About the Consortium

The Consortium

The Consortium consists of seven partners, including the Co-ordinating partner, and initially, ten members. The participants represent virtually every country in Europe which has an interest in the conservation of Arctic Charr / Char.
Four of the partners (Glasgow, John Eccles Hatcheries, Holar and Vienna) and two of the members (Stopnfiskur and Rittler) had already worked together on a previous EC-funded project before the creation of Charrnet. The firm friendship and co-operation which was established during this first project will, hopefully, extend into the new consortium.
New partners and members were then invited from the leading european players in Arctic Charr / Char research, commercial exploitation and conservation, and their acceptance made this a co-operative of all the elite establishments in our community.

John Eccles Hatcheries. Scotland (The co-ordinating Partner.)

A small independent producer, situated on the island of Hoy in the Orkney islands, Scotland.
John Eccles has been a salmon smolt producer for 15 years and in the last 7 years has specialised in Arctic Charr / Char husbandry and production. The company holds several different broodstocks of scottish charrs and continues to develop their commercial potential through selection and technique.
JEH was prime contractor of the CRAFT research programme ' Improved Arctic Charr / Char production through strain selection and broodstock management'

Holar Agricultural College. Iceland ( Partner )

Currently the largest centre for aquacultural research in Iceland and their only designated centre for research into Arctic Charr / Char.
Holar Agricultural College also runs the national breeding programme for Arctic Charr / Char in Iceland through a contract with the Minister of Agriculture.
The principal contact at Holar is Helgi Thorarensen Ph.D., Head of Aquaculture. Other staff involved in the network are Dr. Skuli Skulason, (college director), Einar Svavarsson (breeding programme) and Theodor Kristjansson (water quality requirements)

The Dept. of Hydrobiology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Vienna, Austria. ( Partner )

This is the largest Institute of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Vienna. It has been led by Prof. Mathias Jungwirth since 1979. The HFA is an interdisciplinary establishment covering aquatic biota, environmental planning and impact assessment, river and lake restoration, conservation, fisheries management and aquaculture.
Aquacultural research on Arctic Charr / Char was started in 1988 and during this time the institute has been involved in a national research programme for the lake area 'Lunz', an investigation into population dynamics and a classification of Charr / Char lakes in eastern Austria.
Principal contact at Vienna is Helmut Kummer who has been a lead player in all the programmes of Charr / Char research at Vienna.

The Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Dept. of Aquaculture. Umea, Sweden.( Partner )

Founded in 1988 this department has achieved high regard for its work on the biology of Arctic Charr / Char particularly the impact of abiotic factors and behavioral characteristics on intensive and extensive aquaculture .
In cooperation with the Fishery Research Board of Sweden at their Kalarne hatchery facility, and at their own laboratories, the department has developed a selection programme for Charr / Char suitable for aquaculture.
Principal contact is Assistant Professor Eva Brannas who has worked extensively with Arctic Charr / Char and is presently in charge of three financed Charr / Char projects.

University of Glasgow, Fish Biology Group. Scotland ( partner )

This group has an international reputation for its work in salmonid research and in particular, Arctic Charr / Char.
With research facilities at the Field Station on Loch Lomondside, laboratories in Glasgow University and collaborative links with establishments within UK and abroad, the group now centres its efforts in the fields of evolution, speciation, ecology and the determinant of life history variant.
Dr. Colin Adams the principal contact, has a background in commercial fishfarming.His research work has centred on investigations into mechanisms underlying phenotypic variation in life history, ecology and morphology. Mr. Gary Millar will lead the I.T. support.
Glasgow University will act as line manager for the I.N.R.A. partner in France.

The I.N.R.A. laboratory at Thonon. France. ( partner )

Research work on Arctic Charr / Char at the Thonon laboratory specialises in the field of reproductive physiology, particularly photoperiod and temperature manipulation, egg viability and gonadotropin secretion.
Previous work has also included fingerling production, restocking, ranching development and tagging methods.
Christian Gillet has a reknown reputation in broodstock management and the development of Charr / Char farming. He will act as the project leader with designated support from Mrs. Elizabeth Copp.
Other staff involved include Alexis Champigneulle and Philippe Laurent.

Norwegian Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Norway. ( partner )

N.I.F.A. is an applied research Institute (with 110 employees of which 73 are research scientists) established to conduct research and development for the fisheries and aquaculture industry.
Facilities at NIFA include microbiological and biochemical laboratories, an industrial test hall, a laboratory for sensoral analysis and the Tromso Aquacultural Research Station which has extensive salt and freshwater research capabilities.
The principal contact is Dr. Arne M. Arnesen who has been employed as a research scientist within NIFA since 1987.
Dr. Bjorn Saether and Dr. Malcolm Jobling will also be involved in the norwegian effort.

Mill of Elrick Fish Farm. Dave & Donna Basford. Scotland. (member)

Situated in the heart of Aberdeenshire this is a small enterprise producing Arctic Charr / Char and Rainbow Trout for a local market.
Dave has a background in fishfarming and in Foods Standards.

Inverness Fish Farming. Scotland. ( member)

Martin Moore has an extensive history of work in the fishfarming industry, in conservation, in fisheries management, re-stocking and the capture of wild varieties of Charr / Char for spawning and stripping. IFF is now specialising in fisheries consultancy.

English Nature. England. ( member )

English Nature is the UK government's statutory conservation body for England. A principal objective is the maintainance of biodiversity and, in this case, the intraspecific natural variation of Arctic Charr / Char. The main contact is Dr. David Fraser.

Stofnfiskur. Iceland. ( member )

Stofnfiskur is a leading company in Iceland in aquaculture, selective breeding and production of salmon, rainbow trout and Arctic Charr / Char eggs.This company has performed research into the development of Arctic Charr / Char aquaculture in co-operation with domestic and overseas partners. The contact person is Dr Vigfus Johannsson.

Laxa Feedmill. Iceland. ( member )

Laxa Ltd was established in 1991.A leading feed manufacturer it now supplies over 60% of the Icelandic market. Laxa has a strong tradition of specified feed production for different fish species. The representative is Jon Orn Palsson M.Sc.

Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute. Finland (member)

Andreas Rittler Hatchery. Corinthia, Austria. ( member )

Developed in the last 5 years to enable exploitation and conservation of local strains of Arctic Charr / Char. Recently involved in a research programme investigating the effects of temperature on spawning time and success. Contact Andreas Rittler.