Acronym PATHDNA
Category
Marine Biotechnology
Title Use of environmental DNA in mapping the diversity of fish pathogens and the risk of infection spread in the environment surrounding marine aquaculture facilities Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Jessica Louise Ray Coordinator email jera@norceresearch.no
Coordinator institution
NORCE - Norwegian Research Centre (Norway)
Institutions involved
U of T - University of Toronto (Canada) ,
Start year 2021 End year 2024 Funding (€) € 1,167,750 Website https://www.norceresearch.no/en/projects/spatial-patterns-of-pathogen-profiles-in-marine-habitats-and-associations-with-active-and-fallow-fish-farms-from-edna-sampling-pathdna Summary In Norway, pathogen dynamics are of particular importance to the salmonid aquaculture industry, which is a multi-billion kroner operation raising millions of salmon in open net pen farms that are vulnerable to communicable disease outbreaks. These open net pens benefit from exposing the growing salmon to ambient temperatures and flows that naturally refresh the water but also put animals at risk of pathogen transmission between farms, and the potential pathogen interactions with wild species. There is a great deficit of knowledge about the spread of infectious pathogens through the water, or how pathogen occurrence varies with fish production cycles. Knowledge about pathogen dynamics would be a great asset to sustainable management of the fish farming industry, particulary when ascertained by efficient sampling methodologies for studying the occurrence and distribution of multiple, economically important salmonid pathogens. In this unique collaboration between research and industry sectors, we will conduct a large-scale quantitative investigation of approximately 40 important protist, bacterial and viral fish pathogens across multiple production sites and fallowing zones throughout and entire production cycle. This high-resolution data will allow assessment of the impact of aquaculture production on disease agent occurrence and also the efficacy of fallowing zones for reducing disease transfer between farming areas. We will also conduct a specific investigation into the role of well boats as vectors for disease agent transfer between farming areas, and the efficiency of well boat cleaning routines for reducing the risk of disease transfer. Finally, we will test the utility of a rapid and simplified molecular detection method, a hand-held qPCR instrument, as an on-site early detection tool for improving mitigation of disease spread in farming areas.
Keywords
Genetic;
Disease;
Fish;
Monitoring;
Bacteria;
Technology;
Open sea aquaculture;
Cage aquaculture;
Fish health;
Salmon;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
Marine Region Map
