Stay of Dr. Massimiliano Babbucci and Emmanuel Adesuyi, from University of Padua (Italy)

Dr. Massimiliano Babbucci, from the University of Padua (UNIPD, Italy), has just started a 3-week stay at the Biology and Culture of Molluscs team of the IATS-CSIC (BICUMOL). Dr. Babbucci will work in the VENUSREAR project funded by the AQUAEXCEL3 collaborative European Network of aquaculture facilities. The goal of this project is to attempt rearing the striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina) in captivity. VENUSREAR ‘s principal investigator is Dr. Chiara Papetti, who accompanied Dr. Babbucci in his first day at IATS.  Fisheries of the striped venus clam, an  essentially Mediterranean species, have declined to near extinction in many fishing grounds. Development of captive breeding in this species could facilitate restocking and aquaculture. The same species is the focus of the project RECLAM, carried out in collaboration with the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain) with funding from de Spanish government (PRTR plan), the government of the region of Valencia (Spain) and the EU. Emmanuel O. Adesuyi, a student in the Marine Biology Master program at UNIPD, has joined this project to carry out his master’s thesis, funded by the Erasmus+ program. In the photo, from left to right,  David Cordero (IATS technician), Dr. Babbucci, Emmanuel Adesuyi , Dr. Papetti and Dr. Carlos Saavedra (BICUMOL principal investigator).