About Us

Aims

BivalvePlus aims to provide a holistic assessment of the status of the bivalve industry in the Algarve region, comparing production in the Ria Formosa with production in Sagres, but also with other production sites in Portugal (Setúbal and Aveiro), so as to support and promote nationally the sustainable growth of the bivalve industry so it can exploit growing market opportunities.

The goal is to ensure the effective utilization of wild bivalve resources, reduce ecological depletion, assess the ability of existing population structures to adapt to climate change, and to develop and provide tools for monitoring and risk assessment linked to bivalve health and resilience and in this way support the economic development of this industry and preserve the unique biodiversity and ecosystems of Portugal, while promoting blue economy.

Basic Information

Project Duration 3 years (May 2025 – April 2028)

Budget 228,960.00 EUR

Funding Agency Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

Coordinator Universidade do Algarve – Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR)

Reference 2023.17014.ICDT

Project Information

Title (Portuguese)

Ferramentas tecnológicas para a resiliência e segurança de bivalves marinhos de aquacultura e selvagens e aumento da sua produção em Portugal.

Title (English)

Technological tools for resilience and safety of aquaculture and wild marine bivalve and scale-up production in Portugal.

Abstract

The impact of the bivalve industry and associated environmental risks are poorly understood in Portugal. The project will characterise wild and aquaculture bivalve genetic structure and diversity, disease susceptibility and environmental risks. Management strategies for growth of environmentally compatible bivalve aquaculture will be established for three iconic and economically important species, clams (Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum), mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and oysters (Magallana gigas).

Objectives

The project goals are ambitious and will advance the state of the art of bivalve population genetics, genomics, resilience, pathogens, and wild and aquaculture bivalves. The main goals are to:

Establish guidelines for management of sustainable production in bivalve farming
Identify the main biological and non-biological risks associated with production
Make available for industry state of the art tools for real time monitoring of health status, quality, and safety of commercially important bivalves

Milestones

Nutritional profile of wild and farmed bivalve populations

Characterization and comparison of protein content, fat/cholesterol profile, vitamins and important minerals (zinc and copper) between farmed and wild populations for genetic selection purposes for the three bivalve species.

Genetic profile and genomes of bivalve populations

Characterization of genetic diversity of farmed and wild bivalve populations along the Portuguese coast including GWAS analysis and identification of hybrid species. Assembled genome of the clam Ruditapes decussatus.

Seasonal characterization of risks for bivalve production

Monitoring of environmental parameters, identification and characterization of population dynamics of microorganisms at sites across two years, to generate an annual map of the main pathogen risks.

Resilience profile of bivalve populations

Characterization of the susceptibility and resilience of farmed and wild bivalve species to disease and environmental stress to assist selection of robust bivalves for intensive production.

Tools for safety monitoring

Provide protocols and tools based on DNA assessment to detect pathogens, prevent and mitigate the risk of future disease outbreaks, avoid production losses and safeguard wild bivalve populations.