Research Support

Ifremer has a key role in monitoring diseases affecting shellfish culture (zoosanitary monitoring, REPAMO) and the quality of shellfish culture water (sanitary survey of the environment.).

This monitoring helps to prevent disease outbreaks and degradation of the shellfish culture environment.

Ifremer has set up different research programs, in collaboration with various scientific and professional partners, to reach beyond prevention and find solutions to shellfish culture problems and promote aquaculture products.

These programmes are partially funded by different French regions, departments and municipalities.

  • the Morest research programme was set up to study summer mortality in cupped oysters and to seek zootechnical and breeding solutions
  • a programme de to breed Bonamia-tolerant strains gave significant results over a period of several years. A full scale deep-water study is currently under way
  • four-season (triploid) oysters are being developed to address the rising summer demand for seafood
  • managing reproduction under controlled conditions is a priority research focus
  • multipartner programmes have been set up in several coastal sectors, in metropolitan France and overseas, to study the functioning of aquaculture ecosystems
  • product quality and value enhancement also concerns species that are not cultured for food, e.g. pearl oysters