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Implications of digital transformation for migrant labour

Accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, rapid digitalisation has fundamentally transformed European working conditions. While its positive consequences are well recognised, digital transformation also puts a sorely needed part of the European workforce at risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. IDILAB (Implications of digital transformation for migrant labour) investigates the impacts that technological progress and subsequent structural changes have on the labour market integration of migrant workers. By developing a new methodological approach, IDILAB shall provide novel evidence on migrants’ exposure to the process of digitalisation, and formulate evidence-based and innovative policy options for the EU and national governments to improve on the scope and adequacy of national and European policy directed at encouraging a fair digital transition for all, including migrants. The proposed project will contribute with new knowledge on migrants’ own perspectives on barriers and enablers for a sustainable integration in a fast-changing labour market. I, the experienced researcher (Dr Olga Gheorghiev, the Czech Republic), will work with a European centre of excellence (the Research Centre for Digitalisation of Public Services and Citizenship (CEDIC, OsloMet, Norway), and the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI, Belgium) for intersectoral knowledge transfer, career development, and European added value.

Locating Intergenerational Ties, rematriating late-19th-century unpublished photographs of Sámi Women and Children

Employing a decolonial approach inspired by critical museology and Indigenous studies, LIT aims to initiate a visual restitution/rematriation process fostering attention to Sámi people’s experiences during colonial encounters, and to illuminate individual life-stories of women and children photographed by Italian anthropologists Mantegazza and Sommier between 1879 and 1886. It wishes to generate dialogical knowledge of unpublished visual/written materials, enabling Sámi communities of interest to gain access to these scholars’ photographs. In complex socio-historical Indigenous/settler contexts such as Sápmi (the Sámi homeland), Sámi people’s control over their own heritage has proved essential to processes of cultural and ethnopolitical self-determination. Part of the Sámi visual heritage consists of photographs taken - often through mild violence and coercion - by academics engaged in physical anthropological practices involving Sámi individuals of all ages and genders. The resulting academic and divulgative publications circulated in Europe for decades, shaping and reinforcing stereotypes of Sámi peoples and cultures. Photos taken in colonial encounters by late-19th/early-20th century scholars to visualize Sámi people’s supposed biological-cultural inferiority (until a few decades ago inaccessible to the Sámi) have become important means of decolonization and empowerment through art and activism. The visual restitution of such photographs is of the utmost importance not only from a cultural heritage perspective but is also considered by Sámi institutions and individuals as an urgent necessity. LIT proposes an innovative approach based on the co-construction of knowledge and with a gender dimension. I shall reconstruct life stories of women and children photographed by Italian ethnologists, locating their descendants and returning their photographs to their communities. LIT would benefit my career, making me a leading researcher in Sami Studies and museology.

CULTUral heritage in RurAL remote areas for creative tourism and sustainabilITY

The main objective of the project is to contribute to the promotion of cultural and creative tourism activities, considering the different capacities, resources, and specificities (material, creative, human...) of the territories, as a mean to help with the sustainable development of peripheral rural areas, favoring job creation and population settlement. For this, the potential of its cultural heritage will be researched, taking into account both the artisan material culture (techniques, materials, patterns and decorative elements), as well as the intangible culture (music, oral knowledge and culinary traditions) as a resource.
 
To promote non-seasonal tourism as a form of sustainable development with a stable population settlement we are going to research the crafts linked to the territory and their implications, but we will also carry out a documentation of the productive processes. First and foremost, we are going to cater to the necessities of the local communities and pay attention to aspects related to societal groups at risk of exclusion, such as women, the elderly and the youth.

All this will be developed from a multidisciplinary perspective, for which we will count on the various teams —most of them linked to different countries— that will be part of the consortium. Each of these partners will contribute to the development, as well as to the final result of the project through input directly related to their area of ??expertise: for example, among the collaborators we have intellectual teams specialized in the digitalization of heritage, research, or communication and dissemination, as well as as various institutions that will act as a testing ground for the more practical parts of the proposal. However, if something will characterize our work, it will be the constant collaboration between all parties, as well as the exchange of advice and experiences that will help to enrich collective knowledge and guarantee optimal results.

POWERING ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO DRIVE THE CLIMATE TRANSITION

PACESETTERS responds to the abstract challenge of the climate transitions by shifting from a model of entrepreneurship based on individual, short-term incentives to one that is driven by co-agency and new capacities to act together in sustainable ways. It does so by examining the concrete circumstances, investigating possible support mechanisms and stress-testing instruments that enable art and culture, creativity and heritage to drive the climate transition.
Therefore, PACESETTERS will set out to:
-Create knowledge from collaborative research to keep pace with the transition
-Propose and test creative business models to set the pace of the transition
-Assess strategies of valorisation to push the pace of the transition
 
This approach will identify and analyse advanced practices that run transversally across the cultural and creative sectors; contextualise the outcomes of co-research in real-world laboratories for social imagination; further develop and promote the preliminary results of experiments in iterative support and evaluation frames. The PACESETTERS approach centres on inclusion, participation and iteration in order ensure that gender equity and diversity inform it at every step and on every level.

The result will be a critical evaluation and all-encompassing demonstration of the actual potentials of the CCIs to drive the climate transition while systematically analysing their impact on micro-, meso- and macro-level:
-Understanding the climate transition as a triple transition: green, digital and inclusive
-Innovating aPACESETTERS responds to the abstract challenge of the climate transitions by shifting from a model of entrepreneurship based on individual, short-term incentives to one that is driven by co-agency and new capacities to act together. It does so by examining the concrete circumstances, investigating possible support mechanisms and stress-testing instruments that enable art and culture, creativity and heritage to drive the climate transition.

Smart and Sustainable Host UniverCities: leveraging city-university interactions to further the twin green and digital transition

SUNSET aims to develop innovative research and training capacity around city-university interactions driving the EU’s green and digital transition. This twin transition is a defining element of the current EU policy agenda towards achieving climate neutrality and sustainable growth. The European Commission considers cities to be frontrunners in this transition agenda, but their transformational capacity and resilience crucially depends on the presence of agile and high-performing urban innovation ecosystems. SUNSET brings together (1) prominent researchers working in diverse geographical and disciplinary settings at leading universities (N=6) with (2) partners (N=16) from city governments (often participating in the Cities Mission to achieve climate neutrality by 2030), innovation companies, research institutes and civil society organizations to analyze and foster the performance of these urban innovation ecosystems: drawing on a purposeful range of interdisciplinary, international, and intersectoral exchanges, the Doctoral Network will investigate whether and how universities can successfully become key drivers of the twin transition in cities via their role as innovation partners, the implementation of campus living labs, and as architects of decision-making in governance ecosystems. Through a tailored combination of network-wide training events and academic and non-academic secondments, the SUNSET Doctoral Network will train a new generation of researchers to become future urban innovation ecosystem leaders in the pursuit of the twin green and digital transition. The findings will lead to practical guidelines regarding the design and implementation of living labs for university and city management, tailored strategies to foster more inclusive and diverse urban ecosystems, and diverse forms of scientific outreach and dissemination.

