Farmed fish reproduction: putting theory to practice
Research over the years on fish reproduction has produced important knowledge and information with potential commercial applications. However, dissemination has been limited to the scientific community through publications and meetings, hampering accessibility of the results to other stakeholders. To change this, the EU-funded ‘Integrating basic and applied knowledge on finfish reproduction’ (Reprofish) project gathered previous projects’ participants aiming to facilitate dissemination, accessibility and applicability of the research results of previously undertaken projects. The activities of the project involved the construction of a website with all relevant up-to-date information regarding farmed fish reproductive biology. Workshops were also organised to bring together expertise from the aquaculture industry and disseminate knowledge to the scientific community and industry through publication of a special journal issue on fish reproductive physiology. It was equally important for the consortium to transfer information and protocols on controlled reproduction of farmed fish to the industry. This was achieved through newsletters, brochures and press releases. Finally, a report identifying research necessities and technical gaps was presented to the EU in order for future research to be appropriately oriented and to tackle certain bottlenecks. Overall, the Reprofish initiative managed to integrate existing knowledge on farmed fish reproduction and make it more accessible to stakeholders. Implementation of new protocols is expected to improve on current farming techniques and assist the development of a sustainable aquaculture industry.