Over the past three decades, European aquaculture has expanded, intensified, and diversified. The total number of species reported under culture within the European region has more than doubled during the last thirty years.
Farming of new species and expansion of aquaculture into new regions is associated with profound changes of the species and population structure of aquatic ecosystems. In many of these ecosystems wild fish and shellfish are in close contact with their farmed cousins, and the potential for exchange of pathogens (to the disadvantage of either sector) is inevitable and raises a number of important issues relating to its control.
The DIPNET project is funded under the EU Framework Programme 6 to provide scientific advice in support of policy.
The principal objective of this project is to integrate and strengthen the current scientific knowledge on the potential transfer of pathogens and diseases between wild and cultured aquatic animal populations, and thereby to support to the development of European policies protecting the health of wild aquatic animal populations while allowing responsible use of the aquatic environment for aquaculture purposes. Integration of on-going research activities and dissemination of current knowledge towards knowledge users, other stakeholders and the wider European public are further aims of the project.
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