Providing research infrastructure services to support Next Generation EU

This four-year project will harness outputs from key social science RIs in Europe and other reliable sources to support the aims of the ‘Next Generation EU’ programme and to inform EU youth policy. Virtual access will be provided to the outputs through special installations (portals) developed during the project. The core of the proposal is a set of existing research ‘services’, which will be re-purposed and customised to focus directly on the five themes: Make it Green; Make it Digital; Make it Healthy; Make it Strong; and Make it Equal. 

For each area, the consortium will work collaboratively to produce seven sets of resources:

i)	A searchable inventory of relevant variables drawn from multiple cross-national datasets; 

ii)	Analytical summaries, suitable for policy makers and analysts new to the field, as well as interactive resources available through the project portal;

iii)	Harmonised and merged extracts from these datasets that reduce the burden on analysts and increase sample sizes;

iv)	New data collected through the ESS’s established CRONOS web panel infrastructure. Eleven countries will field five waves of the panel, each one dedicated to a NextGenEU theme. Free and rapid access to the data will be available through the CRONOS portal alongside analytical summaries;

v)	In-person and virtual deliberative forums with young people (aged 18-34) in four countries covering the five Next Generation EU’ themes;

vi)	An educational tool (E-NextGen) channelling our data for use in classrooms and by the general public;

vii)	Comprehensive training materials related to all project outputs.


EXPRESS 2 SPECIFY AND PROTECT THE EU SOCIAL CONTRACT (EXPRESS2)

EXPRESS2 is a project that addresses from a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and cross-sectional perspective, the growing demand for a new, more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable social contract in the EU. To achieve this, the project will work to create a more appealing and legitimate EU social contract draft that will be submitted to inhabitants, Member States and EU institutions that will have the possibility to participate and decide upon the conditions, rights, and obligations to be binding. The goal is to strengthen the EU agreement of association by promoting social dialogue, civic engagement, and integration. An express draft shall be achieved by means of policy dialogue, campaign implementation, collaborative workshops, advocacy planning, and innovative offline and online formats and tools to create spaces for dialogue. To this end, EXPRESS2 will involve EU policymakers and institutions throughout the project to obtain a more appealing and legitimate EU social contract draft. 
The project will also focus on identifying and analyzing disruptive elements of the social contract, such as insecurity, populism, climate change, mistrust in institutions, gender discrimination, digitalisation and pandemics. The analysis of these stressors includes both individualised and cross-sectional approaches to cover the plausible relation of multiple disruptors, their concatenation or the “trigger” effect of a disruptive phenomenon to another. By understanding these disruptive elements and their effects on the social contract, the project will propose concrete measures to ironclad the social contract and it will provide relevant information to protect it from actual and potential disruptions thus we conceive social contracts as incomplete theorised agreements and living documents. In addition to academic, policy, and socio-economic outcomes, EXPRESS2 will propose recommendations to strengthen the social contract's resilience and capacity for further development.


Mapping of Longitudinal data of Inequalities in Education

The MapIE project aims to identify mechanisms causing educational inequalities and policies or interventions compensating for them. We do a systematic review of how these have been studied internationally using longitudinal designs. We map existing longitudinal data that we describe in a public metadata database, and we analyse them to describe the mechanisms of inequalities and to identify effective policies and interventions in different local contexts. We focus on the contextual differences between the Nordic and Central European countries that have structurally different education systems. Within national contexts and using comparative research designs, we look at system-, regional- and school-level policies and practices and individual-level factors (e.g. socioeconomic status, immigrant background, gender, special educational needs) that are associated with the development of educational inequalities and the successful prevention of achievement gaps. We publish and disseminate the empirical results of the project through multiple channels to scientific audiences, policy makers and the wider public. At the end, we create a public framework for studying educational inequalities longitudinally in future studies, acknowledging the role of local contexts but aiming for comparability at the European level. 

We implement the project in seven work packages. Our consortium consists of internationally acknowledged experts in large-scale educational assessment research from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Hungary and Luxembourg/Germany. The partners have a long-standing history of collaboration with each other, European researchers, and national and international education policy makers, and they bring extensive longitudinal datasets to the project. The project will considerably strengthen the knowledge base of what shapes educational outcomes over time, how to best support the learning of all students and how to reduce education inequalities in the short, medium and long term.

Contextualized pathways to reduce housing inequalities in the green and digital transition.

The project Reducing housing inequalities in the green and digital transition (ReHousIn) is committed to better understand the impacts of recent crises on housing inequalities across different European regions, especially with regard to the implementation of the green transition launched by the EU. The overall aim is to explore the mechanisms affecting the (re)production of housing inequalities under recent crisis conditions, and the impacts of the EU induced green transition in different national contexts and along different degrees of urbanisation. Based on a contextualized and comparative understanding of the mechanisms (re)producing housing inequalities, ReHousIn inquiries into multi-level pathways and inclusive local housing initiatives to spark innovative EU, national and local policy solutions towards inclusionary and quality housing, mitigating the possible negative impacts of the EU induced green transition. It conducts a comparative, multi-level analysis in 9 European countries – Austria, France, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom – focusing on attractive metropolitan regions, middle-sized cities and rural areas by means of a mixed-method project design. A quantitative data analysis on recent trends in housing inequalities and their relation to crises across different levels of urbanization will provide the framework for 27 local cases studies in which the impact of multi-level trajectories of housing-system, welfare regimes and environmental policy instrumentations on the (re)production of local housing inequalities and the emergence of inclusive housing initiatives are analyzed. Based on this, ReHousIn compares mechanisms of differentiation feeding into policy labs, aiming to formulate recommendations on how to tackle negative social externalities related the EU green transition at EU, national and local levels.

Strengthening resilience and mental wellbeing through the Support4Resilience toolbox for leaders in elderly care

European elderly care experiences labor shortages, lack of qualified workers and a mismatch between capacity and demands, causing stress, burnout, and reduced mental wellbeing among healthcare workers and informal caregivers. Leaders are crucial in promoting supportive working conditions but lack research-based measures to act upon these challenges.

