AMR-Aqua: AMR in the marine aquaculture-human interface

The project will be carried out by a consortium coordinated by the Institute of Marine Research (Norway) and formed by several partners from Norway, Chile and Sweden. A key aspect of this project is its focus on the world’s two largest farmed salmon producers, Norway and Chile.

Norway and Chile account for 70 per cent of salmon production. However, there is a significant disparity: while Norway employs relatively few antibiotics due to the reduced prevalence of bacterial diseases through alternative strategies, such as the use of vaccines, Chile utilises over 300 tonnes of these compounds annually for disease prevention and control. Adopting a One Health approach, this multidisciplinary research project will evaluate the effects of antibiotic use in Chilean and Norwegian aquaculture on the emergence, selection and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in marine environments. The project will also address the impact of biocide use, which is high in both countries, and will propose possible solutions to reduce the use of these chemicals in aquaculture.