Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world, accounting for more than 50% of the fish for human consumption worldwide, and it is also one of the most important international industries both in Norway and Brazil. The overarching aim of NORBRAQUA was to establish a long-term cooperation between Norway and Brazil in research and research-based education in aquaculture. The academic institutions involved were Nord University, Londrina State University (UEL) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), which is the largest research institute in animal production and agriculture in Brazil. In addition to these academic partners, NORBRAQUA had a strong collaboration with the aquaculture industry through two leading fish breeding companies, namely GenoMar and AquaGenetics. Mobility was the core of NORBRAQUA and for this very reason its start was greatly affected by covid-related restrictions. Nevertheless, the project gained enormous momentum in 2023 and both the Brazilian and Norwegian teams worked together to overcome the challenges and achieve the project goals. Throughout the project, Nord University hosted 4 PhD and 3 MSc students from UEL and EMBRAPA, who did some excellent research in various topics related to fish reproduction and health. We investigated the effects of water acidification on development of the testis in lambari-do-rabo-amarelo and found that the pH changes the expression levels of numerous genes. We also discovered differences in the prevalence of transposable elements and the expression of non-coding RNAs in two strains of Streptococcus agalactiae recently isolated from streptococcosis outbreaks in Nile tilapia farms in Brazil. Using next-generation sequencing, we revealed a serotype-specific immune response and DNA methylation differences in fish infected with this pathogen. These findings are important for advancing disease management in Nile tilapia farming, as they can contribute to the development of preventive measures, early detection, and effective treatment against streptococcosis. In another line of research, we examined how extenders and antioxidants affect the quality of cryopreserved sperm in Nile tilapia and how this process influences DNA methylation across the genome. We have also established protocols to obtain eggs through hormonal induction and cryopreserve the semen. Importantly, these results may find application in Nile tilapia breeding programmes.
In 2024, we organized a workshop on Oxford Nanopore sequencing Nord University, which comprised lectures on various topics in bioinformatics and hands-on training in MinION sequencing and data analysis. The workshop included 11 participants from various backgrounds and academic levels: 5 MSc, 3 PhD, and 3 postdoc/researchers. The participants had the opportunity to sequence their own DNA samples from several taxonomic groups, namely bacteria, fungi, trematodes and fish. According to the participants’ evaluation, this workshop was a success and equipped them with the bioinformatic skills to navigate in Nanopore-specific software and move further to advanced analyses relevant to their thesis.
In order to expand the scope of the MSc in Biosciences (Aquaculture specialisation) at Nord University, Genomar and the Brazilian partners from UEL and EMBRAPA prepared an intensive module on selected topics related to freshwater aquaculture. In this seminar, the students had the opportunity to learn more about tilapia breeding innovations, fish diseases in Brazil, cryopreservation and Nile tilapia reproduction, and the Amazon’s fish biodiversity, nutritional needs, and farming challenges. Furthermore, this academic visit facilitated discussions on future joint student supervision and long-distance participation in other courses.
NORBRAQUA ended with an international symposium entitled “I Omics in Aquaculture” at EMBRAPA, in which the MSc and PhD students involved in the project presented their research results, along with invited speakers from Chile, Brazil, Spain and Norway. The event was streamed live and had over 25 on-site delegates, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, academics and industry professionals. In addition to its scientific excellence, this symposium on aquaculture genomics promoted networking and new collaborations between the participants.
The above outputs from this exciting project have contributed to i) high-quality cooperation between Brazil and Norway in research and education, ii) increased mobility of students and academics, iii) recruitment of much needed competence in the aquaculture industry and iv) sustainability of fish farming. The collaboration between Norwegian and Brazilian partners is set to continue beyond the NORBRAQUA project through a structured long-term cooperation strategy, involving online teaching, joint research projects and student supervision.
The main outcomes of NORBRAQUA include:
- Increase the number of students at Nord University, State University of Londrina and EMBRAPA through mobility visits of 3 MSc and 4 PhD students.
- Enriching the curricula of MSc students at Nord through an intensive module in freshwater aquaculture, addressing diseases, nutrition and breeding of freshwater fish species.
- Development of an egg stripping protocol following hormonal induction in Nile tilapia.
- Establishment of an efficient method to cryopreserve Nile tilapia sperm.
- Increase the competency of researchers, undergraduate and post-graduate students in Nanopore sequencing and bioinformatic analysis through a workshop at Nord University.
- Consolidation of international research cooperation between Nord University and Genomar, as well as development of new collaborations with State University of Londrina and EMBRAPA through joint student supervision, research visits for staff members, and the organization of an international symposium in aquaculture genomics.
The results and outcomes from NORBRAQUA will have beneficial societal and environmental impacts, contributing in particular to UN sustainable development goals SDG2 (zero hunger), SDG4 (quality education) and SDG14 (life below water). In particular, the findings about Streptococcus serotype-specific immune responses in Nile tilapia are relevant for advancing disease management in farming of this species, as they can assist in the development of preventive measures, early detection, and effective treatment against streptococcosis. Also, the obtention of eggs through hormonal induction and cryopreservation of semen are key to develop selective breeding programmes for more robust fish, which will contribute to food security and sustainable farming. In the long-term, working with Brazilian partners will promote sending and receiving more exchange students and it is potentially a gateway of recruiting students on full degree. This cooperation will improve the education quality and foster competence in current fields, such as genomics in aquaculture. The engagement of students from Brazil will result in their recruitment in other Norwegian and Brazilian companies, which will benefit regional and local businesses both in Norway and Brazil.
Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world, accounting for more than 50% of the fish for human consumption worldwide. Aquaculture is also one of the most important and international industries in Norway. NORBRAQUA will establish a long-term cooperation between Norway and Brazil in research and research-based education in aquaculture through reciprocal mobility stays of graduate students, joint student supervision, development of a freshwater aquaculture module at the MSc level and organisation of a workshop in selective breeding and fish reproduction. The academic institutions involved are Nord University, Universidade Estadual de Londrina and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, which is the largest research institute in animal production and agriculture in Brazil. In addition, NORBRAQUA will have a strong collaboration with the aquaculture industry through three leading fish breeding companies, namely AquaGen, GenoMar and AquaBel. The project will be directly linked to the ERC Consolidator grant EPIFISH at Nord University. The expected outputs from NORBRAQUA will contribute to i) long-term high quality cooperation between Brazil and Norway in research and education, ii) increased bilateral mobility of students and academics, iii) recruitment of much needed competence in the aquaculture industry and iv) improvement of selective breeding programmes and sustainability of fish farming.
