All Atlantic Ocean Sustainable, Profitable and Resilient Aquaculture

Project Information

ASTRAL

Grant agreement ID: 863034

DOI

10.3030/863034

Project closed

EC signature date 4 May 2020

Start date 1 September 2020

End date 30 September 2024

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 7 939 354,88

EU contribution

€ 7 939 354,88

Coordinated by

NORCE RESEARCH AS
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ASTRAL (All Atlantic Ocean Sustainable, Profitable and Resilient Aquaculture)

Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2024-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Aquaculture has been identified as the most promising source of animal proteins worldwide, however, the industry is dominated by species that need to be actively fed, creating a growing need for feed resources, concerns about environmental impacts of uneaten feed and waste and food safety of the products with the possible development of pathogens. In Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) production, multiple aquatic species from different trophic levels are farmed together, and waste(s) from one species are used as fertilisers and food for other species, as in the natural ecosystems.
ASTRAL main goal is to increase value and sustainability for IMTA production by developing new, resilient, and profitable value chains, using four IMTA ‘labs’: open costal/offshore in Ireland and Scotland, flow-through inshore in South Africa and recirculation inshore in Brazil. These sites grow several species combinations such as fish, scallops, lobsters, oysters, urchins and seaweed. A prospective IMTA lab is also being assessed in Argentina. ASTRAL also aim to increase circularity to achieve zero-waste aquaculture systems, developing business models to increasing profitability. Risk posed by potential climate changes and emerging pollutant (microplastics, harmful algae blooms, pathogens) are assessed, together with the development of innovative technology to monitor the production and the interactions from/to the surrounding environment (specific sensors and biosensors, IoT and AI data analytics). Sharing knowledge and capacity development are ASTRAL priorities, to build a collaborative ecosystem along the Atlantic Ocean with industrial partners, SMEs, scientists, policy makers, social representatives and other relevant stakeholders.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

ASTRAL has developed and innovated techniques and species combinations for four IMTA systems. Open water systems: in Ireland the species assessed were Atlantic salmon, lumpfish and wrasse (fed) while the species thriving on the unutilised nutrients (extractive species) were the native oysters, the purple sea urchin and two types of seaweeds. The design for positioning the low-trophic species has been improved, to maximize available space and minimize environmental impacts. In Scotland the focus was to improve the production practices for the extractive species (native oysters, king scallops, several species of seaweed) and develop best practices for IMTA open water systems together with Ireland.
In Brazil, new technologies for RAS biofloc production system were developed to enhance the intensive production, increasing biomass and reducing waste. The species used in Brazil were the white shrimp as fed specie and as extractive species were tilapia, native oysters, seaweed and sea asparagus.
In South Africa the commercial set up in a land based pump ashore system, improved the existent IMTA chain of abalone and seaweed, while also introducing a new specie for a parallel chain with seaweed and the tropical sea urchin. The seaweed grown on the unutilised nutrients was used as feeds for the higher species, reducing the feed cost of circa 20% and the energy cost of circa 40% due to the increased circularity.
In Argentina, the ASTRAL team completed all the assessments to implement an IMTA system with two possible value chains: 1. red sea urchin (fed) and blue mussels; 2. whitebait (fed) and salicornia.
A framework, based on circularity-evidence metrics, was developed to encourage IMTA and general aquaculture producers to measure and control the circularity performance of seafood farming. Improvements in water recirculation and energy efficiency were identified as being indicators of the economic benefits and higher resilience of IMTA systems as well as the reduction of ingredients needed in the feed formulation and improved feed conversion ratios. Better maintenance of infrastructure or the substitution of infrastructure elements with increased durability would increase the functionality and thus the circularity.
Clear were the economic benefits, with the net present value (NPV) as well as profits and margins, growth rates and survival for IMTA systems rating higher than monocultures, directly related to the farm size.
To achieve social acceptability further efforts are required to simplify the message and create a brand for the IMTA products. ASTRAL has developed guidelines to help develop and maintain a positive relationship between operators and relevant communities.
The biggest barrier for the development of IMTA in Europe is indeed the legislation. Long and costly licensing processes, quite often repeated for every specie farmed, are a deterrent for producers, as well as the difficulty to sell product grown on waste streams. Institutional support was identified as crucial in the expansion of IMTA practices.
To achieve stability in an engineered ecosystem, a thorough understanding of its physico-chemical and biological dynamics and interactions is essential: ASTRAL developed several technology assets to achieve these goals, spanning from biosensors to Data Analytic Platforms, implementing low-cost or cost-effective solutions whenever possible.
ASTRAL created a collaborative ecosystem for aquaculture in the Atlantic developing the ‘Atlantic Aquaculture Network’, a distributed and non-centralised network aimed to foster international collaboration among the Atlantic area connecting science-business-industry-policy makers.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The IMTA labs have improved their practices and methodologies to produce ASTRAL IMTA species. New species trials including new combinations and new cultivation methods were successful and results and conclusions are described in the three free available Production Manuals together with a comprehensive ‘Species of the Future Catalogue’.
ASTRAL has offered a novel technology pool of 7 technology assets, enabling a real-time shared ecosystem of data producers and data consumers boosting IoT and AI applications for aquaculture.
ASTRAL has developed a set of recommendations for climate change, harmful algae blooms (HABs), pathogens and emissions of microplastics, differentiated based on system type.
From the circularity assessment and the LCA calculations it is evident that IMTA practices outperform monoculture in many aspects (nutrient recycling, reduced need for feed components and improved FCR, improved energy efficiency and water need).
Several activities linked with ocean literacy and sustainable aquaculture, developing extensive education material for children from primary and secondary schools.
ASTRAL has contributed to creating a skilled workforce through the organisation of apprenticeships, training courses, summer/winter schools, training more than 1440 people, with a special focus on young people and women.
Several events (high level events, international conferences, webinars, side events to conferences) were organised to promote IMTA practices and foster global discussions about potential and barriers for this type of production. The conclusions from these discussions, from the ASTRAL policy roundtable as well as the project recommendations are collected in the ASTRAL Legacy booklet (openly available in the project website).

Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture system examples - ASTRAL project