Support4Resilience (S4R) will develop, implement, and evaluate a research-based Toolbox to support healthcare leaders in improving healthcare workers’ and informal caregivers’ resilience and mental wellbeing in elderly care. S4R will identify resilience and mental wellbeing factors among healthcare workers and informal caregivers; explore their perspectives and needs; develop new theory on the relationship between individual and organizational resilience, and mental wellbeing; and develop recommendations and cost-effective interventions. The Toolbox with tailormade resources for policy and practical use will be available through an open access S4R Resource Bank.

The S4R Toolbox includes three main tools: 1) Mapping and identification, 2) Reflection and education, and 3) Reorganization. Measures are initiated at the organizational level and effects on mental wellbeing and resilience transpire at the frontline of elderly care. The Toolbox covers different situational contexts, types of healthcare providers and health system levels. Elderly care settings in six European countries will implement and evaluate the Toolbox through a process evaluation, effectiveness evaluation, and cost-effectiveness evaluation. 

S4R provides policymakers, decisions-makers and leaders with solutions for taking action to solve specific risks for healthcare workers’ and informal caregivers’ resilience and mental wellbeing. Thus, pertinent to the work programme, S4R will support the development of resilient health systems in European elderly care through improved leadership capabilities, governance structures, and adaptive capacities.

Midlene fra MAROFF-2-Maritim virksomhet og offsh-2 fordelt på år

Midlene fra MAROFF-2-Maritim virksomhet og offsh-2 fordelt på fylker

Midlene fra MAROFF-2-Maritim virksomhet og offsh-2 fordelt på fagområde

Project Manager

Applications of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing the maritime industry. Such applications are evident in digital transformation in maritime industry, analysis of automatic identification system (AIS) data, optimization of energy efficiency of vessels, and various predictive analytics.  The University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) is one of the universities in Norway with a dedicated maritime department. USN is also located at the Oslo fjord maritime cluster with several maritime industry players in proximity. 

This conference will host scholars and industry players in the Oslo fjord maritime cluster and also be open to international scholars and industry players. The conference will host presentations and discussions on  the latest research in big data and AI applications in maritime contexts including marine engineering, navigation, maritime education, and shipping and logistics.      

This conference will serve as a meeting place of maritime scholars and industry. This will facilitate transfer of latest knowledge of big data and AI application in the maritime context among national and international maritime scholars and industry people. Along with renowned maritime scholars, since industry people from several renowned maritime companies such as Kongsberg and DNV are expected to attend and present at the conference, this conference will advance the state-of-the-art knowledge.     

The event will be organized as a two day conference scheduled for  08.02 -09.02.2024. The conference program will include 2 keynote speakers and 3 parallel sessions with two presentation tracks in each session (total 6 sessions).

Next Generation Smart Shipping and Navigation Conference

Studentprosjekt i mekatronikksystemer ved
Institutt for produktdesign (IPD)

Basert på VK databasen samt en rekke henvendelser fra norske settefiskanlegg til NIVA i perioden 1999 - 2003 ble det klart at toksisitet av jern var et større problem enn antatt for settefisknæringen i Norge. VK-dataene viser også tydelig at det er anlegg  i Midt-Norge som har de største problemene - både ut fra vannprøver og metallkonsentrasjoner i gjelleprøver. Basert på flere års forskning på avgiftning av aluminium med silikatlut ble det våren 2003 satt i gang et pilotprosjekt for å undersøke om dette kunne være en egnet metode for å avgifte jern. Prosjektet viste lovende resultater, og i januar 2004 startet det 2-årige NFR-prosjektet ?Iron and manganese toxicity in salmonids - problem overview and possible solutions for the aquaculture industry?. Erfa ringene herfra gir grunnlag for utprøving av silikatdosering i storskala. Målet med det omsøkte prosjektet er derfor å teste og optimalisere erfaringene fra vannbehandling med silikat og/eller sjøvannstilsetning for å redusere jerntoksisitet på settefiska nlegg. Giftigheten av jern har en klar sammenheng med oksidasjon av toverdig jern til treverdig, og dokumentasjon på hvilke tilstandsformer av jern en har ute på anleggene og hvordan disse endres med sesong og driftsforhold vil være svært viktig for å pre dikere og forhindre giftighet. Videre ønsker en gjennom kontrollerte renneforsøk å undersøke effekten av sjøvannstilsetning og oksygenering på tilstandsformer og giftighet av jern. Ved Salsbruket settefisk skal det gjennomføres et langtidsforsøk for å prø ve ut og sammenligne silikatdosering og sjøvannstilsetning i storskala. En viktig del av prosjektet er å samle erfaringene fra de ulike delene av prosjektet, og formidle resultatene av dette i form av faktabrosjyrer til næringen og i form av publikasjoner  til internasjonale tidsskrifter.

Jerntoksisitet i norske settefiskanlegg - oppskalering og utprøving av vannbehandling med silikat og/eller sjøvann

IPN is a major problem in salmon farming. DNA markers linked to resistance genes could be used to improve selection for resistance, through MAS. Here, we propose to combine experimental and theoretical approaches to lay the foundations for MAS on IPN in A tlantic salmon. 
Genetic material for the study will come from two IPN challenge tests. In the first test, each of 400 families constituting the Aqua Gen broodstock will be tested at the fry stage. Within-family variation for IPN resistance will be used t o select families for a second test, performed at the smolt stage. Here, fewer and larger families will be tested. 
A genome scan will be done using animals from the smolt test and 450 SNP markers from a dense SNP map. Large sample sizes and selective gen otyping will be used to ensure high power. QTL will be fine-mapped using combined linkage disequilibrium/linkage analysis (LDLA) and material from the fry test. In addition, strong candidate genes, such as genes in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MH C) clusters, will be tested for association to the trait using fry test material. 
The Aqua Gen population will be simulated with markers and genes segregating. The efficiency of the current breeding scheme (family selection) will be compared with MAS and  different schemes combining MAS with family selection. Both markers in LD and in linkage (equilibrium) will be considered. When ready, data on QTL from the experimental part of the study will replace simulated QTL. Simulations and experimental results wi ll be combined with relevant data from the industry to perform a cost-benefit analysis on MAS. 
Finally, we will perform a real-life pilot study on MAS. Matings will be designed based on parents? genotypes at IPN-controlling loci. The offspring will be ch allenge-tested for IPN and other diseases.
The end-product of the study will be a recommendation to the salmonid industry on how and when (or if) MAS for IPN (or other disease traits) should be implemented.

