If you are interested in hearing:
more about the objectives and role of EURCAW-Aqua in shaping EU regulations on
aquatics welfare,
what the Center has accomplished on the subject of welfare operational indicators,
how the Centre will support the EU Member States competent authorities,
or if you want to share your exciting research and best practices in farmed, as well as
wild aquatics, please submit your abstract to participate in a lively discussion and join
us on Thursday, 4th September 2025, from 10:15-11:45 EEST.

The workshop focuses on emerging diseases in different bivalve populations with commercial or ecological interest.

Wild populations of bivalves play a key role in coastal ecosystems and some species can be a resource for fishermen or bivalve producers. Unfortunately, several species have experienced important mortality these last years including the endangered and protected pen shell Pinna nobilis, cockles Cerastoderma edule or black scallops Mimachlamys varia.

Investigating the mortality of such populations is usually challenging. Indeed, mortality is not always easy to observe and monitor, the number of animals to be tested should sometimes remain as small as possible –particularly for endangered species, mortality usually have multifactorial causes, and multidisciplinary approach is needed to properly decipher these emerging diseases. The workshop aims at addressing these different issues through several examples of research studies carried out these last years.

This workshop brings together international experts to assess the impacts of these epizootics and explore strategies to mitigate their effects on marine ecosystems.

1. Carella Francesca
Approaching the study of disease in wild bivalve
populations: the case of the mediterranean bivalve Pinna nobilis

2. Jose Rafael García-March, Jose Tena-Medialdea, Patricia Prado, Nardo Vicente, Iris kendrik, Dusan Palic, Emilio Cortes Melendreras, Brigida Carvalho, Francisca Gimenez-Casalduero, Serena Aceto, Robert Brunet, Maite Vázquez-Luis, Stelios Katsanevakis, Milena Mičić, Carles Alcaraz, Francesca Carella
The EU Life Projects on the mediterranean bivalve Pinna nobilis: a cumulative effort of marine pathologists, ecologists and geneticists to foster long-term conservation

3. Dusan Palic, Jose Rafael García-March, Jose Tena-Medialdea, Francesca Carella.
Introducing aquatic animal veterinary biosecurity practices in marine conservation actions: case of Noble Pen Shell (Pinna nobilis)

4. Isabel Arzul
Investigation of mortality events affecting Mimachlamys varia in France.

5. Eva Lewisch
The endangered freshwater mussel Unio crassus: an overwiew and investigation of a mortality event

Intracellular bacteria represent some of the most elusive and impactful pathogens in aquaculture. These organisms, capable of invading and surviving within host cells, are responsible for a wide range of diseases in farmed fish—with effects ranging from chronic inflammation to tissue destruction and significant economic losses. Their intracellular lifestyle complicates diagnostics, immune recognition, and treatment, especially when conventional therapeutics struggle to reach their cellular niches.

This workshop brings together current knowledge and cutting-edge research on both obligate intracellular pathogens (such as Rickettsia and Chlamydia) and facultative intracellular bacteria (Renibacterium, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, and intracellular forms of Vibrio, Photobacterium, and Francisella). Special attention will be given to notable disease complexes such as epitheliocystis and Piscirickettsia salmonis infections—pathologies that are no longer geographically confined and continue to evolve alongside aquaculture practices.

Advancements in molecular biology and genomics are transforming how we understand these pathogens: from taxonomy and transmission to host-pathogen interactions and potential routes of control. This workshop will highlight these developments and explore how genome-based tools are reshaping surveillance, diagnostics, and disease management strategies for intracellular bacterial infections in aquatic species.

Whether you’re working in fish health, microbial genomics, or aquaculture biosecurity, this session offers a deep dive into a rapidly evolving field with broad implications for sustainability and fish welfare.

Dr. Hamish Rodger, Dr. Maria Chiara Cascarano, Dr. Pantelis Katharios and Dr. Francesc (Sito) Padros, will be among the speakers of the workshop.

