Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center

Department of Animal Production < Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

Personnel

• Patrick Sorgeloos
• Peter Bossier
• Gilbert Van Stappen
• Jean Dhont
• Kristof Dierckens
• Bart Van Delsen
• Marijke Van Speybroeck
• Mathieu Wille
• 10 to 20 PhD students (resident or sandwich type)

Activities

Since 1978 the Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center (ARC) has been involved in research on larviculture of fish and shellfish species of aquaculture interest. Initially, the main research effort focussed on the universally used brine shrimp Artemia as vital food source for fish and shellfish larvae, namely: brine shrimp culturing biology, natural occurrence, production techniques, strain characterisation, nutritional value and enrichment. Gradually, research activities extended into the other live food organisms, micro algae and rotifers, i.e. their production and nutritional manipulation, with main emphasis on lipids and vitamins C and E. Meanwhile, the worldwide industrialisation of larviculture demanded more thorough research on the zootechnical, microbiological and immunological aspects of larviculture. Therefore, the ARC engaged in a multidisciplinary collaboration effort with specialists from different research institutes, local and abroad, in the framework of nationally and internationally funded R&D projects.

The ARC organises a 2-year postgraduate programme “Master of Science in Aquaculture”. It was launched in 1991 in collaboration with different partners of the UGent Aquaculture R&D Center together with colleagues of the Belgian Universities of Leuven and Antwerp and Wageningen University (The Netherlands). So far, Ghent University delivered over 170 graduates from more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Since 2004, this Belgian-Dutch postgraduate collaboration has been extended to the Universities of Algarve (Portugal), Bergen (Norway), Cork (Ireland), Trondheim (Norway) and Warmia & Mazury (Poland), offering students the possibility to study at least one semester at one of the six partner universities. Since 1985 over 40 PhD graduates/students from 14 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas studied/study at ARC often under co-promotorship of colleagues from UGent or abroad.

The educational activities benefit from a European thematic network on higher education in aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic resource management “AquaTNet” that is coordinated by the ARC.
The ASEM Aquaculture Platform, set up in 2003 to enhance dialogue and interaction between Asia and Europe, is also coordinated by the ARC.
The ARC has organised 2 Artemia symposia (Corpus Christi, 1979 and Antwerp, 1985) and 4 Fish & Shellfish Larviculture Conferences in Ghent (1991, 1995, 2001 and 2005).
It’s spin-of company “Artemia Systems NV” (established in 1983) was taken over by INVE Aquaculture NV in 1991. The latter is now a leading aquaculture feed company with branches in many countries in Europe, Asia & the Americas.

The major topics of research performed in collaboration with partners of the UGent Aquaculture R&D Center are:

• Artemia culturing biology and strain characterisation
• husbandry and nutrition of fish and crustacean broodstock
• live food production and nutritional manipulation for fish and shellfish larvae
• analysis of microbial communities; quorum sensing (focusing on Vibrio); microbial bioflocs as feed in aquaculture
• gnotobiotic culture of Artemia, Brachionus and sea bass larvae
• gastrointestinal development in larvae
• development of alternative technique for disease prevention (probiotics, prebiotics, immunostimulants, environmental stress)
• pathology of WSSV in Penaeid shrimp
• morphological development of larvae
• transcriptome analysis in Artemia and fish larvae

Contact

• address: Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center, UGent, Rozier 44, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
• e-mail:
  • Patrick.Sorgeloos@UGent.be
  • Peter.Bossier@UGent.be
• websites:
  • www.aquaculture.ugent.be
  • www.asemaquaculture.org
  • www.aquatnet.com
• tel: +32 9 264 3754
• fax: +32 9 264 4193