AquaIMPACT boosts the efficiency of European aquaculture with genomic and nutritional enhancements

Global challenges redirect our eating habits towards diets that include more healthy foods, such as fish. EU consumers eat approximately 24.3 kg of farmed fish each year (in 2016). Global seafood consumption has more than doubled in the past 15 years, and aquaculture production is still growing 5-6% annually. The EU needs actions to provide sustainably produced fish more efficiently, and to boost the business around aquaculture.

© Pro Kala

Major impact within the EU
AquaIMPACT (Genomic and Nutritional Innovations for Genetically Superior Farmed Fish to Improve Efficiency in European Aquaculture) is a new Horizon 2020 project coordinated by Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) that integrates the fields of fish breeding and nutrition to increase the competitiveness of the EU's aquaculture of Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, gilthead seabream and European seabass. The aim is to ensure food and nutrition security and to satisfy consumer demands for high-quality seafood with limited environmental impact. The four species together represent 75% in volume and 89% in value of the total farmed finfish production in Europe.

Novel technologies implemented within industry
“AquaIMPACT creates and implements next-generation selective breeding methodology, and produces novel nutritional protocols for the genetically superior fish originating from breeding programmes. Genomic selection technology is especially suitable for more effective improvement of traits such as disease resistance, quality, and processing traits. To support these objectives, we develop machine learning and IoT to provide added value for feed development, genotyping, trait recording and data processing in practical breeding programmes,” says project coordinator Antti Kause. Furthermore, the use of emerging raw materials, insect meal and single-cell organisms, and novel functional additives are optimized in aquafeeds.

The developed solutions will produce more robust, healthy, nutritious and resource-efficient farmed fish, promoting industrial practices for re-circular bioeconomy, fish welfare, zero-waste and more efficient use of natural resources. These combined with communication actions will support consumers to make sustainable and healthy food choices.

The 4-year AquaIMPACT project started in January 2019. The consortium consists of 11 companies and 13 research institutes, with solid track records for developing technological advancement for the benefit of industries and consumers.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation
programme under Grant Agreement No 818367.


More information:
Principal Scientist, project coordinator Antti Kause, [e-mail] [phone]
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

Partners:
Natural Resources Institute Finland (coordinator)

Syndicat des Sélectionneurs Avicoles et Aquacoles Français SYSAAF
Ferme Marine du Douhet SAS, FMD
Akvaforsk Genetics Center AS
INVE Technologies NV
Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre AS
MOWI AS (former Marine Harvest Norway AS)
SPAROS Lda
Les Sources de l’Avance
Dorset Identification B.V.
Savon Taimen Oy

Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas
Stichting Wageningen Research
Wageningen University
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, INRA
Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer, Ifremer
NOFIMA AS
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Stirling
Universita degli Studi dell’Insubria
SIR-ScanMAT CNRS

Ecloserie Marine de Gravelines Ichtus, EMG Ichtus, third party of SYSAAF
Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences (AgroParisTech), third party of INRA

Countries

Belgium, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom