Demonstration of intensive shellfish farming in OPEN waters with resilient and affordable modules (OPENMODE)

OPENMODE is a two-year project funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), aimed at demonstrating the capacity to carry out large-scale shellfish farming in open waters in three different EU sea basins, thanks to floating modules and harvest ropes attached to a platform.

Tangible results: The project developed and tested eight 140 m2 floating modules (Formex®) in Spain, Denmark, Croatia and Montenegro, where local farmers shared them, harvesting molluscs or macroalgae. OPENMODE also developed trainings targeting aquaculture professionals and farmers, that explain how to use the Formex® modules developed in the project.

Application/relevance: Overall, the structure developed in OPENMODE intensified harvesting productivity, while reducing operational costs and diminishing harvest lost due to predation. This increased revenues for farmers using the modules, and on a longer-term perspective, will trigger major investments in concerned coastal regions, generating then new jobs in the whole shellfish value chain. Moreover, the intensity of the farming system can be an efficient tool to reduce eutrophication, especially in the Baltic Sea, which would enhance social awareness on shellfish aquaculture being at the service of the environment.