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The research group at UACh involved in the project has expertise in two main areas:
- Larviculture of fish and mollusks, with special emphasis on:
- Controlled reproduction and cultivation of the octopus Enteroctopus megalocyathus, bivalves Mytilus chilensis and Argopecten purpuratus, and abalone Haliotis rufescens.
- Nutritional physiology and development of diets for larval and juvenile stages of gastropods, octopuses, and marine fish.
- Training of artisanal fishers and women from coastal communities to develop small-scale aquaculture of octopus in land-based tanks and abalone in marine cages.
- Biotechnology and the effect of functional additives in cultured organisms, with emphasis on:
- In vitro cell-based bioassays for analyzing functional additives for aquatic organisms, using immune (SHK-1, salmon macrophages), intestinal epithelial (RTGutGC), and gill epithelial (RTGillW1) trout cell lines. Gene expression analysis for immune response, antioxidant activity, and intercellular junctions in cells treated with bioproducts. Evaluation of epithelial, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral functions of one or more bioproducts at different concentrations.
- Development of primers and transcriptomic analysis for stress, disease, and treatment responses in mollusks and fish.
UACh in ACUICONECTA:
- Technical assistance and experience exchange in the cultivation of octopus, bivalves, and abalone with fishing cooperatives and coastal communities interested in developing small-scale aquaculture aligned with locally relevant species in each project area.
- Participation in project seminar(s).
- Participation in bioactive additive trials involving mollusk, fish, and copepod larvae, as well as salmon and trout cell lines.
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