ASTRAL Partner FURG Donated 75kg of Fish Harvested within Experiment to local NGO - Mesa Brasil

Marine Aquaculture Station donates to Mesa Brasil.

The harvest was carried out in an experiment at the Balneário Cassino. Fish raised at the Estação Marinha de Aquacultura Marine (EMA, Aquaculture Station) - the result of research carried out by the Astral project - were donated to Mesa Brasil. In this experiment, fish were raised in seawater for 120 days. In addition to the work needed for the development of the project, 100kg of fish were generated. Out of these, 75kg were donated to Mesa Brasil, which carries out actions to support communities in need in the Rio Grande region and throughout Brazil. According to Professor Luis Poersch, this initiative was the first of the season and should be followed by another by the end of the year.

"We understand that the pandemic has been significantly affecting part of the city's population, and FURG can and should act to alleviate this critical situation. This has already been happening through health professionals, activities carried out by students and university staff, and we saw in this partnership with Mesa Brasil a way to act on behalf of the neediest families", he says. Mesa Brasil is a solidarity initiative from Sesc (a Brazilian non-profit private institution) and has been helping families who are at risk of food poverty. The partnership between EMA/FURG and Mesa Brasil will remain in force for another 3 years, the duration of the Astral project, but it is believed that with new funding, this action may be extended. "We know that the volume of fish is not much, but if each one of us can help a little, many will benefit", concludes Professor Poersch.

Fish Harvesting experiment carried out at Balneário Cassino. Photo credits: FURG (Federal University of Rio Grande)