Mr Tripp and Mr Frost visited CSAR to find out more about the Centre’s work, particularly in terms of aquaculture research and technology development in Wales, the UK and internationally. This was to help inform a governmental review of fisheries and aquaculture in Wales, and to prepare for the 2013 UK Aquaculture Forum which the Fisheries Policy Branch is hosting in Cardiff from March 21-22.

‎CSAR was founded in 2005, to develop sustainable technologies for aquatic food production in Wales and internationally. Since then it has grown rapidly and diversified its research to span fundamental questions of aquatic ecology and physiology, alongside applied technology development work.

‎‎The Centre, based within the University’s College of Science, is home to a modern suite of controlled environment laboratories in which a diverse range of freshwater and marine organisms such as fish, algae, shellfish and other invertebrates are grown under optimal conditions and are allied to comprehensive facilities for field sampling and laboratory analysis.

‎The Research Centre operates on behalf of commercial aquaculturists and fishers, technology providers and research councils.  The Centre also advises governmental institutions, in the UK and internationally.

‎Director of CSAR, Dr Robin Shields, who will be speaking about the Centre’s work at the 2013 UK Aquaculture Forum in March, said: ‘‘Alun Davies, the Deputy Minister for Agriculture Food, Fisheries, and European Programmes European Programmes, toured our facilities last autumn on a fact-finding visit and on this occasion we were pleased to introduce Mr Frost and Mr Tripp to our activities supporting fisheries and aquaculture in Wales and to our international research collaborations in this arena.”

‎CSAR’s current research themes include:

• Development of innovative aquaculture technologies, including new feeds and water treatment technologies;
• Understanding and reducing the environmental impacts of marine engineering on commercial fisheries, sea birds and mammals;
• Conservation of endangered aquatic species, incorporating modern molecular genetics approaches;
• Cultivation and use of algae (seaweeds and microalgae) as a method to remove pollutants and also as a source of biomass for food, feeds and biofuels;
• Modelling of biological processes in the ocean and how these are affected by climate change, including effects on commercial fisheries;
• Understanding the impacts of human activities on the behaviours and migration patterns of key aquatic animals.

For more information on CSAR visit www.aquaculturewales.com.