The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has a national responsibility in technology and natural sciences (www.ntnu.edu/), with 20,000 students and 4500 employees. Marine and maritime research is one of six strategic areas of research at NTNU, with a close collaboration with SINTEF, and ca 25 PhD-students are graduated per year in the field.
The marine aquaculture group in “Marine Juvenile and Plankton Technology” is awarded status of a “Gemini Center”, and more than 100 MSc- and 25 PhD-students have graduated in this field. At the NTNU Center of Fisheries and Aquaculture (www.ntnu.edu/marine/sealab), there are well established laboratories for studies of fish cultivation, developmental biology, larval rearing and plankton/live feed production, molecular analyses, histology, microbiology and biochemistry.
Tasks inside the project
NTNU will participate in WP8, WP9 and WP10. In WP8, their contribution will be related to work with fertilization techniques and criteria for evaluartion of egg and larval quality. In WP9, the research will focus upon dietary responses and markers for nutritional condition, and allometric development of major organs such as muscle and digestive system.
Relevant experience regarding major tasks
The “Marine Juvenile and Plankton Technology” group has been pioneers in developing biological knowledge and technology for intensive larval rearing of cold-water species since the 1980ies. The group has conducted several large national and international R&D projects and strategic programmes related to marine juvenile and plankton production. The PRO-EEL project will especially benefit from our multidisciplinary research on larval rearing technology, larval functional development, egg and larval quality in fish. The group is active in the European network LARVANET (COST-Action), where varying egg and larval quality is one of the most central topics to be discussed.
Project participants
Prof. Elin Kjørsvik has more than 25 years of experience in research and project management related to early life history research of marine fish, especially on egg and larval functional development in relation to ecology and aquaculture. Her research is focused upon morphology, functional histology and physiology, related to egg and larval quality, functional development, larval nutrition, growth, digestive mechanisms and muscle development, in species such as cod, halibut, turbot, and cobia.
Dr. Per-Arvid Wold obtained his PhD-degree at NTNU in 2007, and he has broad experience in functional development of fish larvae, with a focus on morphological (stereology) and enzymatic responses related to development and dietary treatment.
Relevant publications
Nguyen, H. Q., Reinertsen, H., Rustad, T., Tran, T.M., and Kjørsvik, E. (2010). Evaluation of egg quality in broodstock cobia Rachycentron canadum. Aquacultulture, in press.
Huy, N,Q., Reinertsen, H., Thien, T.M., and Kjørsvik, E. (2009). Effects of essential fatty acid levels in broodstock diets on spawning performance, egg quality and egg fatty acid composition of Cobia (Rachycentron canadum). Journal of World Aquaculture Society, in press.
Kjørsvik, E., Olsen, C., Wold, P.-A., Hoehne-Reitan, K., Cahu, C.L., Rainuzzo, J., Olsen, A.I., Øie, G., and Olsen, Y. (2009). Comparison of dietary phospholipids and neutral lipids on skeletal development and fatty acid composition in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Aquaculture, 294: 246–255.
Wold, P-A, Hoehne-Reitan, K, Rainuzzo, J, and Kjørsvik, E (2008). Allometric growth and functional development of the gut in developing cod (Gadus morhua L.) larvae. Journal of Fish Biology 72, 1637–1658.
Galloway, T.F., Bardal, T., Kvam, S.N., Dahle, S.W., Nesse,G., Randøl, M., Kjørsvik, E. and Andersen, Ø. (2006). Somite formation and expression of MyoD, myogenin and myosin in Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.) embryos incubated at different temperatures – transcient asymmetric expression of MyoD. Journal of Experimental Biology 209: 2432-2441.
Kjørsvik, E., K. Hoehne, and K.I. Reitan (2003). Egg and larval quality criteria as predictive measures for juvenile production in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.). Aquaculture, 227: 9-20.