SAFER-IMTA presented at international conferences

Earlier this year the final project meeting for the research project “Emerging species for sea cucumber aquaculture” was held in South Africa. This project is a bilateral research cooperation between South Africa and Norway in sustainable use of ocean resources (SANOCEAN), and has been investigating the potential for sea cucumber aquaculture development based on the local species in these two countries. The main project partners have been Møreforsking (MF) in Norway and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, in collaboration with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) in Cape Town in South Africa. The final project meeting included a seminar presentation on the collaboration's potential contributions to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. This event took place on board the Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl visiting Cape Town on its circumnavigation One Ocean Expedition. After this seminar, MF and UKZN researchers visited several aquaculture companies located in the Western Cape province on a field trip organised by DFFE. Finally, a sea cucumber aquaculture symposium was hosted by UKZN in Durban, where, together with the SANOCEAN project results, some results from the SAFER-IMTA project were presented. 

The 24th International Seaweed Symposium was held for the first time in Australia, from 19th to 24th February 2023. “Seaweeds in a changing world” was the theme of the symposium, to focus on ongoing changes in seaweed aquaculture practices, industrial processing, future products and markets, local and global environmental change, and scientific advances. The goal of the International Seaweed Association is to ensure the continued development of seaweed and its benefits and to serve as a bridge between research academia and the industry. Céline Rebours presented ongoing work on processing and preservation of Ulva fenestrata. The title of the presentation was “Freezing and thawing methods to preserve the qualities of Ulva fenestrata as a food product”. 

The Norwegian industry is interested in fresh sea lettuce presented to the restaurant market. However, restrictions are associated with the sale of fresh seafood (limited shelf life) and conservation methods need to ensure high-quality product delivered year-round. She presented new information related to the effect of freezing on the quality of sea lettuce in relation to food safety, nutritional content and sensory characteristics.