A modelling approach to classify the suitability of shallow Mediterranean lagoons for pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) farming

Abstract

This study was founded by the University of Stirling and by the International Marine Centre (IMC), and is part of the Sardinian project "OSTRINNOVA, Valorisation of sustainable production of oysters in the shellfish production system in Sardinia", funded by the Sardinia Region, Det. DG n ° 566 of 27/04/2016. My first thank goes to my Stirling university and International Marine Centre (IMC) supervisors, Stefano Carboni, Trevor Telfer, Maura Baroli and Stefano Guerzoni, for giving me the opportunity to carry out this important step of my life. In particular, I want to thank Stefano Carboni, who brought me into the field of aquaculture research, thanks to whom I first took a master's degree in this field and then increased my skills performing this PhD study. He was a source of motivation and he always gave me great advice on how to handle all the problems encountered during this PhD study. I would like to tanks Alessandro Gorla and Francesca Gargiulli and all the staff of the Compagnia Ostricola Mediterranea in the San Teodoro lagoon, for the hospitality, help and availability during the field work. Alessandro and Francesca, played a very important key role for the good development of this PhD thesis. They have become friends as well as List of figures 8 List of tables 12 List of abbreviations

Rearing equipment on the quality aspects and growth performance of Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793): Implications for marketability

“…Italian demand for Pacific oysters cannot be met by local production, since the country produces only 3% of total national consumption (FAO, 2019). Most of the Italian oyster farms are located in Sardinia region (Graham, Falconer, et al, 2019), although its approximately 10,000 ha of coastal lagoons potentially suitable for Pacific oyster farming (Graham, Falconer, et al, 2019) are far from being exploited. The present study is part of a larger strategy aimed at increasing the Pacific oyster production in Sardinia, in which both the suitability of the lagoon and the rearing gear are taken into account.…”

Accurate Estimation of Chlorophyll-a Concentration in the Coastal Areas of the Ebro Delta (NW Mediterranean) Using Sentinel-2 and Its Application in the Selection of Areas for Mussel Aquaculture

“…Used alone, or coupled with other biogeochemical [46], ecophysiological, and box models [47], DEB models have been proven to be a valid methodology to determine the quality of an area for shellfish aquaculture [34,35]. DEB models allow one to calculate the amount of energy used for shellfish growth and reproduction through the ingestion of the available food, thus they benefit from remote sensing estimates [48][49][50][51][52].…”

Addressing ocean planning challenges in a highly crowded sea space: a case study for the regional sea of Catalonia (Western Mediterranean)

“…In the study area, the aquaculture development shows to be the Blue Economy sector to have the highest space demands in the Inland waters of the Gulf of San Jordi, the Gulf of Roses and in southern and northern coastal waters of Barcelona ( Figure 4 ). Given the increasing importance of aquaculture in the Mediterranean ( UfM, 2021 ) and its potential regional space demands in Catalonia, there is the need to identify MSP-based techniques that enable to better define suitable sites taking into consideration spatial, ecological and socio-economic conditions ( Graham et al , 2020 ; Porporato et al , 2020 ; Venier et al , 2021 ) and define planning strategies that can address the regional ocean multi-use potential.…”