BSc Thesis Subjects

If you are considering taking on a Bachelor Thesis at AFI, please stop by during our ONLINE Meet & Greet every first Tuesday of the month, between 13:00 and 14:00. Even if you only have a broad idea of your plans, you are most welcome! We are happy to think along with you, and discuss whether we can agree on a topic that suits you.

The list of BSc thesis subjects at Aquaculture and Fisheries is intended to give an impression of possible thesis projects. If you are interested to learn more about aquatic species or subject, and your subject is not listed then contact the chair group (office.afi@wur.nl), stating your subject of interest in one sentence. You then will be directed to an AFI staff member to explore thesis options.

On this page an overview of current Bachelor thesis subjects is presented. Please be aware that research might be finished or altered. Agreement on a topic will always be discussed first.

Aquaculture topics

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AFI-1. The effect of climate change on the stress response of shrimp

Marine shrimp farming is largely practiced in several Asian countries, often in coastal ponds. Global warming can result in numerous risks for these coastal aquaculture practices, such as changes in the environmental rearing conditions. Increasing temperatures, salinity and decreased oxygen availability are potential effects of global warming, which may create sub-optimal rearing conditions for shrimp. Chronic sub-optimal rearing conditions may act as stressors, which can eventually impact shrimp performance and welfare. Understanding stress physiology of shrimp, including their response to potential climate change related stressors, is therefore of importance.

Work: The student will execute a literature study on stress physiology and stress responses of shrimp to potential environmental stressors.

Supervision & contact: Marit Nederlof (marit.nederlof@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1

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AFI-2. LTA production (mussel & seaweed) in the North Sea

Low trophic aquaculture (LTA) in the Dutch North Sea has the potential to deliver circular food and nature-based solutions. Also integrated cultures of e.g seaweed and mussels seems a promising way forward, not just for logistic reasons, but also because positive and beneficial ecological effects may occur among these species. New developments, such as offshore LTA production, offer the opportunity to design innovative farming concepts that not only enable high production rates, but also incorporate, from the outset, nature inclusive solutions and facilitate circular farming concepts. The North Sea is characterised by highly dynamic conditions, which will affect cultivation strategies. To facilitate the development of new farm designs and management in theses offshore regions, insight is required on the effects of environmental conditions (physical such as currents and waves) on culture performance of both species. Furthermore, to optimize integrated farming concepts further insight is needed on the reciprocal interactions between both species (i.e. biological in terms of food provisioning and nutrient cycling, as well as the effect of culture structures on physical properties such as current speed).

Work: the student will execute a literature research to identify the effect of physical properties on culture performance of blue mussels and seaweed, and will study to biological and physical interactions between both species. From this the student will provide advice for farm design (with focus on scale) creating win-win for both species.

Supervision & contact: Henrice Jansen (Henrice.Jansen@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1

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AFI-3. The role of starch in fish nutrition

Starch plays an important role in the formulation and production of aquafeeds. Starch is important in the binding of feed pellets and serves as cheap energy source. Although starch can take up 40% of the diet, information of the digestion and digestibility of starch is minimal compared to protein and fat. The amount of starch in the diet varies considerably, due to changing ingredient composition of diets, it is expected that the content of starch in diet formulation in the future would vary even more. The capacity to utilize starch varies with the inclusion level and fish species. One of the key enzymes involved in the starch digestion is amylase, which breaks down starch into smaller carbohydrate molecules such as maltose. Amylase can be supplemented to a diet as a potential way to enhance starch digestibility. However, an overview of the starch digestibility and the potential of amylase to enhance starch digestibility across fish species is lacking.

Work: literature study reviewing the digestion and digestibility of starch and the effect of supplementing amylase across fish species.

Supervision & contact: Roel Maas (roel.maas@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1

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AFI-4. DNA vaccination of fish

Maybe not everybody knows, but fish have an immune system very similar to that of mammals. Actually, fish have been the first vertebrates to have developed an immune system composed of an innate as well as an adaptive branch, exactly as we know it for mammals. This also means that, like other livestock species, fish can and must be vaccinated. This is because, due to the intensification of the aquaculture industry, fish are often kept at densities that favor disease spreading. Think about the COVID situation and to the fact that we (humans) had to avoid crowded places, but after being vaccinated it was ok to be altogether again. Thus, to allow fish to be kept under farming conditions, to reduce the risk of disease spreading and to improve fish welfare, effective vaccination strategies must be in place. For many years already we know that DNA vaccines are very effective in fish, especially against viral diseases. They are up to 100 time more effective in fish than in mammals! In 2016, the European Union approved the first DNA vaccine to be commercialized in Europe, and currently, almost 90% of the Norwegian salmon is being (also) DNA vaccinated against a deadly disease named Pancreatic Disease (PD). Many more effective DNA vaccines have been described to date for several fish species, against a myriad of fish diseases.
An overview of the effective experimental DNA vaccines reported worldwide is currently lacking, including the regime of vaccination, dose and antigen used as well as the underlining mechanisms of immunity. Providing such overview will help boost the use of DNA vaccines in the aquaculture industry, and to identify knowledge gaps in DNA vaccine development.

