On 29 September 2020 the final AQUAEXCEL2020 consortium meeting took place. The meeting had been scheduled to take place in Cork, Ireland however unfortunately due to Covid-19 the meeting took place virtually. The meeting gave partners the opportunity to discuss the successes of each work package.
This 5 year project has seen huge successes. A virtual laboratory has been developed and is open for use. It can simulate experiments with fish and receive data on expected growth and water quality. Based on numerical modelling, it allows in silico testing of experimental protocols with a user-friendly interface, prior to their practical application. The overall goal of the virtual laboratory is to assist in optimizing the use of experimental resources and improve experimental design and test power. You can access the virtual laboratory at: ae2020virtuallab.sintef.no
Over 45 publications have resulted from the project and its TNA programme.
A digital fish repository has been developed. This repository contains data and metadata on isogenic, divergent lines or more generally well characterized fish lines (carp, sea bass, trout, and Atlantic salmon). Examples of specific data included are:
1) from the set of INRA trout isogenic lines including from the WP7 additional phenotypic characterization and methylome analysis;
2) from IMAR and UoS salmon isogenic lines which includes production, growth, maturity, survival, methylome sequencing of 2-3 salmon isogenic lines and RAD sequencing studies;
3) from WU and UOS carp isogenic lines, RAD sequencing and meiotic mapping studies;
4) from IFREMER sea bass data from quantitative traits measurement such as: survival, growth (weight and length), sex-ratio, muscle fat, fasting resistance, disease resistance, stress coping styles, diversity array studies.
To access the repository please click here.
The project also produced numerous Innovative Output Catalogues which highlight the results of some of the most impactful results of the project. To view these please visit https://aquaexcel2020.eu/results and select Innovative Outputs.
To view more of the results of the project please visit: https://aquaexcel2020.eu/results
AQUAEXCEL2020was preceded by AQUAEXCEL, which took place from 2011 to 2015. We are delighted to announce that the excellent work performed in these projects will be carried on in AQUAEXCEL3.0, which will launch in November 2020 and continue until October 2025. The project, coordinated by Dr Marc Vandeputte from INRAE (the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment), will consist of 22 partners and has a budget of €10 million.
