Research Directions:
Reproduction and physiology
Fish nutrition and feeding
Production technologies
Fish health
Fish behaviour
Description:
Maintenance of oxygen saturation (O2) at optimal levels for every temperature range under rearing conditions should consider several key factors for the achievement of maximum production yield. However, in Greek mariculture, during summer months when the temperature of seawater is high, low oxygen levels in combination with high stocking density result in reduced growth of farmed fish. So, Greek sea bream and bass producers miss the opportunity to achieve a higher growth on their farmed biomass, which could reach up to a doubling of growth rates of sea bream and sea bass during the summer months. The negative consequences of the production process due to long periods with low oxygen concertation in seawater in rearing cages are not limited only to reduced growth, but also the increased incidence of diseases and reduced flesh quality of the final product. Therefore, the aim of this project will be the development of a methodology for the management of an oxygen supply system for sea bream and sea bass on-growing systems, aiming at the optimization of the production and welfare of the rearing population when the concentration of oxygen in rearing water is a limiting factor.
The proposed project includes 2 partners from research and academic organizations and 1 company from the Aquaculture sector. The coordinator organization will be HCMR, which is also will be the first research partner of the project and it will participate with the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC ) with research leader and coordinator of the project the Dr. Ioannis Papadakis (Associated Researcher). The second research / academic partner will be the University of Patras. The fish farm company Galaxidi Marine Farm S.A. will be the third partner in the project.