Marker-Assisted Selection for IPN resistance in Atlantic salmon

Salmon pancreas disease (SPD) ble først beskrevet fra Skottland i 1984, men var sannsynligvis tilstede i oppdrett av laks i Skottland så tidlig som i 1976. I 1990 ble det vist at sykdommen hadde en infeksiøs årsak. Senere, i 1995, ble det klart at sykdomm en skyldes et togaviruslignende agens som er ca 65 nm i diameter. Basert på RNA sekvenser fra dette viruset er det foreslått at det tilhører gruppen alfatogavirus i familien Togaviridae. 
I sin typiske form starter SPD med et akutt utbrudd 2 - 3 måneder e tter sjøsetting. Utbruddet kan være over i løpet av et par uker eller gå over i en kronisk fase som kan strekke seg over flere måneder. Syk fisk tar ikke til seg føde og blir etter en tid letargisk, avmagret og mørkfarget. Fisken svømmer ofte sløvt og høy t i vannet før den dør. Dødeligheten kan variere fra ca 10% og opp til 50%. 
SPD er i hovedsak registrert på laks i oppdrett på vestlandet med enkelte tilfeller i Nord Norge. Utbruddet i Nord Norge kan være et resultat av transport av smolt fra Vestlandet  til anlegg i nord. Transport av SPDV via smolt støtter en hypotese om at SPDV kan ha et ferskvanns reservoar eller smitte fra stamfisk og til smolt. Dette nødvendiggjør en nærmere undersøkelse av mulig tilstedeværelse av SPDV i anlegg for smoltproduksjon .
I dette studiet vil vi karakterisere genomet til alfavirus isolater, kartlegge vevs- og celletropismen til utvalgte alfavirusisolater ved akutt sykdom og under en bærertilstand, i tillegg til å undersøke muligheten for vertikal overføring av alfavirus. For å undersøke dette vil vi benytte metoder som RNA-rensing, RT, Real-time RT-PCR, PCR og sekvensering.

Alphavirus (Togaviridae) fra laksefisk i norsk oppdrett. Karakterisering, vertikal overføring og studie av vevs/celle-tropisme.

The increase in carnivorous aquaculture is exhausting the world supplies of fish oils and new lipid sources are required. Vegetable oils can be used, but the fatty acids in salmon flesh in particular will change to a "plant" like composition with low cont ents of the marine fatty acids EPA/DHA. These are strongly related to the health benefits of eating fish, and is a major marketing argument. The only marine oils available in large amounts are found at lower tropic levels and possibly mesopelagic fish lay ers. However, much of these lipids are in the form of wax esters and not triacylglycerols as in fish oils. Wax esters are toxic to humans in large amounts, but may be well utilized by fish. If wax esters can totally replace fish oils, vast amounts can be extracted from the seas off Norway, and "unhealthy" fat can be converted into "healthy" fat. It may also offer good usage of unexploited wax ester rich mesopelagic fish species that is inaccessible for human consumption. The proposal outlines several stra tegies to obtain better understanding of the suitability of wax esters in fish diets. The main objectives are growth studies in salmon and cod with the aim of assessing the digestibility and utilisation of the esters and their effect on product quality an d composition, and indices of fish health and welfare. Studies will be performed in small and large fish in order to determine developmental effects on the utilisation. Secondly, because wax esters are likely to be slowly digested that may limit digestibi lity under altered environmental conditions. Accordingly, a limited amounts of short term feeding studies will also be performed at different environmental tempratures. Finally, some preliminary studies may be performed on the effect of wax esters on abso rption of other nutrients eg pigments, utilising individual salmon equipped with dorsal aortal cannulas. Included in these trials will be the effect of feed additives that may modulate intestinal micellar properties (emulsifiers and enzymes) and thereby t he rate of lipolysis and intestinal transport of wax esters. In cod larvae, a micro injection technique combined with a novel digestibility tracer technique will be tested. These studies will however only be evaluated as preliminary and introductory due t o financial limitations.

Marine wax esters as feed source for farmed fish.

The main goal of this project is to develop a microarray platform for gene regulation studies in the Atlantic cod. Stress genes in cod exposed to waterborne pollutants and dietary undesirables and supplements, will be sequenced as expressed sequence tags (ESTs), and a cDNA microarray will be constructed and tested out. Focus will be put on the parts of the transcriptome that are involved in the cellular stress response and other regular stress genes, in addition to a number of housekeeping and control gen es. In this project we apply for a PhD grant, running for three years. The PhD student will work in close contact with the ongoing project “Stress genes in the Atlantic Cod Gadus morhua: EST sequencing and microarray production” (NFR project no.: 159197/I 20). This project operates as collaboration between several researches groups that work on various aspects of stress in fish. Knowledge gained by this project will be of high importance for the establishment of a successful cod aquaculture industry, provi ding biomarker tools in assessing normal status and early signs of adverse fish health, and help pave the way for proteomics. It will also establish the Atlantic cod as the central biomonitoring fish species in marine ecosystems in Norwegian waters, and s trengthen marine molecular biology in Norway.

Effects of environmental and nutritional stress on gene regulation in the Atlantic cod Gadus morhua.

Early sexual maturation leads to a significant loss of body weight during the spawning season, and farmed Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) of both sexes currently reach puberty as early as two years of age, before reaching commercial size. Photoperiod treatmen t has been the most efficient strategy to delay puberty in cod, and also to manipulate broodstock to spawn out of season. However, further
development of effective treatments to delay puberty and control spawning is hampered by the lack of basic knowledge  on the regulatory mechanisms controlling pubertal development in cod, most notably the neuroendocrine control where no information is available. The main objective with this project is to
elucidate how different forms of GnRH affect gonadotropes in the p ituitary of Atlantic cod during puberty. This will be done by cloning and sequencing of the different GnRH forms and their receptors, monitoring the distribution and expression profiles of GnRH and their receptors in the brain and pituitary throughout pub ertal development, and by investigating how the GnRH and GnRH receptors are regulated by photoperiod manipulation.


