Mussel farming production capacity and food web interactions in a mesotrophic environment

Low trophic aquaculture (LTA), such as bivalve farming, offers promising avenues to supply sustainable seafood and aquafeed. While bivalve farming usually occurs in highly productive coastal areas which already support numerous human activities and suffer from environmental pressures, numerical tools offer a promising avenue to explore and assess biomass production potential and associated ecosystemic impacts for further development of the industry and prospection of new exploitation sites. In this study, we coupled an ecophysiological model, the dynamic energy budget theory (DEB), with an ecosystem model (NORWECOM.E2E) to simulate blue mussel Mytilus spp. farming production and effects based on the food web in the mesotrophic Hardangerfjord in western Norway. We tested several levels of fjord-scale farming intensity and assessed 2 production purposes: aquafeed and human consumption. Results suggested the Hardangerfjord could host large-scale mussel farming for both purposes. However, large exploitation schemes displayed detrimental effects on individual mussel growth (39% less wet mass after 2 yr) and especially on secondary production (decrease of 33% after 1 yr) due to acute trophic competition. Simulations showed short production cycles for aquafeed were more efficient to exploit primary production, since young and small mussels have lower maintenance and reproduction costs. Dissolved nutrient inputs from salmonid farms had marginal effects on primary production (<2%). However, salmonid and mussel farming activities could compete for the sites with the highest production potential.publishedVersio

Overvåking av blåskjellbestanden – grunnundersøkelse 2021 og 2022

Blåskjell (Mytilus sp.) er utbredt langs hele kysten av Norge. I de siste 15 årene har Havforskningsinstituttet (HI) mottatt meldinger om at blåskjell er blitt borte fra steder hvor det vanligvis sankes skjell. HI utviklet i 2020 en metode for å overvåke regionale bestander av blåskjell. Overvåkningen har et overordnet mål om å klargjøre om blåskjellbestandene endres over tid. Dersom bestanden er i endring skal overvåkingen også fremskaffe datagrunnlag for å avdekke mulige årsaker til endringer. Overvåkningen ble startet i 2021 og er gjennomført for fire regioner (Øst, Sør, Vest og Nord). Innenfor hver region undersøkes 50 – 100 stasjoner langs tidevannsonen. Hver stasjon dekker vel 100 meter kystlinje. Alle stasjoner er tilfeldig trukket og forekomst av blåskjell bestemmes etter følgende kategorier: i. sammenhengende dekke, ii. flekkvis fordeling eller iii. få eller ingen blåskjell.publishedVersio

Taking action in a changing world

In the last hours of CHI 2017, a group of researchers from universities and businesses across the northern hemisphere sat down together to consider “Taking Action in a Changing World”. The title of the special interest group (SIG) is significant; it speaks of having an impact, of the politics on which we wish to have an impact, and also the dynamism of the structures and systems around us. There is no special mention of technology. In other words, it is a departure from business-as-usual HCI

Aphanomyces-Resistant Alfalfa: A Solution to a Common Problem in Spring Seedings

For several decades, farmers have experienced a common stand-establishment disease syndrome when spring-seeded alfalfa was followed by extended periods of wet weather. Seedlings affected by this syndrome exhibit severe stunting as well as yellowing and reddening of seed leaves (cotyledons), but they do not wilt or collapse, as they might from a damping-off disease. Commonly, the problem affects most or all of the field. Based on research that began in the 1980\u27s, we suspected that a fungus called Aphanomyces euteiches (hereafter simply called Aphanomyces) was responsible. This root-rot fungus can be found in the majority of alfalfa fields we have sampled in central and western Kentucky. However, for many years we lacked conclusive proof that Aphanomyces was, in fact, the cause of this common problem in spring-seeded alfalfa. We also did not have rigorous proof that the syndrome could be avoided by sowing Aphanomyces-resistant alfalfa varieties, which started becoming commercially available in the early 1990\u27s. In this report, we provide a brief summary of research to support our new recommendation: that spring-seeded alfalfa should be sown only with varieties having an R or HR rating to Aphanomyces root rot (ARR)

Next steps for Human-Computer Integration

Human-Computer Integration (HInt) is an emerging paradigm in which computational and human systems are closely interwoven. Integrating computers with the human body is not new. However, we believe that with rapid technological advancements, increasing real-world deployments, and growing ethical and societal implications, it is critical to identify an agenda for future research. We present a set of challenges for HInt research, formulated over the course of a five-day workshop consisting of 29 experts who have designed, deployed, and studied HInt systems. This agenda aims to guide researchers in a structured way towards a more coordinated and conscientious future of human-computer integration