Work: Executing a literature study on DNA vaccination in fish.
Pre-requisite: good understanding of basic immunology, as the knowledge provided by the Cell Biology and Health course is required for this thesis

Supervision: Maria Forlenza and Mark Goldman or Corrie Gunter
Contact: Maria Forlenza (maria.forlenza@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1

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AFI-5. Body Condition Score in Sharks kept in Zoos

A Body Condition Scoring system is one of the tools used in zoo and public aquarium settings to quantify the welfare of an animal. For BurgerZoo, a former student developed a Body Condition Scoring system on two elasmobranch species: the Zebra Shark, Stegostoma tigrinum and Blacktip Reef Shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus. As a trial these Body Condition Scoring were used at a elasmobranch husbandry workshop at Sosto Zoo in Hungary. Photos from different animals of both species were shown and each participant scored the animal using the Body Condition Scoring tool.
The goal of the Body Condition Scoring thesis is to work on the results and write a framework for future publication.

Supervision: Johan Schrama & Max Janse
Contact: Johan Schrama (johan.schrama@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1

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AFI-6. Nutritional programming for robust fish

The first days of life is a period of growth and development, during which homeostasis and microbial colonization are established. During these stages, there is high plasticity which can determine physiological responses of the animals later in life; therefore health or nutritional interventions may be most effective and efficient for improving health and fish performance later in life. In the context of aquaculture, the application of dietary immunomodulating ingredients, such as beta glucans, is gaining increasing attention to improve fish stress and disease resistance. However, the implications of dietary immune-modulation during the early life stages via nutritional programming are not fully explored. The potential of early life programming of fish immune-competence is important for increasing fitness throughout life.

Work: Students will execute a literature study on nutritional programming and how this can be utilized in order to improve health and disease resilience. The focus will be on early life stages and the longevity of the dietary interventions, which should be discussed in terms of fish performance and health.

Supervision: Haniswita Fino and Fotini Kokou
Contact: Fotini Kokou (fotini.kokou@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1-2 (per type of ingredient: functional or macronutrients)

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AFI-7. Probiotics for optimal water quality in recirculating aquaculture systems

As probiotics are defined live microorganisms that when administered in sufficient concentrations, they improve the health and performance of the host. In aquaculture, the use of probiotics is an alternative approach to immunoprophylactic control. Supplementation with probiotics via feed or water can positively influence growth performance, feed utilization, overall physiological condition and health by modulating the immune response, but also by improving water quality in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Especially the latter has not been fully explored, with relation to how it can affect not only fish performance but also biofiltration via seeding of the biofilters. Understanding the probiotic impacts via addition of the probiotic in the rearing environment on both mucosal tissues (gut, skin, gills), as well as on the water quality and biofiltration, can optimize not only the mode of administration of probiotics but also their application in RAS.

Work: Students will execute a literature study on probiotic use in RAS, including applying different microbial cultures for start-up phase. The probiotic effects should be discussed in terms of biofiltration performance and water quality as well as fish performance and health.

Supervision and contact: Fotini Kokou (fotini.kokou@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1-2 (per type of administration or rearing environment)

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AFI-8. How to predict fish feeding from morphology

The potential of an organism to use food resources from its environment is facilitated and limited by its morphological traits. Different traits are relevant for the whole sequence of food utilization, from detection of the prey, approaching it, sucking it into the mouth, holding it, reducing its size, swallowing it, and finally to digesting it in the stomach and intestine. For all these actions relevant morphological traits have been identified which have a quantitative relationship with performance. Measuring these traits in different fish species enables the ‘translation’ of morphology into a ‘feeding profile’. By combining the feeding profiles of all species that make up a fish community, the whole community can be characterised functionally. This increases our understanding of the functioning of the food web. In this project we make such functional descriptions of the fish communities in different geographical locations (e.g., the Dutch Caribbean; African lakes; etc.). Measurements are taken from pictures that are available through FishBase. Based on the measurements feeding profiles will be made and compared to available field data. Comparisons with previously studied fish communities can be performed. Note: several students can (simultaneously) participate in this study.
Activities: morphological measurements on photo material; entering & analysing data; statistical analysis.

Supervision and contact: Leo Nagelkerke (Leo.Nagelkerke@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1-3 (1 per geographical location)

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AFI-9. Invasive crayfish in the Netherlands: what does their morphology teach us?

