Farms Ltd and SAMS (the Scottish Association for Marine Science), this course is a solid, practical introduction to oyster hatchery.

This course is free of charge.  It is funded through the IBIS Project and includes lunch, transport to Ardtoe and all course materials.

For more information, click HERE. 

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Grant funding for attendance of young fish technologists at the 2015 World Seafood Congress

• Call for Case Studies About Action Taken in Response to Global Change for IMBER-ADApT
• Euromarine 2014 Call: Funding Success
• International Conference on Nutrition: Seafood Consumption Key to Pregnancy Nutrition
• Early Warning System for Fish Farmers
• Aquaculture’s Prominent Role in Feeding a Growing Global Population
• Mid-term Evaluation Report on INSPIRE Implementation Launched
• Underwater Robot Sheds New Light on Antarctic Sea Ice
• European Seaweeds and their Ecology: Call for Collaboration to Create a Seaweed Trait Database

Call for case studies about action taken in response to global change for IMBER-ADApT

The IMBER Human Dimensions Working Group is developing a decision support tool IMBER-ADApT (Assessment based on Description, Responses and Appraisal for a Typology) to respond to global change.

They are calling for case studies, dealing particularly with marine fisheries and aquaculture, to learn about actions taken in response to environmental or other global changes.

To contribute a case study, please click HERE.  
If you have any questions please contact IMBER@imr.no

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Euromarine 2014 Call: Funding Success

The EuroMarine 2014 call has been successful in obtaining funding for 18 proposals.

EuroMarine members submitted 49 proposals in total. These submissions requested funding for workshops, working group meetings, conferences, courses and other miscellaneous activities.

The next EuroMarine call is expected to be published around March 2015. This will be confirmed after the February 2015 General Assembly meeting.

For a full list of the successful proposals, click HERE. 

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International Conference on Nutrition: Seafood Consumption Key to Pregnancy Nutrition

An inter-governmental nutrition meeting concluded that seafood consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding provides essential nutrients that act as building blocks for brain and eye development.

The International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), an inter-governmental nutrition meeting between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) held in Rome this November, focusing on strategies to improve global nutrition.

The conference highlighted that pregnant women, especially in the U.S., aren’t eating enough to realise the benefits.

The ICN2 conference occurred one month after the Committee on World Food Security made a key recommendation in its report, encouraging the consumption of fish especially by pregnant and breastfeeding women. In June, the FDA released a draft update of its own advice to pregnant women on eating seafood.

For more information, click HERE.

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Early Warning System for Fish Farmers

A novel autonomous biosensor may help scientists to detect environmental hazards in the sea at an early stage. But applying this approach to the marine environment is a huge challenge.

Scientists within the EU-funded project EnviGuard, running between 2013 and 2018, are developing an autonomous device for the timely detection of environmental hazards.

The new device is designed to detect fish viruses, bacteria and toxic microscopic algae. It will also be able to measure toxins released from the algae and chemical contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). The system will thus also be useful for monitoring the state of the marine environment.

For more information, click HERE. 

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Aquaculture’s Prominent Role in Feeding a Growing Global Population

A recent study by Michael Tlusty, director of ocean sustainability science at the New England Aquarium and research faculty at University of Massachusetts, suggests that farmed fish holds far more promise than animals farmed for meat.

Tlusty expanded on the concept that farmed fish are far more efficient at converting feed into edible animal protein. The research shows that an average of 1.1 pounds of feed is needed to grow 1 pound of body mass in a farm-raised fish (salmon). That number increases to 1.7 pounds for broiler chickens, 2.9 pounds for hogs and a stunning 6.8 pounds for cattle.

For further information, click HERE.

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Mid-term Evaluation Report on INSPIRE Implementation Launched

The EEA (European Environment Agency) has published a mid-term evaluation report on the implementation of the INSPIRE directive. The report looks at the implementation of the directive and its relevance, and discusses any fine-tuning necessary to fully meet its initial objective of creating an infrastructure to share spatial data and services in Europe supporting environmental policies and policies that have an impact on the environment.

The full report is available to view and download HERE.

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Underwater Robot Sheds New Light on Antarctic Sea Ice

Researchers have used an underwater robot to develop the first detailed, high-resolution 3-D maps of Antarctic sea ice. 

The new technology provides accurate ice thickness measurements from areas that were previously too difficult to access. 

While most oceanographic survey instruments look down at the seafloor, SeaBED was fitted with an upward-looking sonar in order to measure and map the underside of sea ice floes. 

Watch the robot in operation HERE.

For more information, click HERE.

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European Seaweeds and Their Ecology: Call for Collaboration to Create a Seaweed Trait Database

A survey is currently being carried out among European phycologists to collect information on seaweeds traits. The aim is to build a trait database for the seaweeds of Europe and to homogenise and complete previous works on this topic.

If you work on seaweeds, the researchers involved would like to ask a moment of your time to answer the survey. They are specifically looking for information on seaweed distribution, life history, morphofunctionality or habitat.

The collected trait data will be integrated into the Aphia database, the database behind the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS, www.marinespecies.org). These trait data will contribute to different initiatives, and are of particular importance and interest to the European project EMODnet Biology (www.emodnet-biology.eu).

The survey can be downloaded HERE.

Once completed, you can send the survey to Marine Robuchon (robuchon@mnhn.fr).

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If you are interested in viewing or posting a job vacancy in the marine sector and related areas, please visit the PiscesTT website or contact aquatt@aquatt.ie. Click HERE to subscribe to live RSS updates of new job postings.

Recently added positions:

Position: Research Officer - Marine Top Predator Ecologist (United Kingdom)

Position: Junior Scientist - Integrative Ecology (France)

Position: Bottlenose Dolphin Research Volunteer (United Kingdom)

Position: Offshore Industries Advice Manager (United Kingdom)

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