The Shellfish Laboratory & Aquarium, School of Biological Sciences
Learn about some of our incredible research going on in the Shellfish Laboratory and Aquarium within the University of Aberdeen - School of Biological Sciences.
Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre
The Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre was opened in June 2003 with support from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.
It aims to strengthen collaborative research in fish health in Scotland. It brings together expertise from the University of Aberdeen, University of Stirling and Marine Scotland Science, to address fundamental and applied issues relating to fish health.
It conducts basic research and development programmes ranging from fish vaccine development to impacts of stress and nutrition on immune function, with multi-site validation of results a key strength.
Scottish Aquaculture currently contributes an aggregate economic impact of over £1.4 Billion per annum and 8,000 jobs to the Scottish economy. However infectious fish diseases can impact on plans to increase production and in some instances no effective treatments are available.
The best method for disease control - on economical, ethical, and environmental grounds - is disease prevention by vaccination, alongside sustainable aquaculture husbandry and a solid knowledge of the physiological functions of farmed species.
Fish nutrition plays a central role in fish health management and the SFIRC carries out various aspects of nutrition research into both functional feeds and development of new raw materials for aquafeeds and the impacts on fish health.