Access to South European Finfish Aquaculture Facilities


Aquaflow Technical Leaflet 2002-45

European Network for the Dissemination of Aquaculture RTD Information (Q5CA-2000-30105) and previously FAIR-3837, URL: http://www.aquaflow.org/

The European Community and IFREMER have agreed to provide transnational access for all European aquaculture research & development teams (including aquaculture SMEs) through an initiative entitled  "Access to South European Finfish Aquaculture Facilities" (ASEFAF), which is funded until 2004 through the RTD and training programme "improving the Human Research Potential and the Socio-economic Knowledge base.

Free access for European scientists in the field of aquaculture and marine biology under ASEFAF contracts will be provided to the IFREMER stations of Palavas and Brest and includes all infrastructure, logistical, technical and scientific support (including training courses if necessary). Only research teams conducting their research in European Member and Associate States are eligible for access and priority is given to research teams who have not previously used the infrastructure and who are working in regions of the community where few such research infrastructures exist. Research teams may include partners from different countries participating in the same project. Costs covered by the project include the use of all facilities, assistance, materials, travel and subsistence, but not the salaries of the participating research teams. It is recommended that scientists applying for ASEFAF preferably propose experimental periods of up to 3 months.

All life-cycle stages of fish from eggs to broodstock may be studied and special attention is given to Mediterranean species, the model being sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. Research fields covered include; Aquaculture in Controlled Systems (controlling the major processes involved in rearing, in order to answer the market demand in terms of price and quality); Fish Nutrition (determining the nutritional requirements of fish and improving existing feed formulation with regard to flesh quality and the environment); Genetics and Reproduction (allowing better standardisation of final product quality and improving productivity); Environmental Physiology (the determination of safe levels in water quality requirements) and Immuno-Pathology (focussing on viral pathologies, such as nodavirus).

It is suggested that integrated research based on the above five fields, will lead to the economic and environmental sustainability of aquaculture, including animal welfare concerns.

For more information:

Dr. Denis Lacroix
IREMER
Station Expérimentale d’Aquaculture
Chemin de Maguelone
34250 Palavas-les-Flots - France
Tel: +33 4 67504102 Fax: +33 4 67682885
E-mail: asefaf@ifremer.fr

URL: www.ifremer.fr/asefaf


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