Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ULTFARMS (circUlar Low Trophic oFfshore Aquaculture in wind farms and Restoration of Marine Space)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-06-30
ULTFARMS aims to move beyond the current Low Trophic Aquaculture (LTA) systems with novel engineering, technical, ecological and biological processes to better production potential in harsh offshore conditions and/or low-salinities while supporting their integration with Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs). The project will engage research and industry in co-developing and co-managing novel designs and operations in six LTA pilots in OWF locations across the North and Baltic seas. The ambition is to advance LTA in offshore hostile environments while safeguarding the environment, minimizing carbon footprints, and addressing commercial viability. Doing so raises interconnected technical, engineering, logistical, ecological and biological challenges. Demonstrating the feasibility of such while working towards replicability and transferability of this knowledge is key to the aims of ULTFARMS.
The pilots have made significant progress; getting required permits, shaping and fine-tuning the designs for the first cultivation cycle through a co-design process with multiple stakeholders, and testing the systems in experimental facilities, at nearshore test sites and at the offshore pilot locations. Some key achievements so far:
Danish pilot – Anholt (Baltic Sea)
In September 2023 the seaweed cultivation trial commenced with the installation of two horizontal longlines with sugar kelp and dulse. An assessment of the seaweed lines in May 2024 revealed that the growth of sugar kelp had reached 0.2 kg/m with fronds up to 45 cm long while the growth of dulse had reached 0.2 kg/m with fronds up to 15 cm long. In May 2024, the pilot also deployed three types of mussel spat collectors, in various configurations, designed to attract and capture blue mussel larvae, providing a suitable surface for them to settle and grow.
Danish pilot – Samsø (Baltic Sea)
After the installation of the anchors for the installation of the commercial cultivation of blue mussels, the tube and nets system, engineered to create an optimal environment for the blue mussel larvae to settle and develop, was successfully installed as well.
German pilot – FINO2 (Baltic Sea)
In Summer 2023 a first seaweed sampling campaign was launched to sample the green macroalgae Ulva in the vicinity of the FINO2 site and the nearshore test site. In September 2023 a first seaweed trial to test the growth of the Ulva commenced at both sites. The pilot designed a novel modular nature-inclusive aquaculture system and successfully deployed this system, equipped with monitoring equipment, at the FINO2 site in the spring of 2024. Samples of the flora and fauna on the monopile have been taken to increase the knowledge of the biological community present over there. In addition, underwater cameras have been installed to provide further insight into response on the flora and fauna to the seaweed and nature inclusive design installation. Two systems seeded with Ulva seedlings have been installed so far and are being closely monitored.
German pilot – FINO3 (North Sea)
The pilot has successfully installed the delineation buoys equipped with GPS trackers, a remote monitoring camera and the mussel cultivation system with four different types of substrates for spat collection. Maintenance trips have been used to take samples of the mussels, the flora and fauna attached to the system, and the water. The seaweed cultivation system has been prepared and seaweed samples have been obtained and cultivated in preparation of deployment later on in the project.
Dutch pilot – Borssele (North Sea)
In August 2023, a mussel farm has been installed at a nearshore location – Voordelta – to test various monitoring techniques afterwards to be used at the offshore pilot site. Outside of the ULTFARMS project, Dutch pilot partner OOS international is developing a Semi-Submersible Mussel Farm (SMF) and has built a small test-SMF (9.60 by 9.60 m) that was recently launched and transferred to its operational site at the Borssele wind farm. As part of ULTFARMS, five backbones with mussel lines, each a length of 200 meters, to be installed to the test-SMF platform for the cultivation of mussels, will be monitored by the Dutch pilot.
Belgian pilot – Belwind (North Sea)
The pilot has successfully acquisitioned bonamia-free flat oysters for restorative flat oyster cultivation. In June 2024, custom-made oyster spat collectors were deployed in a field experiment at the Belwind offshore wind farm. In June 2024, a novel submersible backbone system, developed by partner Impact-9, has been tested in a wave flume. Deltares and Ghent University have conducted experiments in a wave basin to better understand the behavior of seaweed net cultivation systems in waves and currents, measuring hydrodynamic forces both on an empty net and on a net with seaweed surrogates. At a later stage the results of this latter experiment will be made publicly available as an open dataset to validate simulation tools for seaweed net systems.
Some of the other key activities and achievements within the project so far:
• Key exploitable results have been identified and preliminary business models have been developed
• A preliminary market analysis has been performed
• Within the HiSea Data Platform dashboards have been set up for the pilots, providing services such as visualization tools, alerts, operational windows.
