Fisheries and aquaculture responses to emergencies (FARE) are often mistargeted or may undermine the stability of the sector. This e-learning course aims to enhance the quality and accountability of preparedness and response to emergencies affecting...
This course introduces the Progressive Management Pathway for Aquaculture Biosecurity (PMP/AB) which uses a risk-based approach to improve the overall sustainability of the aquaculture sector. It outlines the concepts and steps needed to apply a risk...
This course introduces the Harmonised System (HS) nomenclature for fisheries and aquaculture products, presenting global and FAO international trade instruments in fisheries, such as Preferential Access and the Rule of Origin. This course is designed...
Short description of the project: VeriFish is a two-year project financed by Horizon Europe aimed at providing an accessible and dynamic framework of verifiable sustainability indicators for the improvement of communication and understanding of...
This edition features the Blue Transformation in action, illustrated by activities and initiatives, led by FAO in collaboration with Members, partners and key stakeholders, to integrate aquatic foods into global food security and sustainability...
Baltic MUPPETS provides a unique opportunity for innovators to make a tangible impact on sustainable mussel farming and product development, supporting forward-thinking solutions that enhance local economies and improve the Baltic Sea ecosystems...
Yes, it is feasible, but technical, engineering and cost challenges remain. The future development of offshore or exposed ocean aquaculture will depend on the technology that is implemented to overcome the extreme conditions of the oceanic climate, the logistical problems to bring feed and other inputs to the farm, the development of offshore working platforms and the remote control of the platforms based in the internet of things (IoT) to communicate and to manage the platforms with optimisation systems based on artificial intelligence.
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) is a type of aquaculture where several aquatic species from different trophic levels (eg. fish, seaweed, shellfish or other invertebrates) are farmed in close proximity in the same production system to improve efficiency, reduce waste and provide ecosystem services, such as bioremediation.
The ‘Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030’ promote IMTA, among other types of aquacultures that are most beneficial for the environment and the climate.
IMTA can cover many different types of aquaculture systems, such as land-based aquaculture systems (e.g. ponds) and net pens systems (e.g. combination of fish farming with off-bottom and on-bottom systems for bivalve molluscs and seaweed production). However, the aim is always to increase environmental sustainability, economic stability and social acceptability, within holistic and circular economy approaches.
IMTA systems enhance aquaculture sustainability by mimicking natural nutrient cycles. In these systems, the organic matter that is not used by one species, such as fish, becomes a resource for others, like seaweed and molluscs, which use the nutrients to grow. The effectiveness of the system depends on environmental factors, such as nutrient levels in the area, food availability and hydrodynamics.
Several challenges remain in the adoption of IMTA. For example, according with the EU legislation, aquaculture animals cannot be feed on waste, which means that the legal framework in force invalidate models where fish are combined with certain filter feeders and detritivores species (low trophic species as bivalve molluscs and sea cucumbers) which recycle the nutrients from fish uneaten feed and faeces. To assess and help address these challenges the EU is funding several projects on IMTA such as Astral (https://www.astral-project.eu/ ) and AquaVitae (https://aquavitaeproject.eu/).
In 2020, EU aquaculture production reached a total of 1,2 million tonnes, with a value of EUR 3,9 billion. At that time, the main aquaculture species produced were sea mussels (19% of total EU production), rainbow trout (17%), blue mussels (11%), Pacific cupped oysters (9%), gilthead seabream (8%), Mediterranean mussels (7%), European seabass (7%), common carp (7%) and Atlantic bluefin tuna (3%). These nine species account for 87% of the total EU aquaculture production in weight (STECF 22-17-EU).
