Shellfish: passport for overseas travel

Two Cefas scientists are set to pursue shellfish research projects that take them to opposite ends of the earth.

Genetic toxicologist Dr Brett Lyons has been visiting the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in New Zealand to set up a pilot study investigating pollution effects on shellfish populations. Working alongside NIWA scientists, Brett focused on shellfish living in industrialised areas around Auckland Harbour. The work entailed developing cellular markers, which act as an early warning signal that pollution is adversely affecting the ecosystem.

The project was funded by the International Science and Technology (ISAT) Linkages Fund, which supports international science and technology links between New Zealand and the rest of the world. Brett returns from this travels “down under” this month.

On the other side of the globe, Dr Grant Stentiford, a pathologist at Cefas’ Weymouth laboratory, has recently been awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT) travelling fellowship. Grant plans to visit Chile and Ecuador this summer to study disease in cultured prawns. This rapidly expanding global industry, based primarily in South America and Asia, supplies prawns for the restaurants and supermarkets of Europe and the USA.

However, expansion can sometimes create problems. Intensively farmed prawns are more susceptible to disease, and crop losses have led to poverty in several regions. In addition, re-allocation of land to prawn farms is causing a loss of habitat, particularly mangroves. These issues raise significant concerns for the long-term sustainability of the industry and those reliant on it.

Grant will investigate ways in which Cefas science can help, and will be establishing a network of contacts within these countries.

Fact file

• The NIWA is an internationally respected research organisation and New Zealand’s leading provider of environmental and research consultancy services. For more about its science programmes see www.niwascience.co.nz/.
• The ISAT Linkages Fund supports bilateral projects for the development and enhancement of research relationships between New Zealand researchers and those in other countries. For more about the Fund, see www.rsnz.org/funding/isat/.
• The WCMT was established as a living memorial to Sir Winston Churchill. Its aim is to enable men and women from all walks of life to acquire knowledge and experience abroad. In the process, they gain a better understanding of the lives and cultures of people overseas and, on their return, their effectiveness at work and their contribution to the community is enhanced. For more information about the Trust see www.wcmt.org.uk.
• Previous Cefas scientists who were awarded a WCMT travelling fellowship include:
• • John Ramster, 1970: Technology of meter networks for the benefit of the fishing industry (USA)
  • Alan Jones, 1971: Techniques of fish culture (USA and Canada)
  • Geoff Arnold, 1976: Techniques of tracking, deflecting and counting fish (USA and Canada)
  • Nicola Lower, 2004: Pheromone technology to increase the sustainability of aquaculture (Norway, Australia and Thailand)

Photo: Dr Grant Stentiford (left) and Dr Brett Lyons (right)