Neuroendocrine and environmental control of puberty in fish

It is well known from birds and mammals that skeletal tissues are dynamic and sensitive to factors such as exercise and nutrition. In the present proposal, we wish to elucidate the effects of mechanic stimulation of vertebrae through exercise, and the eff ects of fast growth on vertebral architecture and bone matrix composition in salmon. The effects of artificially induced maximal growth on the vertebrae of both wild and farmed populations will also be studied. Furthermore, we wish to investigate the rela tionship between vertebral bone architecture, matrix composition and strength, as a result of fast growth. Atlantic salmon parr and smolts will be reared under combinations of photoperiod and temperature that generate between a 4 and 6 fold differences in  growth rate between experimental groups. Selected individuals from these studies will be transferred to the exercise system (see below) to study the combined effect extreme growth and exercise. The exercise system is supplied with both fresh and salt wat er at different temperatures and the water current can be regulated up to 80 cm per second (i.e. allowing exercise at four body lengths per second for fish up to 20 cm. Salmon in different life stages, and with different growth rates will be tested in the  exercise system. Alteration of the environment may lead to dynamic expressional changes in many genes involved in growth regulation and those coding matrix constituents. We are therefore interested in establishing a small micro-array containing about 30 expressed sequence tags (EST). By analyzing the EST data banks provided by Norway (http://www.salmongenome.no/cgi-bin/sgp.cgi) and Canada (http://web.uvic.ca/cbr/grasp/) genes involved in skeletal growth will be selected in addition to those already studi ed in our group. By brief scanning we have already identified a few 'skeletogenic genes' (noggin3, col II, pitx1, pitx2 ) and in addition to already characterized genes (see section molecular regulation of bone growth). About 30 genes will be spotted on a  micro-array-plate by help of the micro-array consortium in Norway (http://www.mikromatrise.no/facility/NMC/page/id/66, ref. Professor Ola Myklebost). This method will hopefully elucidates the plasticity of skeletogenic factors related to exercise and fas t growth in both wild and farmed salmon populations.

Developmental and growth dynamics of the vertebral column in farmed Atlantic salmon

The proposal addresses the topic of production related problems identified as a priority in the strategic plan for "Havbruk" published by the Norwegian Research Council.

Deformities in fish are a recurrent problem in aquaculture, and the industry is face d with loss of money as well as a bad reputation due to these problems. Field data indicate that fish transferred to sea as underyearlings are more susceptible to vertebral deformities than yearlings, and that cardiac development may be inferior in these fish.

The project builds on recent advances in research on the relation between intensive fish farming procedures and causal factors for bone deformities in Atlantic salmon. The project aims to include basic studies on growth dynamics for skeletal and ca rdiac structures in relation to rearing methods for underyearling smolts, as well as applied studies of direct relevance to the industry.

The project will include two long term rearing experiments and will address temperature conditions, vaccination stra tegies, rearing density and water quality in freshwater. The effects of these factors, individually and in combination, will be examined by means of a range of methods, including growth dynamics and morphometric analyses, radiography and image analyses, m icroscopy and molecular studies. The fish will be monitored no less than six months after seawater transfer, and as close up to harvest size as practical conditions allow. Special focus will be on vertebral deformities and on cardiac size and form.


Skeletal deformities and cardiac growth dynamics in underyearling Atlantic salmon smolts (out-of-season, 0+ smolts)

Available data indicate that the biological process of sexual maturation of Atlantic salmon, as of most temperate fish species, is governed by environmental cues in order to ensure correct timing of the spawning event. Leading up to this event, oogenesis,  oocyte and follicle maturation and ovulation are developmental processes that are controlled by the endocrine system to ensure high egg quality at spawning. Thus, environmental cues are likely to influence the endocrine control over the whole period of o varian development. Photoperiod and temperature are key environmental variables in this regard, and can easily be manipulated during broodstock management. In order to establish protocols for environmental control, especially for out-of-season production of high-quality eggs, it is important to establish how photoperiod and temperature interacts with the endocrine control of oocyte growth and maturation. This pertains primarily to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, with the GnRH-FSH/LH system and th e GH-IGF-I system, and the effects of these hormones on oocyte development and steroidogenesis. The research will combine in vivo and in vitro approaches, and will apply molecular, endocrine and morphometric methods. Particular attention will be given to effects of photoperiod and temperature on gene expression of GH, IGF-I, FSH-beta, LH-beta, FSH-R, LH-R, mPR, nPR, GH-R and IGF-I-R, and plasma levels of GH, IGF-I, FSH, LH, T, E2 and 17,20betaP. These data will be related to ovarian development, which wil l be monitored by GSI, by analysis of oocyte size distribution, and by studies on the dynamics of the granulosa cell population. Egg quality will be assessed by measurement of egg size and survival to the eyed stage.

Salmon broodstock management 
Endogenous and environmental control of ovarian development and spawning

Growth is essentially protein deposition. Therefore, optimisation of growth depends on the understanding of amino acid (AA) metabolism. The complexity and possible interactions between the various metabolic processes and regulatory pathways are enormous. It is evident that growth in a living animal cannot be fully understood by studying one or a few factors at the time. This project aims at establishing proteomics as a tool towards getting a holistic understanding of the effects of dietary manipulation of  AA on metabolism and growth in fish. The proteome is the composition of all proteins expressed by the genome of an organism. 
The central objective of this study is to screen the proteome of target organ systems (the digestive system including the liver,  and muscle) for differentially expressed genes in fish fed diets with different nitrogen sources, amino acid profiles and degree of hydrolysis, in order to allow a better understanding of the dietary nitrogen digestion, absorption and the post absorptive  metabolism including muscle growth and bone formation. We have selected Zebrafish as a model because of the advanced knowledge of its genome, a prerequisite for proteomic studies. The last year of the study will include a transfer of methods and start co mparative analysis of Atlantic cod. Amino acid sequence for specific proteins will primarily be identified by mass specific finger print analysis, but also N-terminal peptide sequencing. Comparative proteomics will allow identification of conserved protei n motifs. Based on an unbiased differential protein profile analysis we will identify protein clusters, characteristic of a certain proteomic phenotype and identify modulated proteins in the selected organs in response to the given dietary stimuli. 


Differential protein expression in relation to dietary amino acid composition: a proteomic approach towards understanding growth in fish

1) Introduction
To provide protection for food safety and animal welfare maximum limits for undesirable substances in animal feeds have been established by the European Union. The European Union has set considerably lower maximum limits for endosulfan (or ganochloride pesticide) in fish feeds compared to other animal feeds (0.005 versus 0.1 mg/kg). The particularly low maximum limits for endosulfan limits the development of novel aquafeeds based on terrestrial resources. The 20-fold difference in maximum l imits is partially based on the natural low level found in marine feed ingredients as well a high sensitivity of fish to waterborne endosulfan exposures. The route of uptake (water or diet) is of great importance to the toxic response for most xenobiotics . Data from feeding experiments are required in order to set appropriate maximum limits for endosulfan in aquaculture feeds. In general there is little knowledge on dietary toxicity of pesticides in fish. This account for 

A)	Sublethal long-term toxic ef fects to fish (fish welfare)
B)	Carry over to parts of fish used for human consumption (food safety)

Whereas aquatic endosulfan exposures rapidly lead to mortalities in fish, such acute toxicity has not been shown following feed exposures. For aquacultur e the sublethal adverse effects of endosulfan on general fish health during prolonged (life time) dietary exposures are of most importance. The use of early warning signals of toxic exposures (biomarkers) is an important tool when assessing threshold leve ls of dietary toxicity in experiments of relative short duration. The development of biomarkers as an early warning sign of toxicological effects will also reduce the need for experiments where a higher level of toxic agent needs to be used, hence need fo r experimental animals (fish).

