Abalone is a low trophic herbivorous gastropod feeding on seaweed. It has been consumed for centuries as a traditional dish in many parts of the world. This species is fished professionally and recreationally in France. However, wild abalone stocks have declined sharply in France due to massive mortalities caused by a pathogenic bacterium, Vibrio harveyi, with a mortality up to 80% in Brittany and Normandy at the end of the nineties when sea-water temperature reached over 18°C in summer. Impacted populations have not recovered. Ranching, which is an extensive rearing method consisting of implanting juveniles in the natural environment, stock enhancement, which consists of increasing or maintaining fisheries, and restocking, which consists of implanting juveniles to re-establish disappeared stocks, could be opportunities to develop new opportunities for the preservation of this emblematic species. The juveniles are reared in nurseries and produced from wild or domesticated broodstock depending of the objective. The implantation of abalone for stock enhancement has been carried out for many years in countries such as Japan, Mexico and South Africa. However, the technique for implanting abalone in the natural environment is not currently mastered in France, nor is the equipment associated with these implantations. Moreover, certain technical obstacles have still to be overcome. Technical obstacles remain, with a mortality of 90% in average, observed mainly just after seeding. ORMER, an experimental development project, aims at developing innovative tools to enable the establishment of sustainable abalone restocking with a transdisciplinary approach. The following hypothesis will be tested: 1) Initial mortality can be minimised by conditioning hatchery juveniles to predators and using optimised seeding techniques 2) improved knowledge of the ecosystem carrying capacity of seeding sites considering juvenile density and size can improve survival in ranching and stock enhancement programmes at an operational scale 3) Better understanding of the wild populations genetic structure, the assessment of health status and immune priming of juveniles prior to seeding can mitigate the risk associated with reseeding operations 4) Assessment of social acceptability, as well as long-term economic viability are necessary keystones to ensure sustainable development of restoration, stock-enhancement or ranching programmes. Partners from the socio-professional sector (including an aquaculture company and the Iroise Marine Natural Park) as well as researchers from different disciplines (ethology, ecology, genetics, pathology, economics and sociology) will work together to develop sustainable stocking programmes to provide the necessary keys to decision-makers (business leaders, fishers, national parks) on social, economic and technical aspects. The expectations of each stakeholder (professional and recreational fishers, aquaculture, ecological rehabilitation) will be included into the project.

The overall objective of AquaVitae is to increase aquaculture production in and around the Atlantic Ocean in a sustainable way by developing new and emerging low trophic species and by optimising production in existing aquaculture value chains. The value chains that AquaVitae will focus on include macroalgae production, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, and production of new echinoderm species as well as existing shellfish and finfish species. A series of cross-cutting Work Packages (WPs) will include research on biosensors, Internet of Things (IoT), product characteristics, consumer attitudes, market potential, sustainability, environmental monitoring, risk assessment, analysis of value chains, profitability, and other socioeconomic aspects. AquaVitae will contribute to various policy dialogues and produce briefs on policy and governance issues. The AquaVitae consortium consists of 36 full partners from Europe and countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean, in addition to an Industry Reference group, a Policy Advice Group, and an External Advisory Group. AquaVitae supports extensive communication and outreach activities, employs a multi-actor approach to ensure stakeholder engagement in all phases of the project, and will set up a durable aquaculture industry and research network around the Atlantic Ocean. Industry partners are present in all case studies, and they have a special responsibility for exploitation and commercialization of the project research results and outcomes. AquaVitae will have a lasting impact on society through the introduction of new species, and through the development of new processes and products based on a circular economy / zero waste approach with improved sustainability. AquaVitae will produce Good Practice standards, facilitate industry apprenticeship and student exchange, support extensive training programs for industry, academia, and the public, and contribute to the implementation of the EU-Brazil-South Africa Belém Statement.