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DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION ’ COOPERATION Given the limited employment opportunities Ghent University also coordinates Flanders’ universities are offer- in the local aquaculture sector, Aqua-TNET, the European Network ing appreciable support to local aquacul- Flemish development organisations, KULeuven achieved significant Ghent University ran pro- aquaculture education in Flanders is for Higher Aquaculture Education. ture education partner institutes in universities and NGO’s have an impressive progress with projects based upon their jects in over 20 countries on brine typically targeted to an international This network spans over 150 institutes Vietnam, Ecuador, South-Africa, AQUACULTURE record of development cooperation activities expertise in integrated aquaculture- shrimp and its applications in integrated audience. It consists mainly of MSc and throughout Europe and supports the Cameroon and Rwanda. This support related to aquaculture. During the last agriculture-animal husbandry, artificial salt production units, and on improved PhD programmes. harmonisation of MSc and PhD entails capacity building through short decennia, numerous large and small-scale fish breeding, nutrition, fish selection and larval culture of tropical fish and shrimp curricula, language aspects, validation of term training activities locally or in Flan- IN THE WORLD projects involving aquaculture have been genetics, fish pathogens and parasites, species. Over 300 people received competences and the use of innovative ders, the formation of PhD students and managed in Africa, Asia and Central & Latin water quality assessment, etc. practical training in a series of training One of the few truly interdisci- ICT based teaching (www.aquatnet.com). the production of didactic material, America by VLIR, DGOS, VVOB, ABOS, courses organised locally or here in plinary aquaculture postgraduate increasingly involving innovative ICT BTC and other Flemish or Belgian Flanders. programmes in Europe is organised at tools. organisations. In addition, Flemish universi- Ghent University since 1991. DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION ties and cooperation organisations co- In 2003, Ghent University was This Master of Science in Aqua - “Marine biotechnology stages a wide range of innovative, ordinated or participated in various asked to coordinate the ASEM culture is firmly research-based and sustainable and multidisciplinary research with an international projects funded by FAO, World Aquaculture Platform, a forum for calls upon the relevant expertise of all enormous potential to provide solutions to societal needs. Bank, NATO, EU and many others. dialogue between Asian and European Flemish universities and the teaching by Aquaculture as a particular biotechnology is a very important stakeholders for the sustainable European and international experts. and fast growing sector in Europe’s food supply. development of aquaculture. This programme is also at the centre of It constitutes about 1/3 of the value of the total EU fisheries Since 2004, the the European Master of Science in production. Flanders’ expertise in aquaculture hinges on (EWI) has consistently supported Aquaculture, a consortium of 7 leading 4 pillars: education, research, industry and development Ghent University for its coordination MSc programmes from Ireland, Norway, cooperation. In all four domains it acts as a catalyst of role in the ASEM Aquaculture Platform, Poland, Portugal and The Netherlands. a booming business in several regions in the world. herewith recognizing the pivotal role of The Department of Economy, Science and Innovation RESEARCH Flanders on the global aquaculture stage. recognises this leading role by actively supporting research, The Platform has been instrumental in education and industry through initiatives such as the ASEM the establishment of VIFINET and China The ASEM Aquaculture Platform facilitates the establishment of the network for Chinese Aquaculture & Fisheries Aquaculture Platform. I’m very happy to present in this leaflet AquaFishNet, the Vietnamese resp. institutes (courtesy Prof. Yingqi Zhou – Shanghai Fisheries University, Qingdao) the key figures and achievements of Flanders’ aquaculture Chinese network for higher education activities in the world”. and research institutes (www.asemaquaculture.org). Some facts & figures: Patricia Ceysens Flemish Minister for Economy, Enterprise, 165 graduates in the MSc Science, Innovation and Foreign Trade. Aquaculture from Ghent University EDUCATION (13 Flemish, 132 international from 49 countries) 43 PhD’s delivered (13 Flemish, 31 international from 19 countries) 300+ training course alumni from 74 countries

Over 300 trainees from 74 countries participated in aquaculture courses organised by Flemish experts

