A three-month (August- October, 2023) internship was undertaken at the University of Galway, Ireland, under the supervision of Dr. Alex Wan.The internship aimed to gain experience in nutritional requirements and physiological understanding of shellfish and fish. During the training, experimental and statistical design methods were taught and practised. This includes the reduction of animals used in trials through statistical validation methods (i.e., power statisticG*Power and 3R The Experimental Design Assistant). I also learned biochemical analysis and developed new research skills in shellfish aquaculture. Furthermore, I participated in a series of studies:
1) Isolation of probiotic bacteria from spiny lobsters (Palinurus elephas) and European lobsters (Homarus gammarus).
2) Survey of wild spiny lobster and European lobsters for the understanding of their nutritional profile.
3) Literature review on the comparison of spiny lobster and European lobster genome research.
4) Colour preference in European lobster juveniles.
At the end of the internship, I attained practical skills and knowledge in lobster biology and gross anatomy. Additionally, I acquired significant skills in data analysis and statistics and writing coherent articles for the scientific community and a broader public audience. I am extremely grateful to the Erasmus + program and the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters USB for supporting this training.
