Green Aquaculture Intensification in Europe

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Forecasting closures on shellfish farms using machine learning

Publication . O’Donncha, Fearghal; Akhriev, Albert; Fragoso, Bruno; Icely, John

Biotoxins and harmful algal blooms (HABs) are damaging to aquaculture operations. Occurrences lead to disrupted operations, fish kills, and significant risks to human health. The conditions leading to blooms are driven by known, but complex processes. Heuristics exist about the drivers but the nonlinearity and opaqueness of relationships make it difficult to resolve using traditional rule-based mathematical models. An alternative approach leverages machine learning to uncover the conditions that lead to the closure of farms. This paper presents a comprehensive framework that combines semi-automated machine learning with ensemble classification approaches to predict site closures. Performance is evaluated on 7 years of site closure data from a shellfish farm in Southwest Portugal, together with publicly available environmental data. The model reports an accuracy of 83% across a challenging forecasting task. The proposed framework provides a pragmatic, scalable, site-specific decision tool to help aquaculture stakeholders mitigate the impacts of HABs.

2024Journal article

Restricted access

Sustainable fish meal-free diets for gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata): integrated biomarker response to assess the effects on growth performance, lipid metabolism, antioxidant defense and immunological status

Publication . Fernandes, Ana M.; Calduch-Giner, Josep Àlvar; Pereira, Gabriella V.; Fachadas Gato Coelho Gonçalves, Ana Teresa; Dias, Jorge; Johansen, Johan; Silva, Tomé; Naya-Català, Fernando; Piazzon, Carla; Sitjà-Bobadilla, Ariadna; Costas, Benjamin; Conceição, Luís E. C.; Fernandes, Jorge M. O.; Pérez-Sánchez, Jaume

The growth of the aquaculture industry requires more sustainable and circular economy-driven aquafeed formulas. Thus, the goal of the present study was to assess in farmed gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.) how different combinations of novel and conventional fish feed ingredients supported proper animal performance in terms of growth and physiological biomarkers of blood/liver/head kidney. A 77-day feeding trial was conducted with three experimental diets (PAP, with terrestrial processed animal protein from animal by-products; NOPAP, without processed animal protein from terrestrial animal by-products; MIX, a combination of alternative ingredients of PAP and NOPAP diets) and a commercial-type formulation (CTRL), and their effects on growth performance and markers of endocrine growth regulation, lipid metabolism, antioxidant defense and inflammatory condition were assessed at circulatory and tissue level (liver, head kidney). Growth performance was similar among all dietary treatments. However, fish fed the PAP diet displayed a lower feed conversion and protein efficiency, with intermediate values in MIX-fed fish. Such gradual variation in growth performance was supported by different biomarker signatures that delineated a lower risk of oxidation and inflammatory condition in NOPAP fish, in concurrence with an enhanced hepatic lipogenesis that did not represent a risk of lipoid liver degeneration.

2024-07-25Journal article

Open access