The UJI offers its research potential to achieve sustainable, smart, precision aquaculture



[Valencià](/upo/rest/publicacion/idioma/ca?urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul/&url=/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul&urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul "Cambiar idioma a català")
[Español](/upo/rest/publicacion/idioma/es?urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul/&url=/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul&urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul "Cambiar idioma a español")
[English](#0)

Mobile menu

* [Profile](#0)
  + [Future students](/perfils/futurs/)
  + [UJI students](/perfils/estudiantat/uji/)
  + [PDI-PI](/perfils/pdipas/base/pdi/)
  + [PTGAS](/perfils/pdipas/base/pas/)
  + [AlumniSAUJI](/serveis/alumnisauji/)
  + [Companies and institutions](/perfils/empresa/)
* [Tools](#0)
  + [Virtual Classroom](https://aulavirtual.uji.es/)
  + [CAU](https://cau.uji.es/)
  + [Directory](//www.uji.es/institucional/contacta/)
  + [Gmail](http://gmail.uji.es/)
  + [Intranet (IGLU)](//www.uji.es/upo/rest/iglu/)
  + [Virtual Office](/seu/)
  + [Academic information (SIA)](http://sia.uji.es/)
  + [Others](//www.uji.es/serveis/scp/eines/)
* [Valencià](/upo/rest/publicacion/idioma/ca?urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul/&url=/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul&urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul "Cambiar idioma a català")
  [Español](/upo/rest/publicacion/idioma/es?urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul/&url=/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul&urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul "Cambiar idioma a español")
  [English](#0)

[# Universitat Jaume I](/)

* [# Universitat Jaume I](/)
* [Profile](#0)
  + [Future students](/perfils/futurs/)
  + [UJI students](/perfils/estudiantat/uji/)
  + [PDI-PI](/perfils/pdipas/base/pdi/)
  + [PTGAS](/perfils/pdipas/base/pas/)
  + [AlumniSAUJI](/serveis/alumnisauji/)
  + [Companies and institutions](/perfils/empresa/)
* [Tools](#0)
  + [Virtual Classroom](https://aulavirtual.uji.es/)
  + [CAU](https://cau.uji.es/)
  + [Directory](//www.uji.es/institucional/contacta/)
  + [Gmail](http://gmail.uji.es/)
  + [Intranet (IGLU)](//www.uji.es/upo/rest/iglu/)
  + [Virtual Office](/seu/)
  + [Academic information (SIA)](http://sia.uji.es/)
  + [Others](//www.uji.es/serveis/scp/eines/)
* [Studies](/mapa/estudis/)
  + [Studies](/mapa/estudis/)
  + [Bachelor’s degrees](/estudis/)
  + [University master’s degrees](/estudis/?p_estudio=m)
  + [Doctoral studies](/estudis/oferta/doctorat/)
  + [Lifelong learning](/estudis/base/formacio-permanent/)
* [Research and innovation](/investigacio/)
  + [Research and innovation](/investigacio/)
  + [Research portal](/investigacio/)
  + [Innovation](/innovacio/)
  + [Doctoral studies](/centres/escola-doctorat/)
  + [HRS4R](/investigacio/hrs4r/)
* [International](/internacional/)
  + [International](/internacional/)
  + [International Students](/internacional/base/estudiantat/estudiantado-internacional/)
  + [Exchange Programmes](/serveis/ori/base/programes-intercanvi/)
  + [Study Abroad](/internacional/base/study-abroad/)
* [UJI](/mapa/uji/)
  + [UJI](/mapa/uji/)
  + [Get to know the UJI](/mapa/uji/coneix-uji/)
  + [Structure and organisation](/institucional/estructura/)
  + [Strategy and quality](/institucional/estrategia/)
  + [Transparency](/transparencia/)
  + [Public integrity](/transparencia/liniaetica/)
  + [News](/actualitat/)
  + [Contact the UJI](/institucional/contacta/)
* [University life](/mapa/vida-universitaria/)
  + [University life](/mapa/serveis/)
  + [Library](/serveis/cd/)
  + [Campus](/mapa/uji/coneix-uji/campus/)
  + [Culture](/cultura/)
  + [Sports](/esports/)
  + [InfoCampus](/serveis/infocampus/)

[UJI](/)
[News](/com/sumari/noticies/)

## The UJI offers its research potential to achieve sustainable, smart, precision aquaculture

* ![Image resource megabanner megabanner-logos2](/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul/megabanner/megabanner-logos2.jpg)

