Julien Vignier
Shellfish Hatchery & Technology Team Leader and Senior Aquaculture Scientist
Role at Cawthron
Julien is a shellfish biologist and bivalve hatchery specialist with the Aquaculture group and leads the Shellfish Hatchery & Technology team.
Julien is involved in a number of research projects, including the Shellfish Aquaculture Programme, where he applies his Research & Development expertise to support innovation in New Zealand’s aquaculture industry.
Julien’s work focuses on following outcomes:
- optimization of hatchery processes to produce oyster and mussel spat
- improvement of oyster selective breeding
- development of alternative methods for bivalve settlement
- optimization of disease laboratory challenge for oysters
- production of triploid shellfish
- cryopreservation of bivalves
- evaluation of biotic and abiotic stressors on bivalve reproduction and early life
- optimization of microalgal production.
Technical skills, experience and interests
- Shellfish hatchery production focusing on reproduction and larval development and optimization of hatchery processes
- Development of rearing protocols and innovative systems for “new” species of interest for aquaculture
- Sustainable aquaculture (e.g. IMTA systems)
- Mollusc ecotoxicology (oil/PAHs, pesticides, biotoxins & HAB)
- Shellfish physiology
Qualifications
- PhD (Marine Biology), Université de Bretagne Occidentale (Brest), France, 2015
- DESTA (Aquaculture engineering), CNAM / Université de Montpellier II, France, 2005