© Progressive, modern production of juvenile Atlantic cod PROCOD Erik Vikingstad Akvaplan-niva.

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

Progressive, modern production of juvenile Atlantic cod

PROCOD

Erik VikingstadAkvaplan-niva

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD

• Duration; 3 years (2006 – 2008)

• 7 research (institutional) partners, 5 industry partners

• Total budget: 15 million NOK

– NFR: 9 million NOK

– Industry partners: 5 million NOK

– Hordaland Fylkeskommune: 600 000 NOK

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Research institutions

• Akvaplan-niva (APN), Tromsø• University of Bergen, Department of Biology (BIO),

Bergen• Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo• Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Ås• Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Bergen• Norwegian Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture

Research (NIFAR), Tromsø• SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture, Trondheim

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Industry partners

• Marine Harvest AS, Bergen (On-growing facilities)

• SagaFjord SeaFarm AS, Stord (Juvenile production)

• Jarle Tveiten Transport AS, Hardanger (Transport – truck)

• Rostein AS, Harøy (Transport – wellboat)• Fosen Aquasenter, Trondheim (Juvenile

production)

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Areas of research• Rotifer quality and start feeding strategies• Quality of cod juveniles

– Effects of temperature, salinity, and strain– Quality assessment with biochemical markers– Effects of environment on neurogenesis

• Water quality– Determining threshold limits– Open vs. recirculation production systems

• Transport of fish• Welfare in cultured Atlantic cod

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 1: Optimizing rotifer quality

SINTEF (BIO, UMB, NIVA, SagaFjord)

• Rotifer production in flow through systems (2006)B. plicatilis (Nevada) og B. ibericus (Cayman)

a. Test different flow-through rates; 25, 50, 75, 100% water exchange per day (batch cultivation)

b. Interval feeding or continuous feedingc. Batch cultivation or continuous cultivation

• Samplinga. Continuous measurement; O2, pH, temperature, salinity, TANb. Daily measurement; Density and growth ratec. At initiation and termination; Lipid, fatty acid, protein

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 1: Optimizing rotifer quality

SINTEF (BIO, UMB, NIVA, SagaFjord)

1. Rotifer production in flow through systems (2006)

2. Nutritional value of the rotifers (2007)

3. Cleaning of rotifer cultures (2008)

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 2: Optimal start feeding scheme

BIO (Akvaplan-niva, SINTEF, NIFAR, IMR, Marine Harvest, SagaFjord)

• Zooplankton vs. rotifers– 8 Groups

• Zooplankton; Low and high density• Rotifers; Low and high density• Zooplankton → rotifers• Rotifers → zooplankton• Zooplankton → rotifers → zooplankton• Rotifers → zooplankton → rotifers

– Week 0 – 3; Rearing under original protocols– Week 3 – 5; Crossing of groups– Week 5 – 7; Return to original protocol

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 2: Optimal start feeding scheme

BIO (Akvaplan-niva, SINTEF, NIFAR, IMR, Marine Harvest, SagaFjord)

• Zooplankton vs. rotifers– Sampling;

• Bi-weekly (2 weeks), weekly

• Growth, RNA/DNA, protein and fatty acid analyses

• Morphology, deformities

• Enzymes, hormones, molecular markers

• Fish transferred to sea cages at termination

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 3: Interactions of salinity, temperature, and strainAkvaplan-niva (BIO, NIVA, NIFAR, Marine Harvest)

• Post-weaning (10 g)• Individually marked fish• 2 strains (North vs. South) including fish from Task 2• 2 temperatures (10°C and 14°C)• 2 salinities (15‰ and 35 ‰)

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 3: Interactions of salinity, temperature, and strainAkvaplan-niva (BIO, NIVA, NIFAR, Marine Harvest)

• Physiological parameters;– Growth performance (weight, length, K, SGR), feed

conversion, size hierarchies– Stress measurements

• Hormones (cortisol, thyroid hormones)• Hydromineral balance (blood)• Na+/K+-ATPase, gill structure

– Welfare studies• Deformities• Feed intake• Behavior

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 4: Transport of Atlantic cod

NIVA (UMB, NIFAR, Jarle Tveiten, Rostein, Fosen)

• Study A; Small scale, simulated transport– Juvenile cod 10 – 100g, individually tagged– Duration; 6 hours– 2 densities; Low (30 kg m-3) and High (160 kg m-3)– 3 temperatures; Ambient (8 - 10°C), Low (4 °C), and High

(18°C)– After transport, fish transferred to common tank and

monitored for 90 days

• Study B; Full scale transport by truck and wellboat (Jarle Tveiten, Rostein)

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 4: Transport of Atlantic cod

NIVA (UMB, NIFAR, Jarle Tveiten, Rostein, Fosen)

• Studies A and B; Sampling• T1; Prior to loading

• T2; After loading, 10 min.

• T3; During transport, 2 hrs

• T4; Prior to off-loading

• T5; After off-loading

• Water quality, • Direct measurement; O2, pH, temperature

• Samples; pH, CO2, TAN, TOC, NO2, NO3, ++

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 4: Transport of Atlantic cod

NIVA (UMB, NIFAR, Jarle Tveiten, Rostein, Fosen)

• Physiological and biochemical analyses;– Stress measurements

• Hormones (cortisol, thyroxine)

• Blood physiology (glucose, pCO2, pO2, pH +)

• Gill structure and Na+/K+-ATPase

• Growth performance and feed conversion efficiency determined after 90 days

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasksTask 5: Identifying critical water quality parametersUMB (Akvaplan-niva, NIVA, NIFAR, IMR, Fosen)

• Water quality parameters analyzed in nearly all tasks– pH, temperature, O2, alkalinity, CO2, TAN, TOC, and relevant

metals (Al and Fe)

– Blood plasma parameters linked to water quality

– Whole blood, liver and gill samples (metals)

• In vivo measurements of blood gasses

© www.akvaplan.niva.no

PROCOD; Specific tasks

Task 6: Comparison of open and recirculation systemsIMR

Task 7: Photoperiod effects on neurogenesisIMR