The Coefficient Giving foundation will finance an innovative environmental programming project with over €750,000 to bring farmed salmon closer to the natural context of Atlantic salmon by studying circadian rhythms of thermal preference. The study is coordinated by the IRTA and includes the involvement of the IBB-UAB's Evolutive Immunology Laboratory and the University of Vigo.
The SMOLTime (Harnessing Circadian Rhythms of Thermal Preferences and Photoperiod Optimisation to Enhance Welfare and Smolt Development in Atlantic Salmon Parr) project will characterise the daily circadian rhythms of thermal preference in salmon, synchronising them with the natural photoperiod. The study will be conducted from the alevin phase through to the smolt stage—a phase in the salmon's life cycle where the young fish, having grown in fresh water, undergo physiological and behavioural changes to adapt to life at sea. The ultimate goal is to apply, for the first time in salmon aquaculture, an optimal thermal regime that directly improves the species' welfare throughout the entire production cycle.
The proposal aligns directly with the research priorities set by the US foundation Coefficient Giving in its line of work on juvenile salmon welfare ("Juvenile Salmon Welfare Research Agenda"). This philanthropic advisory and funding foundation provides all the research funding. With a duration of three years, the project has a total budget of US$860,000 (approximately €765,000).
The UAB team working on the study is led by Nerea Roher, professor of Animal Physiology at the Department of Cell Biology, Physioology and Immunology at the IBB-UAB, specialising in the immunology of aquatic organisms. Nerea Roher has extensive experience in immunology and microbiology, focusing particularly on the development of antiviral vaccines for aquatic species. Her research also examines the influence of environmental factors on the fish immune system. At the Evolutive Immunology Laboratory of the IBB-UAB, she directs innovative national and international research projects in the field of biotechnology and fish health, contributing to the transfer of scientific advances and solutions developed in the aquaculture sector.
