On 5 March 2025, April Grace Opinion received the VLIZ Marine Science Day best predoc presentation award as part of the VLIZ Marine Science Day 2025.
April Grace Opinion is a PhD fellow at ECOSPHERE with a deep passion for fish physiology. Her research focuses on understanding the physiological responses of fish to interacting environmental and human-induced stressors, including climate warming, pollution, and aquaculture-related challenges.
At the VLIZ Marine Science Day, she presented the findings of her FWO-funded study, conducted in collaboration with Ghent University and Manchester University. This study aims to address the high mortality rates of salmonids in aquaculture and wild environments. In Atlantic salmon aquaculture alone, concerns over animal welfare have intensified due to the increasing frequency and severity of salmon mass mortality events, with approximately 865 million deceased individuals recorded globally from 2012-2022. While the exact causes remain unclear, cardiac abnormalities have been identified as a significant factor. The study’s findings revealed a strong association between chronic stress and the development of cardiac malformations in salmon. Specifically, prolonged exposure to aquaculture-related stressors led to morphological heart changes and energy depletion, which ultimately compromised the swimming and cardiac performance of the fish. Through her research, she aims to support the sound management of aquatic resources and the sustainable expansion of aquaculture.