Presentation reflects the importance of the knowledge generated by INCAR researchers to combat the Caligus rogercresseyi, parasite that affects fish health and the sustainability of Chilean aquaculture.

The Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR) will have a prominent participation in the Sea Lice Conference 2025, the most important scientific event worldwide dedicated to the study of sea lice (Caligus rogercresseyi), which will take place in Puerto Varas, Chile, between November 30 and December 4.

In total, 13 works from the INCAR Centre will be presented, including 9 oral presentations and 4 posters, reflecting the importance of the knowledge generated by INCAR researchers to combat the Caligus rogercresseyi, parasite that affects fish health and the sustainability of Chilean aquaculture.

Oral presentations at the centre will begin on Monday 1 December, in the session "Non-Pharmacological Treatments I", with the study "Reprogramming sea lice microbiota through precision probiotics: a novel preventive tool for salmon aquaculture"”, from the Associated Researcher of INCAR, Dr Valentina Valenzuela Muñoz.

During the afternoon of Monday two studies by INCAR will be presented in the session Sea Lice Biology and Ecology I: "Sex-biased epigenetic signatures in the sea louse" Caligus rogercresseyi, from the Deputy Director of the INCAR Center, Dr. Cristian Gallardo Escárate, and "Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analysis of bacterial microbiome of Caligus rogercresseyi according to sex and ontogenic development", from the INCAR master's student, Marcelo Muñoz Troncoso.

Also in the afternoon session on 1st, the studies "Metagenomic and metabolomic signatures associated with the tolerance of Atlantic salmon to sea lice infestation" will be presented by the Adjunct Researcher of INCAR, Dr Diego Valenzuela Miranda, and "Sea lice under pressure: how host resistance shapes the transcriptome and microbiota of" Caligus rogercresseyi", from the Doctoral Student of the center, Constance Sáez Vera. Both in the Genetics and Genomics I session.

The representation of INCAR will continue on Tuesday, December 2, at the Genetics and Genomics II session, in which the Postdoctoral Researchers will participate. Dr. Yeny Leal and Dr. Antonio Casuso. In the block, Dr. Leal will present “IPath® vaccination reductions be lice infestation and enhancements the transcriptome responses of Atlantic salmon to hypoxia”; while Dr. Casuso will present “Commercial vaccines do not impact the effectiveness of the IPath sea lice vaccination”.

Finally, on Wednesday, December 3, the Deputy Investigator of INCAR, Dr. Rodrigo Montes will present in the session Modelling and Epidemiology, “Detecting long-term abundance changes and epidemic transitions of sea lice in salmon farming”.

In the meantime, Dr. Diego Valenzuela Miranda close the oral presentations of INCAR with “A new molecular approach for monitoring pesticide resistance in the sea lice (Caligus rogercresseyi) based on gene copy number variances (CNVs)”, in the session Pharmaceutical Treatments II.

While the 4 papers in poster will be distributed in 3 different topics:
In Sea lice biology and ecology, the Dr. Antonio Casuso will present the poster “Transcribomic and morphological changes triggered by salinity and temperature in Caligus rogercresseyi Copepodites”, in Genetics and genome, Álvaro Gallardo submit “Aquaculture biotechnology and genomics laboratory, 12 years of research on Caligus rogercresseyi”, and in NON-Pharmacological treatments Two works of undergraduate students linked to INCAR will be presented: “Evaluation of Pichia pastoris expressing IPath antique as a functional additive in Atlantic salmon for sea lice control” of Javiera Briones, and “Transcribome survey of precision probiotics against Caligus rogercresseyi” of Mateo Costa Inostroza.

The Sealice Conference 2025 will feature 61 oral papers distributed in 12 thematic sessionsin addition to 25 scientific posters which reflect the dynamism and diversity of current research in parasites control, genetics, pharmacology, animal welfare and emerging technologies.

This version is organized by the Institute of Aquaculture of the Universidad Austral de Chile, headquarters Puerto Montt; the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR) and the Technological Institute of Salmon (INTESAL) and is sponsored by MSD Animal Health, Cflow, Sudvet corp, Mowi Chile, AQUA PHARMA Group, Aquabyte, STIM, Tidal and Imenco, with Salmonexpert, Media AQUA, InfoSALMON, Mundo Acuícola, Panorama Acuícola and AQUACULTURE Magazine as Media Partners.

For more information about the full program and registration details, visit the official website of the event.