PerformFISH Supports Sustainable Development Of Marine Fish Farming In The Mediterranean

After Brexit, the Mediterranean Aquaculture Sector (MMFF) has become the largest aquaculture sector in the European Union. The products of the MMFF sector symbolize Mediterranean food and cuisine and are mainly produced in the Mediterranean. As such, they are a unique resource for European fisheries.

PerformFISH brings together a consortium of 40 participants to generate, validate and apply new knowledge in real farming situations to significantly improve the performance of European shrimp and prawn farms as measured by key performance indicators (KPIs). . Key aspects of PerformFish's design are to: a) engage consumers and social actors in product design, product validation and marketing strategies and promote MMFF brand practices and products, and b) develop and use a quantitative benchmarking system. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on to cover all aspects of MMFF performance.

Explore consumer perceptions to identify challenges

In seven major markets – Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Germany, UK and USA – consumer awareness and dynamics were explored to identify challenges and barriers for MMFF products in those markets and propose new marketing strategies to build trust. And they contribute to culture. Food safety and security.

Synchronization of MMFF performance

PerformFISH developed the first MMFF benchmarking system specifically based on MMFF industry-approved Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Five national aquaculture associations in Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece collaborated with PerformFish to identify, validate and adopt 55 KPIs related to growth, health, feed efficiency, fish safety and environmental protection.

An application to create a positive impact in the production chain

FISH provides state-of-the-art input in genome selection, juvenile quality and programming, fish disease management, feeding and nutrition, which have a significant impact on KPIs. The first genomic tool (Med_FISH array) for European sea bass and shrimp has been successfully validated and commercialized in collaboration with the MedAID program. This genomic tool has been used in genome-wide association mapping to reveal heritability of pathogen and parasite resistance, individual feeding skills and external morphology. The Med_FISH array marks the beginning of genomic selection at MMFF and is a powerful genomic selection tool outside of the project.

PerformFish has completed a series of public reports describing the risks associated with diseases, prevention and control strategies, and good farming practices. Most of these reports are designed as guidelines that include current knowledge on each topic as well as future trends and recommendations and practical applications for health professionals and farmers. New vaccines and tests are developed and validated in commercial settings with industry-recognized operational safety metrics.

Collaboration with Mediterranean commercial enterprises was essential to identify and validate quality indicators for eggs, larvae and juveniles under production conditions. PerformFISH provides superior insight into bone abnormalities, as well as proven molecular tools to predict larval quality and a real-time marker-based monitoring tool as a sensitive system to support hatchery product quality.

Significant steps have been taken by the MMFF towards sustainable and sustainable food and nutrition by establishing nutritional quality standards for the production of fishmeal and low fish oil feed in European sea bass and shrimp. To develop a cost-effective yet effective and field-proven fish feed, an integrated approach was adopted to obtain alternative nutrient utilization data from a simple prototype fish biomass assessment system and an independent growth performance instrument. The MMFF product is used for early heat programming of stable rearing of young and mature seabreams to make optimal use of alternative feeds.

Training for PerformFish is focused, with many students trained to become highly skilled scientists and aquaculture professionals to provide new insights into genetics, egg quality, health management, feeding techniques and KPI benchmarking systems.

Contributing to a sustainable EU blue economy MFFF works to contribute to a sustainable EU blue economy, participate in the green transition required by the European Green Deal and strengthen its role in food safety and security. Fishing targets with a farm-to-table strategy are very effective. MMFF support for sustainable development reduces pressure on land production systems and promotes livestock production with lower environmental impact. Furthermore, PerformFish responds to the objectives of the new strategic guidelines for sustainable aquaculture adopted by the EC in 2021. International reference for durability and quality.

To define codes of conduct, implement good practices to maintain the quality of product lines and final products, create a proper and responsible system that guarantees economic and environmental sustainability and ensures food safety. According to the agreement between the user and the company. For the first time the implementation of the Code of Conduct will be supported by key performance indicators to ensure transparency and a unified monitoring system to support sustainable data-driven policies and plans.

The project budget is €7,045,000 and will run from May 2017 to October 2022. More information can be found at [http://performfish.eu/].

This project is supported by the European Union HORIZON 2020 Research and Innovation Program n. 727610.

Note: This is a company profile.

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