• Development of a method for the environmental assessment of mitigation, restoration, and creation solutions based on a framework of measurable indicators
• The governance landscape has been mapped; identifying relevant actors and their actions that influence the governance of multi-use at sea
Danish pilot – Anholt (Baltic Sea)
In September 2023 the seaweed cultivation trial commenced with the installation of two horizontal longlines with sugar kelp and dulse. An assessment of the seaweed lines in May 2024 revealed that the growth of sugar kelp had reached 0.2 kg/m with fronds up to 45 cm long while the growth of dulse had reached 0.2 kg/m with fronds up to 15 cm long. In May 2024, the pilot also deployed three types of mussel spat collectors, in various configurations, designed to attract and capture blue mussel larvae, providing a suitable surface for them to settle and grow.
Danish pilot – Samsø (Baltic Sea)
After the installation of the anchors for the installation of the commercial cultivation of blue mussels, the tube and nets system, engineered to create an optimal environment for the blue mussel larvae to settle and develop, was successfully installed as well.
German pilot – FINO2 (Baltic Sea)
In Summer 2023 a first seaweed sampling campaign was launched to sample the green macroalgae Ulva in the vicinity of the FINO2 site and the nearshore test site. In September 2023 a first seaweed trial to test the growth of the Ulva commenced at both sites. The pilot designed a novel modular nature-inclusive aquaculture system and successfully deployed this system, equipped with monitoring equipment, at the FINO2 site in the spring of 2024. Samples of the flora and fauna on the monopile have been taken to increase the knowledge of the biological community present over there. In addition, underwater cameras have been installed to provide further insight into response on the flora and fauna to the seaweed and nature inclusive design installation. Two systems seeded with Ulva seedlings have been installed so far and are being closely monitored.
German pilot – FINO3 (North Sea)
The pilot has successfully installed the delineation buoys equipped with GPS trackers, a remote monitoring camera and the mussel cultivation system with four different types of substrates for spat collection. Maintenance trips have been used to take samples of the mussels, the flora and fauna attached to the system, and the water. The seaweed cultivation system has been prepared and seaweed samples have been obtained and cultivated in preparation of deployment later on in the project.
Dutch pilot – Borssele (North Sea)
In August 2023, a mussel farm has been installed at a nearshore location – Voordelta – to test various monitoring techniques afterwards to be used at the offshore pilot site. Outside of the ULTFARMS project, Dutch pilot partner OOS international is developing a Semi-Submersible Mussel Farm (SMF) and has built a small test-SMF (9.60 by 9.60 m) that was recently launched and transferred to its operational site at the Borssele wind farm. As part of ULTFARMS, five backbones with mussel lines, each a length of 200 meters, to be installed to the test-SMF platform for the cultivation of mussels, will be monitored by the Dutch pilot.
Belgian pilot – Belwind (North Sea)
The pilot has successfully acquisitioned bonamia-free flat oysters for restorative flat oyster cultivation. In June 2024, custom-made oyster spat collectors were deployed in a field experiment at the Belwind offshore wind farm. In June 2024, a novel submersible backbone system, developed by partner Impact-9, has been tested in a wave flume. Deltares and Ghent University have conducted experiments in a wave basin to better understand the behavior of seaweed net cultivation systems in waves and currents, measuring hydrodynamic forces both on an empty net and on a net with seaweed surrogates. At a later stage the results of this latter experiment will be made publicly available as an open dataset to validate simulation tools for seaweed net systems.
Some of the other key activities and achievements within the project so far:
• Key exploitable results have been identified and preliminary business models have been developed
• A preliminary market analysis has been performed
• Within the HiSea Data Platform dashboards have been set up for the pilots, providing services such as visualization tools, alerts, operational windows.
• Development of a method for the environmental assessment of mitigation, restoration, and creation solutions based on a framework of measurable indicators
• The governance landscape has been mapped; identifying relevant actors and their actions that influence the governance of multi-use at sea
Several previous or ongoing LTA and/or offshore multi-use projects have made significant steps to advance the technology readiness level of LTA designs towards operational use at offshore locations. ULTFARMS goes beyond the state of the art not only by building on these achievements, adapting and fine-tuning solutions in terms of technology, monitoring, and operability but also by testing several innovative approaches, thereby making further steps towards LTA within OWFs under commercially viable settings. Additionally, ULTFARMS brings in an extra dimension, by considering the evaluation of the carbon footprint of LTA production and the impact of the solutions in combination with nature restoration efforts. At the same time, the project also addresses stakeholder engagement, commercialization, and holistic socio-ecological governance.