Toxicological evaluation of endosulfan in fish feed

The main objective of this project is to obtain knowledge on the genetic variation of  IPNV  and risk factors for IPN in Norway with emphasis on Atlantic salmon. Information about the prevalence of different virus strains is important for the fish farmers , fish health services, fish health authorities and vaccine companies to combat and control the disease The molecular biology of IPNV is well known, but a genetic characterisation of the virus causing disease outbreaks and of virus from carrier fish has n ot been performed systematically. Tissue samples collected from sea farms experiencing clinical IPN will be examined for the presence of IPNV, and in the case of detection of virus, the genes encoding viral proteins with documented strain variations (Segm ent A) will be sequenced. Information on virus variants will be associated with factors on management, environment and fish status in risk factor analyses. To reveal any virus introductory link between hatchery and sea sites, A. salmon in selected areas a nd farms will be followed from the parr stage in hatcheries, through transfer to sea and for four months post sea transfer with regard to the presence of  genetic variants of IPNV and promoting components for disease outbreaks.

Molecular epidemiology of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) in Norway

Thraustochytrids are a group of nonphotosynthetic, heterotrophic organisms, presently classified under the Stramenophila kingdom, together with the oomycetes and labyrinthulids. Members of the genera Schizochytrium and Thraustochytrium have been studied a s potential omega-3 producers for industrial use, due to their high lipid content ( and high levels of DHA .
Most reports concerning the production of PUFAs by thraustochytrids have dealt almost exclusively with DHA production. Compared to fish oils, micr obes can provide a stable supply of fatty acids that can be easily mass produce, a less fishy smell and highly purified DHA and other PUFAs.
Two earlier projects related to the study of Thraustochytrids have been supported by the Norwegian Research Counci l. 
The prsent project will utilise the strains that was isolated and characterized in the previous projects for development of new feed ingredients. Since the precious isalted strains seem to have different composition and properties, both will be used i n the project. Cell mass will be produced in large scale fermentations. Processes for production of three products will be developed: Dried, whole cell mass, purified oil, and the cell rests after isolation of the oil which will contain the phospholipid f raction ("by-product"). The products will be evaluated and tested for use as feed, or feed ingredients in marine aquaculture (first feeding and on-growing feed). Tests for enrichment of live feed (rotifers and Artemia) will be carried out at SINTEF. Elabo ration of microdiets and digestive studies will also be done. Use of the thraustochytrid oil and by-product as ingredient in formulated on-growing feed will be evaluated after the second year of the project

Biotechnological production of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and feed rich in PUFAs for aquaculture purposes

We know that skeletal anomalies comprise a problem in commercial salmon farming. Mineral nutrition is an important factor in bone formation, but it is also known from mammals that lipid nutrition is important. The use of vegetable oils in fish feeds is ex pected to increase, leading to a higher n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio. Salmonids are probably evolutionary adapted to diets with a lower n-6/n-3 ratio than the didets with a high content of vegetable oils will have. We know that the balance between n-6 and n-3  PUFAs is strongly affecting bone biology in mammals via the effect on eicosanoid production. We know that other bioactive fatty acids like CLA may have similar effects as n-3 PUFAs. To our knowledge, there is no investigation evaluating how the dietary r atio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids affect tissue eicosanoid production and bone formation in growing Atlantic salmon. The aim of this project is to provide this knowledge, which will contribute to a safe use of vegetable oils in salmonid diets. This will be o btained by investigating the effect of vegetable dietary oil sources and specific fatty acids on eicosanoid production, and its effect on bone formation, bone and mineralization, and bone resorption in Atlantic salmon.

Vegetable oils in diets for Atlantic salmon; effect of dietary n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio on eicosanoid production and bone formation

Proliferative gill inflammation (PGI) is an important cause of losses related to mortality and reduced growth rate in seawater farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Although reported since the 1980s, the disease appears to be increasing both in frequency and degree in later years. It is estimated that as many as 150 Norwegian sea-farms were affected in 2003 with mortality levels as high as 40%. The aetiology of PGI is apparently multifactorial and prevention is difficult due to our limited understanding o f its causes.

Epithelial cell inclusions (epitheliocysts) containing chlamydia-like organisms (CLO) are frequently seen histologically in significant numbers. The disease has, therefore, often been termed epitheliocystis. Recently we isolated a new virus , Atlantic salmon paramyxovirus (ASPV), from the gills of fish with PGI. This virus has been detected in gills of diseased fish from different farms. There is, therefore, strong circumstantial evidence that CLO and ASPV are at least contributing causes of  PGI.

Sufficient background material and information has now been gathered such that we are poised to investigate the two agents (CLO and ASPV) of probable importance in development of PGI. The main aims of this project are development of rapid molecular  techniques for identification of CLO and ASPV, to place the presence/absence of these agents in relation to development of pathological tissue changes, and to further characterise these agents, thus allowing a better understanding of their biology and in fection. 

Material from a collaborative project with Marine Harvest Norway  and from other farms will be included in an epidemiological approach, achieving the use of common gill samples, which will allow in-depth evaluation of the importance of each age nt in relation to development of disease.

Proliferative gill inflammation in Atlantic salmon – identification of aetiology

In mammalia, standardized experimental materials such as inbred mice or rats, genetically well-characterised rabbit or chicken lines are readily available. No such material is available for funtional studies in Atlantic salmon. Thus, this projects focus i s to generate clonal, well-characterised Atlantic salmon lines useful for a variety of functional studies. Androgenesis represents a relatively simple way to produce homozygous individuals in fish in only one generation. Further reproduction of these homo zygous individuals will be used to establish well-defined clonal lines. 

