dr. L (Luca) Pettinau

I work as a fish ecophysiologist and ethologist, investigating how fish cope with environmental changes, natural changes or anthropogenic stressors. My research focuses on the interaction between physiological and behavioural strategies fish use to respond to these changes. I'm particularly interested in how environmental enrichment can enhance the welfare and resilience of farmed fish.

I apply a wide range of physiological and behavioural methods. These range from assessing thermal and hypoxia tolerance,  measuring organismal oxygen consumption (metabolic rate), to conducting in vivo electrophysiological recordings (heart rate, ECG, EEG). I also evaluate swimming performance and analyse behavioural traits such as personality, sociability, and collective behaviour through video-based observations.

By integrating these approaches, I aim to better understand how farmed and wild fish respond to  stressors in a changing world. This knowledge helps mitigate the impacts of climate change on aquatic life, guiding more sustainable and climate-resilient aquaculture and fisheries, while also providing essential information for the conservation management of wild populations.

My academic career has always been connected to these topics. I earned a PhD in Fish Ecophysiology at the University of Turku, Finland,  where I studied how swimming exercise training improves the cardiorespiratory capacity of the fish to face environmental stressors, such as heat waves, and by doing so improving welfare and the sustainability of aquaculture production. Earlier, I completed a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Marine Ecology (with honors) at the University of Cagliari, Italy, focusing on fish swimming behaviour and predator–prey interactions under the supervision of IAS-CNR Oristano.