The European Aquaculture Society has selected the three finalists for the Aquaculture Europe 2026 Student Spotlight Award. The event will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 28 September to 1 October. Their studies highlight three research areas with potential applications in aquaculture production: nutrition, waste management in recirculating aquaculture systems and control of sexual maturation.
Luciano Rodrigues dos Santos, a researcher at the University of Porto and CIIMAR, will present a study examining the use of protein hydrolysates derived from locally sourced agri-food by-products in diets for European seabass. His research explores whether these functional ingredients can improve growth, stress resilience and flesh quality while supporting more circular use of raw materials.
Sara de Sousa e Brito, a PhD candidate at the University of Konstanz conducting her research at the Fisheries Research Station Baden-Württemberg, will compete with a project focused on so-called “floating faeces”. The aim is to facilitate the removal of solids and nutrients from RAS used for Atlantic salmon pre-smolt production, where particle accumulation can affect microbial activity, water quality and treatment efficiency.
The third finalist, Dana Marielba Silva Silva, from the Institute of Marine Science (ICM-CSIC) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, is investigating how male and female Atlantic cod respond to continuous light. Her work combines transcriptomic analysis and DNA methylation profiling to examine the mechanism linking photoperiod manipulation with growth and sexual maturation.
The three studies were selected from 129 student abstract submitted by the May deadline. A preliminary assessment was carried out by the European Aquaculture Society Board of Directors, followed by a final evaluation by the conference Programme Co-Chairs, Simona Sušnik Bajec of the University of Ljubljana and Tanja Šegvić Bubić of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split.
Each finalist will receive €300 and have three minutes to present their research during the first plenary session on 29 September. The audience will vote for the overall winner, who will receive an additional €300.
Once again, misPeces will cover this unique event as a media partner, bringing its readers the latest research, innovations and production insights shaping the future of European aquaculture.
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