16/01/2024 |
SCP

Compartir

Compartir

×

Linkedin

BlueSky

Facebook

Mastodon

Whatsapp

Gmail

Imprimir

Image resource ThinkInAzul IMG-20231212-WA0013
Current slide

Image resource ThinkInAzul IMG-20231212-WA0012

* [![ ThinkInAzul IMG-20231212-WA0013](/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul/IMG-20231212-WA0013.jpg)](#)
* [![ ThinkInAzul IMG-20231212-WA0012](/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2023/12/ThinkInAzul/IMG-20231212-WA0012.jpg)](#)

The Centre for Research in Robotics and Underwater Technologies (CIRTESU) and the Analytical Chemistry in Public Health and the Environment (Q-AMS) research group of the Universitat Jaume I, in close cooperation with the Torre de la Sal Aquaculture Institute (IATS-CSIC), have obtained more than 400,000 euros to develop two projects as part of the ThinkInAzul marine sciences programme, specifically in the aquaculture sector, as part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU.

Spain is the European country with the largest aquaculture harvest (25.5% of the European Union total), producing almost 350,000 tonnes of sea and river fish, molluscs and seaweed. However, according to a survey by the Aquaculture Business Association, a third of the Spanish population has never heard of this technique, which plays a key role in the future of human nutrition as well as contributing to improving environmental impact and sustainability in the marine environment.

The main aim of the “Food quality and safety in aquaculture with new protein sources (AQUASURE)” study is to analyse the effects that a new feed (supplemented with alternative sources of protein) has on the nutritional and sensory qualities of gilt-head sea bream. This study is directed by Juan Vicente Sancho from the [Analytical Chemistry in Public Health and the Environment](mailto:https://www.uji.es/serveis/ocit/base/grupsinvestigacio/detall?codi=005) (Q-AMS) research group, which is part of the Research Institute for Pesticides and Water (IUPA-UJI), in direct cooperation with the Nutrigenomics and Fish Growth Endocrinology research group of the Torre de la Sal Aquaculture Institute (IATS-CSIC), led by the researcher Jaume Pérez-Sánchez. The group led by the researcher Esther Sendra, from the Agri‑Food and Agri-Environmental Research and Innovation Centre at the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Elche, is also taking part.

To achieve its goal, the research team will introduce new feeds formulated from more sustainable alternative sources, allowing by-products generated in other food industries to be turned into co-products with high added value. Screening, identification and quantification tests for organic pollutants will also be carried out on samples of fish (mostly gilt-head sea bream) fed with the new formulation and with more traditional formulas. The impact on the lipid profile and the presence of volatile compounds in the different diets will also be assessed.

The project includes holding workshops and awareness days in primary and secondary schools in the Valencian region, as well as information days at colleges and universities, to promote sustainability in the marine environment. The perception Valencian consumers have about aquaculture production and its sustainability will be evaluated. The project will also allow three university researchers to be trained in the techniques to be applied during the experiments, through the completion of bachelor’s and master’s degree theses.

The project “Towards sustainable, precise aquaculture based on robotics, artificial intelligence and low-cost sensors (MEDUSA)”, coordinated by Professor Pedro Sanz of the [Centre for Research in Robotics and Underwater Technologies](http://www.irs.uji.es/cirtesu/cirtesu.html) (CIRTESU), will create low-cost measurement equipment for greenhouse gases and other parameters, such as the temperature in the aquatic environment, with the aim of proposing a smart control system allowing optimised ventilation and food dosage to minimise the risk of water pollution, improve fish welfare and increase productivity.

The research team is made up of the three Castelló groups that are part of CIRTESU: The Interactive and Robotic Systems Lab (IRS LAB), focused on underwater intervention vehicles and Artificial Intelligence techniques; Green Investigations and Development (GID), which designs smart tools to improve the environmental quality of water; and Multiphase Fluids (GFM), which studies the hydrodynamic behaviour of fluids; with the cooperation of the researchers José Miguel Cerdá Reverte and Esther Leal Cebriánof the Fish Food Monitoring team of the Torre de la Sal Aquaculture Institute (IATS-CESIC), and the companies AVRAMAR and FACSA. It envisages hiring five engineering graduates to provide the research workforce and, at the same time, promote a potential pool of professionals with experience in the sector.

