In Porto, marine science research took centre stage as PhD students from CCMAR and CIIMAR — the two institutions that comprise the associated laboratory CIMAR-LA — came together to co-organise the 2025 Blue Think Conference. The event provided a platform for scientific exchange and closer collaboration among early-career researchers from various ocean-related fields.
Over the course of two days, the conference explored three major themes: Biology, Aquaculture and Seafood Quality, Global Change and Ecosystem Services, and Marine Biotechnology. Of the many applications received, two CCMAR PhD candidates, Carolina de la Hoz Schilling and Maria Pais, were chosen to deliver oral presentations, showcasing pioneering research on endangered species and food safety risks. João Monteiro, a fellow CCMAR student, also won the award for best poster with his research on the sustainability of crab fisheries in Portugal, in the Biology, Aquaculture & Seafood Quality Session.
CCMAR's young researchers, João Monteiro, Miguel Cabano, Miguel Pinto, Diana Gonçalves and Inês Cerveira, played a central role in organising the scientific and logistical programme.
It was challenging, but also deeply rewarding to be part of the BTC organising committee. The experience gave us a unique chance to learn, to work as a team, and to contribute to an event with such impact and meaning for young researchers like us.
Other early-career CCMAR researchers, including Aqsa Sharif, Samira Nuñez Velazquez, Carlos Marrero Alemán, Mélinda Martins and Federico Clementoni, presented posters showcasing the variety of research conducted at CCMAR, ranging from sustainable aquaculture and ecotoxicology to marine conservation and climate change.
Professor Emerita Maria Teresa Dinis, a former CCMAR researcher, was the keynote speaker at the conference, which closed with remarks from CCMAR President Professor Adelino Canário. Professor Canário emphasised the importance of connecting generations of scientists to build the future of marine research in Portugal.
Faro will host the 7th edition of the Blue Think Conference in 2026, organised by the CIMAR-LA student committee. Until then, one thing is clear: the new generation of researchers is already making its mark on marine science, both nationally and internationally.
Participants:
Carolina de la Hoz Schilling – BEE (Biogeographical Ecology and Evolution), PhD student – Oral Presentation: "First documentation of a nursery area for the Critically Endangered scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, in Mauritania, West Africa"
Maria Pais – BlueTox (Aquatic Chemical Ecology), Research Technician – Oral Presentation: "Exploring Tetrodotoxins in trumpet shells and in sea stars as a possible source of contamination and its implications for food safety"
Aqsa Sharif – Aquagroup (Aquaculture Research Group), PhD Student – Scientific Poster: "Nutritional modulation from first feeding in Solea senegalensis larvae"
Samira Nuñez Velazquez – FBC (Fisheries, Biodiversity and Conservation), PhD Student – Scientific Poster: "Natural Marine Park of the Algarve Reef – Pedra do Valado: Analysing shore angling before implementing a marine protected area"
Carlos Marrero Alemán – Aquagroup (Aquaculture Research Group), PhD Student – Scientific Poster: "Molecular cargo of extracellular vesicles from fish seminal and blood plasma: toward biomarkers for reproductive management"
João N. Monteiro – ECOREACH (Ecology and restoration of riverine, estuarine and coastal habitats), PhD Student – Scientific Poster: "Contribution to the green crab fishery along the Portuguese coast"
Miguel Pinto – ECOREACH (Ecology and restoration of riverine, estuarine and coastal habitats), MSc Student – Scientific Poster: "Disentangling climate-related environmental shifts along Portuguese coastal areas"
Miguel Cabano – Aquagroup (Aquaculture Research Group), PhD Student – Scientific Poster: "Sustainable Aquafeeds Supplemented with Taurine Enhance European Seabass Resilience to Thermal Stress"
Mélinda Martins – Structural Chemistry Platform, Research Technician – Scientific Poster: "Transformation and detection of PP and PMMA on environmental surfaces"
Federico Clementoni – BlueTox (Aquatic Chemical Ecology), PhD Student – Scientific Poster: "MicroFish: How Micropollutants Affect Fish Physiology?"
