post room

As part of the Acuiconecta project (Interreg MAC 2021–2027), Pedro Nascimento, PhD student at OKEANOS – University of the Azores, presented the poster “Spawning induction in Azorean limpets (Patella aspera and Patella gomesii): chemical and physical stimuli” at Aquaculture Europe 2026.

The study tested chemical and physical stimuli to induce gamete release in these two species. Under the experimental conditions used, chemical treatments were ineffective.

Physical stimuli, however, produced a different result. The combination of darkness, strong aeration and thermal shock through an increase in temperature led to a 91.7% success rate in gamete release for P. gomesii. This is the highest value ever recorded for the genus Patella, and an important step towards the sustainable production of limpets.

The work was carried out in collaboration with Rafael Vieira and João Gonçalves, under the coordination of researcher Mirko De Girolamo.

Discover more about the aquaculture conference: https://www.aquaeas.org/