The objectives set take the form of creating a smart control system to detect, for example, broken nets in marine farm cages; monitoring variables to improve animal welfare, with ventilation to provide more oxygen; developing low-cost online sensors to measure greenhouse gases; adapting an underwater robot to inspect water quality and repair nets; and assessing environmental sustainability.

ThinkInAzul in the Valencian region ([GVA-ThinkInAzul](https://cvalenciana.thinkinazul.es/)) is a consortium with a 10-million-euro budget made up of 39 research groups, coordinated by Jaume Pérez-Sánchez from the IATS‑CSIC and Carlos Valle from the University of Alacant. It brings together more than 370 researchers from the CSIC, the University of Alacant, the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Universitat de València, the Miguel Hernández University of Elche, the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló and the Catholic University of Valencia.

It includes eight work packages. The two UJI researchers are co-coordinators of WP5 (aquaculture, quality and innovation), which includes, among other objectives, the development of pollutant detection methods and the design of new transformed products using different species, and WP6 (marine technologies for precise, sustainable aquaculture), which includes, among other things, the technological improvement of monitoring and supervision in real time with sensor networks, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and robotics.

ThinkInAzul’s aims include integrating and promoting marine research in seven regions (Andalusia, Cantabria, Valencia, Galicia, Murcia, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands) to cooperatively address challenges in marine research, aquaculture, new technologies, impacts on the marine environment and the blue economy. The programme is developed with three basic lines of action: observing and monitoring the marine and coastal environment; sustainable, smart, precise aquaculture; and innovation and opportunities in the blue economy.

Information provided by:
[Communication and Publications Service](/serveis/scp/)

About us

[Home](/com/investigacio/cienciauji/)
[UCC+I](/serveis/scp/ucc/)

Research dissemination

[Ciència TV blog](/com/investigacio/arxiu/ciencia-uji-tv/)
[Ciència UJI newsletter](/com/investigacio/arxiu/ciencia-uji/)
[Horizon Europe newsletter](/com/investigacio/docs/butlleti-horizon-europe/)
[Comboi, a trip through science](/com/investigacio/docs/podcast-comboi-viatge-per-la-ciencia/)
[Scientific news](/com/investigacio/sumari/noticies/ )
[Easy reading news](/com/investigacio/docs/noticies-de-lectura-facil)
[News magazine. Research](/com/revista/tematica/investiga/)
[Radio](http://www.radio.uji.es/programa.php?id=46 )

Scientific divulgation

[Experimenta UJI](/com/investigacio/docs/experimenta-uji/)
[Innobar, con b de bar (Espaitec)](https://espaitec.uji.es/podcast-innobar-con-b-de-bar/)
[Magazine «Humanes i Socials»](https://humanesisocials.uji.es)
[H2020 Projects](/com/investigacio/docs/butlleti-h2020/)
[Projects and papers COVID-19](/com/investigacio/docs/estudis-articles-covid-19/)
[Research pitches](/com/investigacio/research-pitches/)
[The Conversation](/com/investigacio/docs/the-conversation/)
[UJI Divulga (Onda Cero)](/com/investigacio/docs/uji-divulga-onda-cero/)
[Scientific vocabulary](/com/investigacio/docs/vocabulari-cientific/)

Projects and studies

[Projects and studies](/serveis/scp/ucc/projectes/)

Resources of interest

[Divulgateca](http://www.divulgateca.es)

External networks

[CRUE](https://www.crue.org/)
[FECYT](https://www.fecyt.es/es/info/que-son)
[RUVID](https://ruvid.org/)



Useful links

[University card](http://www.carnet.uji.es/)

[Multimedia catalogue](http://jecom.uji.es/)

[University press](/serveis/scp/publ/)

[Web map](//www.uji.es/mapa/)

[Educational model](//www.uji.es/institucional/estrategia/modeleducatiu/)

[Language Observatory](/serveis/ol/)

[Open Knowledge Portal](/serveis/cd/bib/pco/)

[UJI shop](http://www.tenda.uji.es/)

[Security and privacy center](https://www.uji.es/organs/ouag/sg/docs/politiques/gen/)
|
[Website legal notice](https://www.uji.es/comu/avislegal/avislegalicondicions/)
|
[Accessibility policy](https://www.uji.es/serveis/ura/base/accessibilitat/)

Information and queries:
[UJI suggestion box](/comu/forms/bustia)

Universitat Jaume I CIF: Q-6250003-H Av. Vicent Sos Baynat, s/n 12071
Castellón de la Plana,
España

Tel.: +34 964 72 80 00