Seven species of alien crayfishes have become invasive in the Netherlands, often reaching high densities and having a large impact on the ecosystem through predation, heavy grazing, or by undermining shorelines through burrowing. The two most abundant species are the northern crayfish (Faxonius virilis) and the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). As of yet little is known why these species are so successful and what their direct effects on the aquatic food web are. Some diet information of these species is present, but to acquire better insights into their feeding capacities an eco-morphological approach will be used, in which morphological traits are measured that have a quantitative relationship with feeding performance. Measuring these traits enables the ‘translation’ of morphology into a ‘feeding profile’ per species, potentially explaining part of their trophic impact. This project aims at collecting measurements of morphological traits involved in feeding of these crayfish species nad performing multivariate statistics on the collected data. Note: several students can (simultaneously) participate in this study.

Activities: morphological measurements on animal; entering & analysing data; statistical analysis.

Supervision and contact: Leo Nagelkerke (Leo.Nagelkerke@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1-2.

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Fisheries/fish ecology topics

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AFI-10. Can invasive success of alien fish species be predicted from morphology?

Invasions of alien species in ecosystems are considered a global threat to biodiversity. Especially in fresh waters many alien species are introduced through (illegal) activities associated with angling and the pet trade. Also the disappearance of natural borders by connecting different river systems can facilitate invasions. However, not all alien species are equally successful invaders. Some stay at low population levels, or even disappear again, some do not cause obvious problems to native species, while others can drive them to extinction. It is still unclear why some species are more problematic than others. One clue could be in their ability to feed on the food resources in a system, compared to the abilities of the native species. Therefore the aim of this study is to compare these abilities of native and alien species. Simply comparing diets is not sufficient in this case, as the diet will depend on local circumstances. Instead we need to study the potential of the fish species to use food resources from its environment. We do this using an eco-morphological approach in which morphological traits are measured that have a quantitative relationship with feeding performance. Measuring these traits in different fish species enables the ‘translation’ of morphology into a ‘feeding profile’ per species. Comparing the feeding profiles of native and alien species could lead to answers as to whether the capacity for feeding on food resources could hold clues to the success of invasions. This project aims at collecting measurements of morphological traits involved in feeding of all Dutch fish species, both native and alien and making multivariate analyses to assess the differences and overlaps between species. Note: several students can (simultaneously) participate in this study.

Activities: morphological measurements on photo material; entering & analysing data; statistical analysis.

Supervision and contact: Leo Nagelkerke (Leo.Nagelkerke@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1-2.

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AFI-11. Life-history traits in tropical fish communities

Different organisms have different life-history strategies to cope with their environment. Such life histories are characterised by fecundity (numbers of offspring), size of maturity, growth rates, maximum sizes, mortality rates etc. Each species can therefore be characterised as a compilation of such traits. And a whole fish community can be described in terms of the abundance of traits. Such a ‘life-history profile’ will influence the resilience of the community towards exploitation, environmental impacts etc. In this project life-history parameters of all species in a fish community (African lake, Caribbean island, etc.) will be compiled, life-history profiles will be made and changes in these profiles will be assessed against changes in environment and fishing pressure. Note: several students can (simultaneously) perform a study such as this.

Activities: data mining, entering and analysing data, statistical analysis.

Supervision and contact: Leo Nagelkerke (Leo.Nagelkerke@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1-3 (1 per geographical location)

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AFI-12: Trophic interactions of elasmobranchs (sharks & rays) in the Northeast Atlantic.

Sharks and rays, i.e. elasmobranchs, are among the top (meso-)predators in the Northeast Atlantic and are vulnerable to overfishing. Their ability to recover is hindered by their life history traits including slow growth, late maturity and low fecundity. As predators, elasmobranchs exhibit top-down predator effects on other species in the ecosystem. Declines in elasmobranch populations may have ecosystem consequences which cascade through the marine food web. Research into the dietary habits and predator-prey relationships of marine species can provide an understanding into trophic interactions in an ecosystem context. The BSc thesis will identify the available information on the diet composition and feeding strategies of two/three species of elasmobranchs in the Northeast Atlantic and will pay specific attention to the differences with regards to sex, size, season and/or location.

Activities: Literature study

Supervision & Contact: Eleanor Greenway (eleanor.greenway@wur.nl) & Jan Jaap Poos (janjaap.poos@wur.nl)
Number of possible students: 1

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Important message

The list of Bsc thesis subjects at Aquaculture and Fisheries is intended to give an impression of possible thesis projects. If you are interested to learn more about aquatic species or subject, and your subject is not listed then contact the chair group (office.afi@wur.nl), stating your subject of interest in one sentence. You then will be directed to an AFI staff member to explore thesis options.