ASTRAL Launches New Species Production Manuals for Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Systems
Leading researchers from the EU-funded ASTRAL project are excited to announce the release of three production manuals for various marine species occurring in, or common to the Atlantic region.
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) is a sustainable aquaculture practice that involves cultivating species from different trophic levels (positions in the food chain) within the same farming system.
This type of integrated culturing allows one species' waste and nutrients to be recaptured and converted into fertiliser and feed for the other aquaculture species. Taking advantage of synergistic interactions between species, the aim is to implement aquaculture systems for increased environmental sustainability and economic stability within holistic and circular economy approaches.
The ASTRAL IMTA production systems showed an increase in circularity of up to 90% in terms of water recirculation, as well as bioremediation, which was improved by 80%–90%, providing evidence for the potential role of IMTA in the circularity transition.
The newly released production manuals cover the cultivation of various marine species in each IMTA system in detail, addressing essential aspects such as welfare, health, and biosecurity.
IMTA Systems Featured in the Manuals:
- IMTA Production Manual – Open Water
Designed for open-water IMTA systems, this manual offers insights into species combinations and cultivation techniques that make use of the natural aquatic environment. Species cultivated include fish, seaweeds, molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans
- IMTA Production Manual – Land-Based Pump Ashore
Tailored to land-based IMTA systems, this manual focuses on techniques for integrated cultivation of species growth using pump ashore systems with partial recirculation, with an emphasis on sustainability, diversification, biosecurity and resource recirculation. Land-based species trialled, included fed and extractive species of abalone, sea urchins and seaweed.
- IMTA Production Manual – Biofloc
This manual explores production methods within the Biofloc system, highlighting ways to optimise species growth while managing water recirculation and biosecurity concerns. Species trialled include fed and extractive species of fish, seaweeds, halophytes, molluscs and crustaceans.
Authors of the production manuals highlighted the importance of these manuals for advancing sustainability in aquaculture.
Brett Macey, Aquaculture Specialist at the University of Cape Town and co-author of Land-Based Pump Ashore - IMTA Production Manual, stated: “Together, these manuals serve as essential resources for cultivation in IMTA systems, demonstrating a more sustainable and diversified aquatic food system.”
Pauline O'Donohoe, Aquaculture Researcher at the Marine Institute in Galway and co-author of the Open Water - IMTA Production Manual, added: “The details contained in these manuals demonstrate how the current monoculture aquaculture industry could diversify to IMTA to enable a more sustainable future for marine aquaculture.”
Luis Poersch, Aquaculture Researcher at the Federal University of Rio Grande – FURG and co-author of IMTA Biofloc Production Manual, added: “In addition to providing information on different integrated production systems, these manuals serve as examples for more environmentally friendly production, while still being economically viable.”
In keeping with climate change mitigation and targets of the Paris Agreement to help mature the Blue Economy, the ASTRAL Production Manuals provide tailored approaches to IMTA that foster local communities and ecosystems.
Each manual provides comprehensive guidance on how to grow the species and the parameters needed for their successful production.
IMTA Production Manuals are available for download at: https://www.astral-project.eu/training-education-materials
About ASTRAL:
The EU-funded ASTRAL project will develop IMTA production chains for the Atlantic markets. Focusing on a regional challenge-based perspective, it will bring together labs in Ireland and Scotland (open offshore labs), South Africa (flow-through inshore) and Brazil (recirculation inshore) as well as Argentina (prospective IMTA lab). The aim is to increase circularity by as much as 60 % compared to monoculture baseline aquaculture and to boost revenue diversification for aquaculture producers. ASTRAL will share, integrate, and co-generate knowledge, technology and best practices, fostering a collaborative ecosystem along the Atlantic.
Join our network: https://platform.crowdhelix.com/helixes/aquaculture/info
The ASTRAL project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 863034.