Aberdeen to host aquaculture microbiome workshop
A workshop examining how microbiome research can benefit finfish and shellfish farming is to be held in held in Aberdeen in November.
The two-day event is organised by ARCH-UK (Aquaculture Research Collaborative Hub) whose primary function is to direct funding to fuel research that will have the greatest impact on the sustainable development of UK aquaculture.
The microbiome comprises all of the genetic material within a microbiota, for example the entire collection of microorganisms in a specific niche, such as the gut.
In its programme overview, ARCH-UK says the microbiome is directly relevant to shellfish and finfish nutrition and health and has more recently been recognised to have a fundamental role in many other aspects of aquaculture.
This has fuelled a significant increase in recent research activity in this field, particularly in how the microbiome is both affected and manipulated by environmental factors.
Showcase young talent
It adds: “This workshop is a platform to present the current status of UK aquaculture microbiota research as well as an opportunity to showcase young talent within this research area.
“A core activity will be networking and knowledge exchange between key research areas relating to both fish and shellfish aquaculture; finding potential future areas for collaborative research.
“We expect a range of research interests to be represented, which will broadly encompass key components of the fish microbiome (intestine, gill and skin) as well as components of the microbiota in the environment.
“We hope that researchers and industrial partners from across the UK will share results and ideas around the study of microbiomes relating to the field of aquaculture.”
Keynote speakers
The meeting will contribute to the analysis and utilisation of microbiota studies in aquaculture, with a key aim to connect groups that can work together to develop Research Councils UK and other research grant applications to help progress the field.
ARCH-UK expects two or three keynote speakers who are experts in the field. One of these presentations will be from a non-aquaculture related researcher.
There will also be a series of 20-minute presentations from attendees, and a poster session accompanied by speed presentations from PhD students and early-career researchers.
There will also be significant time allocated to break-out sessions.
The event will take place at the Jurys Inn Aberdeen Airport on November 22-23.
Read more about the workshop here.