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RESEARCH INDUSTRY

Aside from small-scale production of mussels, oysters, sturgeon and carp, INVE AQUACULTURE MOANA MARINE HARVEST Flanders has little aquaculture production Feeding & protecting fish and shellfish A new generation of Black Tiger Shrimp Exellence in seafood of importance. However, it does have several aquaculture feed companies with a a world player in the aquaculture a science based aquaculture enterprise Leading seafood company and the very strong market position in the world specialty feed business, with a unique with head office in , working world’s largest producer of farmed thanks to a highly specialized production range of products related to the feeding on the economically important Black salmon (400.000 tons/year) technology and research-based expertise, and health status of marine fish, molluscs Tiger Shrimp, with a focus on: such as INVE Aquaculture and Moana. and shrimp Atlantic salmon cultured in own farms Furthermore, the former Pieters Group in the selective breeding for the genetic based in the clear waters of Bruges (now part of the Marine Harvest some achievements: improvement of the species and the Norway, Scotland and Chili Group) has made a marked contribution pioneering nutritional products production of shrimp post larvae Vertical integration of the whole farm- to the current on import, R&D, processing, including Artemia cysts, enrichment diets building a foundation for aquaculture ing process (from egg to adult salmon) sales & distribution of seafood in Europe. and compound larval and nursery diets technology for growing and maturing present throughout the value chain, Flanders plays a leading role in UGent Aquaculture R&D Consortium. The Institute for Agricultural And also in Europe, Patrick Sorgeloos of INVE Aquaculture (who took Thanks to a very ambitious project specialties for grow-out of marine fish broodstock from disease free founder with activities in Norway, Scotland, aquaculture research and in the emerging By building upon the expertise of and Fisheries Research (ILVO) has an Ghent University is co-founder and over Artemia Systems, a former spin-off with INVE Technologies and Moana and shellfish aiming to solve particular populations under captive conditions Ireland, Chili, Canada, US, France, blue biotechnology. 13 departments in 3 faculties, this aquaculture division based in member of the board of the European company of Ghent University estab- Belgium, the Flemish Institute for problems such as digestibility, attractive- (instead of catching parents in the wild) Belgium, Poland and The Netherlands Dedicated teams at the Flemish partnership can cover a wide range of Ostend that explores the local aquacul- Aquaculture Technology Platform lished with the support of the GIMV in Biotechnology (VIB) achieved a unique ness and pigmentation high-level molecular genetic research Headquartered in Oslo and listed on universities of , Ghent, and disciplines wit a unique multidisciplinary ture perspectives. Main research topics (EATP), that brings together producers, 1983) is market leader in specialized break-through with a high potential a complete health range targeting (in partnership with the Flemish Institute the Oslo Stock Exchange Antwerp have all gained a world reputation approach (www.aquaculture.ugent.be). are offshore shellfish cultures, the conver- consumers and researchers to advocate aquaculture feeds and health products. for application with other species of disease prevention in aquaculture for Biotechnology, VIB) Realized for farmed salmon Eurepgap in their own aquaculture specialization. sion of traditional farms into fish farms, the sector’s interests towards the European With production units in Europe, Asia aquaculture interest. By using molecular a worldwide reputation for strong Integrated Aquaculture Assurance Stan- At the Leuven University the setup of new land-based fish farms Commission. and the Americas, INVE Aquaculture techniques for early sexing of shrimp lar- aquaculture R&D competences some ground breaking research projects dard, a member of criteria Rat realizes The Laboratory of Aquaculture (KULeuven), the Laboratory of Aquatic and the integration of aquaculture and serves customers in more than 70 coun- vae, it enabled the development of ability to steer nature by transferring in partnership with VIB: sustainable farming and a safe product. & Artemia Reference Center of Ghent Ecology and Evolutionary Biology restocking into offshore windfarms tries and yields an annual turnover of mono-sex populations, having a large specific nutritional components the investigation and the discovery of University (UGent) has established a participated in various EU, Flemish and (www.ilvo.be). Furthermore, the close to 150 million EUR. impact on IP investments in this branch. (INVyTOL®) into fish and shrimp, molecular genetic markers for sex www.marineharvest.com worldwide reputation in the application international research projects on Flanders’ Marine Institute (VLIZ) producing seafood tailored to the health determination of the Black Tiger shrimp of brine shrimp (Artemia) in integrated seabass, eel, Dover sole and turbot, provides essential complementary Upon initiative of the INVE group, Marine Harvest is the world’s targets of choice. the research into the use of genetic salt production farms, and as a vital food providing their expertise in population services (logistics, data management, a new company was set up in 2001 leading seafood company and largest pro- markers for assisting the selective source for the culture of fish and genetics, the use of pre- and probiotics communication) to all Flemish universi- for the domestication and selective ducer of farmed salmon, and holds an im- www.inve.com breeding process and molecular shellfish larvae. Research activities now in aquaculture and the culture of new ties and institutions (www.vliz.be). breeding of the Asian tiger shrimp. portant position in the development, genetic tools for the production of extend into the production and fish species (www.bio.kuleuven.be/ In 2007, Moana Technologies pre- production and marketing of value added mono-sex shrimp population. nutritional manipulation of the other live de/dea/). First research experiences in aqua- sented the first harvest of their Moana seafood products. food organisms, micro algae and rotifers, culture of the Flemish Institute for shrimp, a new breed for the shrimp The group guarantees sustainable top www.moanatech.com and into the many zootechnical, Biotechnology (VIB) together with the farming industry. quality raw material thanks to upstream microbiological and immunological as- Ghent University and Moana Belgium, vertical integration and a worldwide pects of larviculture. To effectively tackle have yielded cutting-edge developments sourcing network. this broad range of topics, Ghent in shrimp breeding and Artemia gene University established in 2007 the expression (www.psb.ugent.be).