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Project

PRIMROSE: Predicting Risk and Impact of Harmful Events on the Aquaculture Sector

Shellfish aquaculture, courtesy of Shutterstock

Completed project

Project start: November 2017  |  Project end: November 2020
Funder: Interreg Atlantic Area
Principal Investigator: Dr Peter Miller
Other participants from PML: Ben Calton, Dr Andrey Kurekin, Dr Ricardo Torres

The aquaculture sector of Europe’s Atlantic Arc is negatively impacted by the effects of harmful blooms and microbial pathogens. The PRIMROSE project will further develop ASIMUTH, a harmful algal bloom forecasting system to provide improved forecasts at a higher resolution, a wider suite of parameters, a new index based risk assessment and will encompass aquaculture from the Shetland to the Canary Islands.

This improved forecast will include microbial risk and climate impacts, in addition to algal bloom predictions and will benefit from improved spatial resolution of the new generation Sentinel satellite data products.

The transnational aspects of PRIMROSE will be developed through the implementation of a portal system using common best practice and methodologies and a joint front end. This new system will develop an easily understandable traffic-light risk index. Reporting procedures will be standardised, and partly automated for an expert evaluator to have information available to make an accurate forecast.

Impact

Products produced by the project are likely to benefit policy makers, risk regulators, food safety authorities and the shellfish and fin-fish industry and will exploit existing EU investment in marine observing infrastructure.