1. Overview of Infectious Health Challenges in Mediterranean Aquaculture – Niccolò Vendramin (DTU-Aqua & Andrea Marsella, IZSVe)

2. Lactococcosis in Mediterranean finfish mariculture – Luana Cortinovis, IZSVe

3. A genomic look at Aeromonas veronii in the – Pantelis Katharios , HCMR

4. Autogenous vaccines application in Mediterranean Aquaculture: Challenges and opportunities – Alain LeBreton, Vet’Eau

5. MARINET Progressive Web Application (PWA) – Innovative tools for risk management – Marco Galleoti, UNIUD

6. Using Digital Twins to Prioritise Adoption of Innovations in Mediterranean Fish Farms – Maurice Glucksman

7. “Live voting” based on survey results, highlighting key topics related to disease and biosecurity that were raised during the SIPI-EAFP meeting in Cesenatico, 2024.

8. Discussion

Viral Encephalopathy and Retinopathy, a disease affecting a wide range of fish species worldwide has severely impacted wild groupers in the Mediterranean over the past two years. An unprecedented number of fish have been stranded along the coasts of Spain, Italy, and Greece, signaling a critical ecological threat. There is an urgent need for a coordinated response. This workshop brings together international experts to assess the impacts of these epizootics and explore strategies to mitigate their effects on marine ecosystems

Key Topics:

· Presentation of the incidences in the affected countries

· Impacts on fish stocks and ecosystems

· Role of citizen science in the collection of data

· Measures to address the problem

Invited speakers will present the issue, examine its impacts, and explore potential solutions. To be followed by a roundtable discussion to set research priorities and identify possible funding sources for collaborative projects.

List of speakers (10 minutes each) :

1. Mylonas C.: Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) reproductive biology

2. Volpe E.: VNN mortality outbreaks in Northern Mediterranean groupers

3) Zrnčić S.: VNN mortality in Adriatic sea

4. Toffan A.: Wild fish VNN mortality in Italy and Greece in 2024

5. Katharios P.: Tracking Grouper mortality through citizen engagement in coastal Greece

Discussion

A joint academia-industry led forum to set priorities for PKD management

The workshop brings academia and industry representatives together to discuss the latest research developments in proliferative kidney disease (PKD). The forum will cover current European and American aquaculture industry and wild fisheries perspectives and the latest research and applications to disease management strategies.

Key Topics:

· Disease Monitoring & Genomic Insights – Understanding approaches to disease monitoring and genetic variation in European and American fish populations.

· Climate Change & Disease Dynamics – Examining its role in PKD emergence and spread.

· Vaccine Development Progress – Exploring breakthroughs in immunisation efforts.

· Virulence & Immune Evasion Mechanisms – Unveiling pathogen-host interactions.

Invited speakers will showcase the latest developments in PKD research. To be followed by a roundtable discussions o set research priorities and identify upcoming funding initiatives to spearhead future collaborative projects.

Join us at the 22^nd EAFP Conference in Heraklion 2025 for an exciting Genomics of Fish Pathogens workshop tailored for early career researchers (ECRs) who are attending the EAFP main conference. This workshop is designed for those with little to no experience in bioinformatics, providing a hands-on opportunity to work with genomics data. Participants will learn basic command-line techniques and apply them to analyse bacterial pathogen data, building a foundation for tackling various types of genomics data.

• Participants must bring their own laptops (no high specification required). All analyses will be conducted on virtual machines (VMs), with preparation instructions provided prior to the workshop.

The fish histopathology workshop will be held on Sunday 31 August 2025, before the actual conference. The workshop will begin with our keynote speaker, Dr Jeff Wolf (Chief Pathologist, EPL, Virginia). The keynote presentation will be followed by invited speakers who will present different aspects of gill histology or a case study, including pathology and differential diagnoses.

All slides for the workshop will be digitalized, so participants will have the possibility to look at all slides on their laptops while they are being discussed, in the workshop. Discussions are highly welcomed. For participants exclusively, the slides will also be available shortly before and after the workshop.

In the last session we provide the opportunity for participants to present images of pathology of unknown origin or unidentified structures. These presentations should still include background information, but the focus should be on the unknown structure/feature and the talks are expected to be short (no longer than 5 minutes). They will not be included in the final workshop materials. If you would like to give one of these short presentations, please send a message to heike.schmidt@unibe.ch and B.Nowak@utas.edu.au, so that we can count you into the workshop structure and calculate the time needed.