ATLASea is an exploratory Priority Research Project and Equipment (PEPR) funded by France 2030 over 8 years. This large-scale project is co-piloted by CNRS Biology and CEA Genoscope, and involves teams from the Paris Natural History Museum, Sorbonne University, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, IFREMER, and Aix Marseille University represented by the Station Marine d'Endoume (SME).
The aim is to sequence the genomes of 4,500 eukaryotic marine species, and to make these reference genomes available to the scientific community. As well as taking part in leading the programme as a whole, the MHE team is particularly involved because of its knowledge of marine ecosystems and its naturalistic and taxonomic expertise. This year, from 16 to 28 June 2025, the MHE is organising the second sampling workshop of the PEPR ATLASea programme. All of OSU Pythéas' resources at sea will be mobilised to criss-cross the coast from La Ciotat to Cap Couronne, with IMBE and MIO staff, numerous students and PEPR ATLASea collaborators on board.
This major operation, which is currently being prepared, was preceded by a smaller workshop called "Poissons d'avril" (April Fish) (31 March to 4 April), which had the dual objective of fine-tuning the sample processing chain, while processing a few dozen Mediterranean fish. With the invaluable help of fishermen who specialise in catching live fish, some forty species were prepared, including the main ingredients of Marseille's famous bouillabaisse. It goes without saying that no other laboratory in France could bear such responsibility 😉
