€250k grant will help Irish salmon farmers manage zooplankton risks
Ireland’s Marine Institute has been granted €250,000 (£208,537) for a zooplankton monitoring project that will help Irish salmon farmers better understand and manage risks associated with zooplankton, drifting animals found in coastal waters.
Zooplankton are a natural part of the marine ecosystem, but some species can affect farmed salmon, and information on their potential impacts at Irish aquaculture sites remains limited.
Researchers will monitor salmon farms in Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kerry, and Cork.
The project is one of five that have each been granted €250,000 by ireland’s seafood development agency, Bord Iascaigh Mara (BIM), through its Knowledge Gateway Scheme aimed at strengtheneing the sustainability of the Irish aquaculture sector.
Tackling tubeworms
University College Cork’s SERPENT project will tackle the build-up of tubeworms on rope-grown mussels which can increase processing costs, damage equipment and cause crop losses, while the South East Technological University’s BIOSHORE project will investigate how Irish-farmed seaweed species sugar kelp and winged kelp can be processed into natural products that support plant growth.
The Luach na Farraige (Value of the Sea) project will examine the environmental, economic, and social contributions of seaweed, oyster and mussel production. It is being carried out by Trinity College Dublin.
Dublin City University’s Positive Oyster Indicators for Sustainable Ecosystems: Habitat and Biodiversity Enhancement project, known as POISE, will investigate how oyster farming can influence biodiversity and ecosystems.
Important research
BIM chief executive Richard Donnelly said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Ireland’s leading universities on important research that will be a huge benefit to the aquaculture sector. This is about using research to improve the performance of Irish aquaculture businesses. Whether helping mussel farmers predict fouling, creating new markets for seaweed or giving salmon producers better information about fish-health risks, the focus is on solutions that respond directly to industry needs.
“The research will also deepen our understanding of aquaculture’s relationship with the marine environment. Robust evidence will help producers assess and demonstrate their environmental performance, and build confidence among consumers and coastal communities.”
The Knowledge Gateway Scheme is co-funded by Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the European Union under the European Maritime, Fisheries & Aquaculture Fund, and is administered by BIM.
