Diogo Peixoto PhD thesis on the national news

Our team at CIIMAR is proud to see our research on improving fish welfare in aquaculture featured in two national news outlets — Jornal de Notícias and Green Savers. The coverage highlights the development of a novel dietary supplement designed to reduce stress in farmed fish through the use of tryptophan, an essential amino acid known to boost serotonin levels.

The work, led by Diogo Peixoto as part of his PhD and supervised by CIIMAR researcher Rita Azeredo, was developed within the scope of the IMMUNAA project, coordinated by Benjamín Costas and funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Our research demonstrates that tryptophan supplementation not only acts as a “stress buffer” but also supports immune function and improves resistance to disease — crucial factors for maintaining animal welfare and performance in aquaculture systems.

At a time when global food demand is rising and aquaculture is expanding rapidly, our findings offer a sustainable and scientifically grounded strategy to address one of the industry’s most pressing challenges: animal stress.

We’re excited to see our work receiving national recognition and contributing to the dialogue on sustainable aquaculture in Portugal and beyond.

Links to both articles, in portuguese:

• “Suplemento alimentar ajuda a reduzir stress em peixes de aquacultura” – Jornal de Notícias
• “CIIMAR propõe suplemento alimentar para peixes em aquacultura com objetivo de melhorar o seu bem-estar” – Green Savers

and English version:

• CIIMAR proposes food supplement to improve animal well-being in aquaculture – CIIMAR website