The benefit of using Atlantic salmon as a research model system, is that generated information of commercial value is directly useable on the farmed animal. A well-defined homogeneo us material is invaluable in a variety of studies:
1.	Study of basic biological aspects
2.	Study of disease processes and disorders – directly on a production animal
3.	Genetic studies: QTL-mapping purposes 
4.	Shot-gun sequencing

Generation of clonal Atlantic salmon lines for experimental studies: A pre-project proposal

Summary
This project aims at identifying areas of the genome responsible for disease resistance traits in Atlantic cod in order of implementing such traits into a selective breeding programme. A combination of molecular genetics, phenotypic records and bi oinformatics is crucial to identify areas in the genome of importance for disease resistance. Necessary tools like genetic map and challenge tests will be developed. The genetic map will be based on microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP s) identified and tested in this project. 50 full-sib families within 25 half-sib families from three populations of cod have been produced and will be tested in a disease challenge test against vibriosis. QTL studies to identify genomic regions for resis tance against the disease will be performed by genome scan of some of the families. These QTLs together with phenotypic data will form the basis for a marker-assisted selection (MAS) to increase disease resistance in cod. MAS is expected to increase selec tion response by affecting selection intensity and accuracy of the selection.


Disease resistance in Atlantic cod; constructing a genetic map, QTL mapping and implementing QTLs in a genetic improvement programme

Most if not all marine-fish currently held in captivity in Norway are susceptible to infection with Aeromonas salmonicida. Current expansion in farming of new marine species will almost certainly lead to increased isolations of A. salmonicida. Losses can be high and the bacterium is often difficult to eradicate from infected stocks. Repeated antibiotic treatments are often necessary. Vaccination in marine species may be only partially successful.

Typing of A. salmonicida isolated from marine fish will al low greater understanding of the routes and risks for spread of infection, provide support for eradication measures, allow mapping of infection within susceptible fish populations, help identify common and variable antigens and suitable strains for auto-v accine production.

Both subsp. salmonicida and “atypical” strains pose relevant problems in terms of strain characterisation and typing. The homogenous subsp. salmonicida strains have so far thwarted almost all efforts at sub-typing, while atypical strai n taxonomy remains vague and satisfactory typing systems have not yet been fully established.

It is proposed that the recently sequenced (Institute for Marine Biosciences, Canada) A. salmonicida genome shall form the basis for a Multi-Locus sequence Typi ng Scheme (MLST) based on heterogeneity within “housekeeping” genes. It is considered that this typing system may be particularly useful for discrimination of subsp. salmonicida strains which although very homogenous, must be subject to micro-evolutionary  influences. 

A Multi-Locus Variable number of tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA) typing system, based on repetitive elements identified from the genome sequence is also proposed. This assay will if successful, result in a reproducible, portable, PCR-based as say with high discriminatory power, most probably of use in differentiation of the heterogenic atypical isolates.

A. salmonicida has a pan-global range. Such typing systems have world-wide relevance.

Molecular typing of Aeromonas salmonicida- the cause of serous disease in farmed marine fish

In order to acquire more knowledge about the regulation of lipid metabolism, and to exchange advanced techniques, we wish to establish collaboration between AKVAFORSK and the University of Oxford. We therefore apply for overseas fellowship for Bente Ruyte r, so that she can stay as a visiting scientist for 6 months with the very reputable lipid metabolism group at the University of Oxford.  

The Oxford lipid metabolism group have achieved some impressing and important research results within the field of regulation of lipid metabolism in humans, especially related to adipose tissue function. Although there are great differences between human and fish, the major pathways and the function of the regulatory factors seem to be very similar. For that reason we  believe that there would bee a very fruitful co-operation between fish and human lipid researchers.

Application for overseas fellowship. Establish collaboration between the lipid metabolism groups at AKVAFORSK and at Oxford University

A low feed conversion ratio (FCR) is a very important criteria in salmon farming management, both  economically and environmentally. Key information needed to achieve low FCR is the feeding rate of the fish. Too much feed (feed/min and feed/day) increases  feed loss. Reduced feeding may decrease FCR, but also growth rate. Thus, finding the optimal feeding regime both in terms of daily ration and how to distribute this ration in time and space during the day is fundamental. Limited information is available about the individual feeding rate of fish. This may vary in terms of species, body weight, feeding history, fish density, pellet size, water temperature, oxygen, light level, and day length as well as rate and direction of change of light and temperature.  Available data are mainly based on tank experiments and indirect measurements in large groups of fish, which give an aggregated and low resolution picture of the situation. A more fundamental understanding of feeding efficiency requires detailed insight into the individual behavioural processes that arise when feed is presented to the fish, or more exactly, how does a fish respond to the feed and how does the behaviour of its conspecifics and the environment affect its own feeding. 

Telemetry is a power ful tool for remote monitoring of the behaviour of individuals or small groups of fish, and is extensively used as an monitoring technique in fish and fisheries biology. The idea of the project is to design and develop a “feeding sensitive” fish telemetry  system that can be employed in studies of individual feeding behaviour in fish cages, where the primary objective is to improve feeding efficiency. This will be achieved through careful investigation of the behavioural and functional traits that signal f eed ingestion in fish, and combine this knowledge with new microelectronic sensor technology in a telemetry perspective. The system will provide a range of new possibilities for the aquaculture research community.

FEEDTAG - A telemetry system for quantification of individual feeding behaviour for improved feed utilization in intensive fish cultures

Intensive produksjonsstrategier som innebærer lavt vannforbruk, oksygenering og innblanding av sjøvann i produksjonsvannet er blitt vanlige i norske smoltanlegg. Vintersår er blitt ett stort problem i settefiskfasen, og årsakene til denne utviklingen har blitt satt i sammenheng med den økte bruken av sjøvann i settefiskanleggene kombinert med svært intensiv produksjon.
I dette prosjektet ønsker vi å undersøke hvilken betydning innblanding av sjøvann i settefiskfasen har for laksens helse, velferd og risik o for vintersår. Dette vil bli undersøkt i kontrollerte forsøk på Havbruksstasjonen i Tromsø og NIVA MFS, og i ett kommersielt anlegg fra Marine Harvest, Glomfjorden. Virkning på fiskens helsetilstand vil bli undersøkt med særlig hensyn på det uspesifikke  immunforsvaret i mukus, hud, gjeller og i blod. Vi vil også undersøke om alternative vannbehandlingsmetoder vil redusere faren for vintersår. Økt kunnskap om disse forholdene vil kunne bidra til å sikre laksens helse og velferd, og redusere tapene pga så rutvikling, dødelighet, vekstreduksjon og nedklassifisering av slaktefisken.

