The 1st international symposium on mucosal health in aquaculture – MHA2019

Summary

The 1st International Symposium on Mucosal Health and Aquaculture (MHA2019) was held on 11–13 September 2019 in Oslo, Norway. This was the first platform of its kind that gathered people from academia, R&D institutes, and industry to discuss the state-of-the-art and future directions of mucosal health research in aquaculture. The symposium was divided into four scientific sessions: Session 1, Mucosal structures and functions; Session 2, Mucosal health and nutrition; Session 3, Mucosal health and microbiome; and Session 4, Mucosal health and the changing environment. A plenary talk from a prominent authority in the field opened each session. The papers presented at MHA2019 exemplified the dynamic evolution of the field of mucosal health in aquaculture – from an area solely explored from an immunological aspect about 20 years ago, to the multidisciplinary field it is today. Moreover, papers presented highlighted the complementary application of both classical (e.g., histology) and modern platforms (e.g., omics, artificial intelligence) to characterise mucosal health. The interactive discussion during the meeting underscored the importance of mucosal health research in modern aquaculture and collectively emphasised the role of both fundamental and applied approaches in advancing this timely and highly relevant field. The symposium was organised by Nofima, The Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Research, with support from the Research Council of Norway.