INRA is ranked the number one agricultural institute in Europe and number two in the world (www.international.inra.fr/). IFREMER is a major European research institute in the area of exploitation of the sea (wwz.ifremer.fr). The research Unit entitled “Nutrition, Aquaculture & Genomics”(NuAGe), which is a joint research unit between INRA, IFREMER and University of Bordeaux, will be the main participant within PRO-EEL, herein mentioned as “INRA”, with scientists from both INRA and IFREMER.
Tasks inside the project
INRA lead WP2 and will be involved in WP’s 8 and 9. Under WP2, their contribution will consist of formulating broodstock feeds with specific nutrient profiles and to undertake analysis of the consequences on lipogenesis and lipid transport mechanisms as affected by dietary factors. Under WP 8, development of larval diets and analysis of nutrient requirements of larvae, especially with regard to liposoluble components will be undertaken. Under WP 9, the contribution will be towards analysis of the endogenous potential of larvae especially with regard to their digestive functional capacities.
Relevant experience regarding major tasks
Given the vast experience in fish nutrition, INRA will be in charge of WP2 dealing with nutrition of broodstock in close interaction with other participants of this WP as well as those connected with evaluation of gamete quality and early development. Similarly, under WP’s 8 and 9, INRA has strong expertise in the area of larval fish development and nutrition using controlled, formulated feeds, hence, this group will make a strong contribution to the investigation of larval nutritional needs.
Project participants
Prof. Sadasivam Kaushik is director of research in INRA and is recognised as one of the leading world experts in fish nutrition, arguably the leading fish nutritionist in Europe. He was for many years a key member of the Fish Nutrition Section of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences. Besides his scientific expertise in fish nutrition and feeding, he has been directing and co-ordinating major EU programmes in aquaculture (FAR, FAIR, V framework) and is also currently manager of programme 1 of AquaMax, an FP6 integrated project.
Dr. Genevièce Corraze is Chargée de Recherche at INRA St Pee-sur-Nivelle with particular expertise in lipid metabolism in fish. Having had her PhD in human lipid metabolism, has more than 20 years of research experience in fish nutrition and is head of the research team " Nutrition, Metabolism and Aquaculture" of the NuAGe unit at INRA St Pee.
Dr. Chantal Cahu (IFREMER), besides being a senior scientist within the NuAGe research unit, is also head of the department of Functional physiology of marine organisms within IFREMER. She has vast experience in fish nutrition area and has over the recent past concentrated her efforts towards larval nutritional physiology.
Dr. José Zambonino, a senior scientist with IFREMER, is also a joint director of the NuAGe research unit. He has a very strong scientific expertise in larval nutritional physiology, dealing in particular with the functional ontogenetic development of larvae, as affected by nutritional factors, with particular efforts towards nutritional control of gene expression during early development of fish larvae.
Relevant publications
Corraze, G., Larroquet, L., Maisse, G., Blanc, D., Kaushik, SJ. (1993) Effects of temperature and of dietary lipid origin on female broodstock performance and fatty acid composition of the eggs of rainbow trout. In : Fish Nutrition in Practice, (ed by (S.J. Kaushik & P. Luquet e). INRA, Paris, Les Colloques, 61: 61-66.
Labbe, C., Maisse, G., Muller, K., Zachowski, A., Kaushik, S. & Loir, M. (1995) Thermal acclimation and dietary lipids alter the composition, but not fluidity, of trout sperm plasma membrane. Lipids, 30, 23-33.
Bennetau-Pelissero, C., Breton, B., Bennetau, B., Corraze, G., Le Menn, F., Davail-Cuisset, B., Helou, C. & Kaushik, S. J. (2001) Effect of genistein-enriched diets on the endocrine process of gametogenesis and on reproduction efficiency of the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol., 121, 173-187.
Cahu CL, Zambonino Infante JL, Barbosa V (2003) Effect of dietary phospholipid level and phospholipid : neutral lipid value on the development of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae fed a compound diet. British Journal Of Nutrition 90: 21-28
Zambonino Infante, J. L. & Cahu, C. L. (2001) Ontogeny of the gastrointestinal tract of marine fish larvae. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology C Toxicology and Pharmacology, 130, 477-487.
Richard, N., Kaushik, S., Larroquet, L., Panserat, S. & Corraze, G. (2006) Replacing dietary fish oil by vegetable oils has little effect on lipogenesis, lipid transport and tissue lipid uptake in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). British Journal of Nutrition, 96, 299-309.