Sjøvannsinnblanding i intensiv smoltproduksjon: 
effekter på helse, velferd og risiko for vintersår

Producing all-female market-sized Atlantic halibut shows high potential to the industry because of sexual growth dimorphism in this species. It is proposed to undertake multidisciplinary research on mechanisms and control of sex determination and differen tiation in halibut in order to develop the strategy to produce monosex all-female stocks. The project involves several research groups with relevant expertise in the different research areas. We will search for sex-specific DNA sequences and conduct thoro ugh cytogenetics research to better understand sex determination.. We will induce gynogenetic development to verify female homogamety and to obtain genetically all-female progeny. We will undertake extensive research on altering phenotypic sex (sex revers al) in order to produce masculinized females (neo-males). The cell- and molecular-level effects of various agents on endocrine sex control will be investigated. Different strategies to produce all-female stocks will be examined. It is anticipated that the  project will result in (i) substantial knowledge of genetic and endocrine sex control mechanisms in Atlantic halibut, (ii) development of efficient protocols to produce all-female halibut, and (iii) establishing neo-male broodstocks.

Control of sex in Atlantic halibut: Towards production of monosex all-female stocks

Testing and removal of progeny from IPNV-positive salmonid parents to control vertical transmission of IPNV has been known for more than 35 years and various national authorities (i.e. Scotland, Chile, but not Norway) have established IPNV testing require ments for salmonid broodfish or imposed IPNV certification requirements for the transfer of salmonid eyed eggs. Conventional cell culture methods have major drawbacks in an industrial aquaculture setting and several protocols for IPNV detection have been developed using nucleic acid amplification techniques. One of the partners in the current consortium has, however experienced that the outcome from the RT-PCR assays proves notoriously variable between laboratories, rendering the testing and certification  of questionable disease control value. The current project addresses these problems aiming to further develop and standardise sampling and laboratory techniques to better fit with the aquaculture industry's current and future needs.  Of particular import ance is the work plan on documentation of non-lethal sampling methods allowing for testing prior to spawning, and the assessment of the sensitivity of various methods when applied on various tissues including ovarian and seminal fluids.  The successful ac complishment of the project will be exploited commercially both in Norway and internationally by the proposer and its fish breeding industry partner.

Improvement of methods for infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) screening and control in Atlantic salmon broodfish

Prosjektet søker å videreføre og oppskalere resultater fra avsluttede samarbeidsprosjekter i småskala forsøk mellom Havforskningsinstituttet og Fjord Marin, og utvikle konkrete strategier og anbefalinger med sikte på å unngå uønsket kjønnsmodning hos tors k i kommersielt oppdrett.   
Gjennom prosjektet ønsker vi å bidra til; 
1. Utvikling av relevant og oppdatert kunnskap knyttet til kjønnsmodning hos torsk i oppdrett, og strategier for regulering av kjønnsmodning gjennom bruk av lysstyringssystemer tilpas set oppdrett i kommersiell skala.
2.Implementering av positive resultater fra små-skala forsøk til stor-skala kommersiell drift.
3.Optimalisering av lyssetting i stor-skala merd ved bruk av hydroakustisk overvåkning (vha ekko-signaler) og datateknologi. D enne delen av prosjektet vil samtidig kunne gi verdifull kunnskap om torskens atferd i merden i forhold til en lang rekke parametre; merdstørrelse, fiskens historie / alder, vanntemp., O2, salinitet, dagslys, foring, predatorer og røkting. 
4.Utvikling av  energieffektive lysstyringsregimer i små-skala forsøk ved bruk av tidsstyrt belysning og  smalspektret lys.

Uttesting og kommersialisering av lysregimer for styring av kjønnsmodning hos torsk i oppdrett

Malformations has been identified as a major obstacle in the development of commercal production of Atlantic cod by the industry itself.  A survey of the malformation problems presented by Norsk Sjømatsenter later confirmed this situation.  NFR states con trol of production related to disorders as a priority, in marine as well as salmonid species. Malformations can cause severe mortalities and affect the profit of the industry negatively, due to reduced growth and survival rates, high numbers of outcasts a t slaughtering and lower prices. Additionally, high frequencies of malformed fish represent an ethical problem for the industry.

The project aim to gain knowledge about environmental factors that may induce malformations in Atlantic cod during early deve lopmental stages.  The goals of the project is to identify optimal temperature ranges for different developmental stages of Atlantic cod, identify optimal light regimes for normal development of Atlantic cod and, also to design a protocol for rearing of A tlantic cod eggs and larvae with emphasize on normal development.
Gross pathology and morphometrical analysis, somatic shape of fish, bone staining and microscopic examination of whole larvae and tissue samples from larger fish and radiography will be use d for evaluation of the experimental results.  Molecular markers associated with malformations will be studied in order to increase the understanding of the mechanisms of development of malformations.

Control of malformations in the production of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) by optimizing temperature and light conditions

Beindeformitet er en lidelse som opptrer ofte i oppdrettsnæringen, til tider med store økonomiske konsekvenser. Klare årsaksforhold er ikke identidfisert, men mange forskningsmiljøer nasjonalt og internasjonalt arbeider med problemstillinger knyttet til u tviklingsbiologi, arv, miljø, ernæring, og ikke minst de etiske sidene av lidelsen(e). Prosjektet består i å arrangere en nasjonalt workshop innen området beindeformitet hos fisk i oppdrett, med inviterte utenlandske kapasiteter. Seminaret tar sikte på å presentere og diskuterer innsatsen fra ulike  forskningsmiljø og gi anledning for å utvikle samarbeid på tvers av innsatsen.

Workshop "Beinlidelser i intensivt oppdrett"

Sats på torsk - 9.-11.2.2005

Internasjonalt symposium "Interactions between aquaculture and wild stocks of Atlantic salmon and other diadromous fish species 18-21.11.05

Abstract
Iodine is an essential nutrient and part of the thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine. The hormones initiate the metamorphosis in vertebrates and iodine deficiency may therefore result in incomplete metamorphosis. Fish in general cover their iodine requirement from the diet as well as by active uptake over the gills from sea water. Very young larvae have not developed gills and there is no published knowledge on larval iodine uptake from seawater. Commercially enriched Artemia contain a n iodine level 700 times lower than what is found in copepods, the natural diet for marine fish larvae. In this project we propose to investigate the uptake of iodine from sea water in marine fish larvae and further describe the effect of iodine enriched live prey on larval metamorphosis. Emphasis will be on the effect of dietary iodine on thyroid hormone synthesis and its activity, receptor level and the genes regulated by this hormone as well as organ development, morphology and the onset of the metamor phosis.

MAROFF-2-Maritim virksomhet og offsh-2

Next Generation Smart Shipping and Navigation Conference

Awarded: NOK 0.15 mill.

Summary

Funding scheme:

MAROFF-2-Maritim virksomhet og offsh-2

Funding Sources

Thematic Areas and Topics