Planning and licensing for marine aquaculture

Falconer, Lynne; Cutajar, Karl; Krupandan, Amalia Grace; Capuzzo, Elisa; Corner, Richard A.; Ellis, Tim; Jeffery, Keith; Mikkelsen, Eirik; Moore, H. M.; O’Beirn, F.X.; O'Donohoe, P.; Ruane, Neil M.; Shilland, Robyn; Tett, Paul; Telfer, Trevor

doi:10.1111/raq.12783

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 281 publications

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“…Based on findings from the present study, it is recommended that waste dispersion models use hydrographic inputs, farm layouts that include changes over time, and simulate realistic and variable production practices. Since models can have an important role in aquaculture planning, licensing and regulation [ 36 ], it is important that models are realistic for environmental and production considerations, so that representative computations of deposition footprints are obtained, supporting production levels within capacity limits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Waste dispersion models also have an important role to play in IMTA research and development as models are required to understand the potential nutrient transfer, environmental interactions and production consequences of co-cultivating species under different production scenarios [ 36 , 37 ]. For a balanced system with net removal of wastes, models need to quantify and resolve the distribution and impact of particulate wastes around the fish farm [ 38 , 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Real-world waste dispersion modelling for benthic integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

Cutajar,

Falconer,

Sharman

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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In real-world situations, marine fish farms accommodate multiple fish species and cohorts within the farm, leading to diverse farm layouts influenced by cage dimensions, configurations, and intricate arrangements. These cage management practices are essential to meet production demands, however, farm-level complexities can impact model predictions of waste deposition and benthic impact near fish cages. This is of particular importance when the cages are used for integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) with benthic feeders, where this waste not only affects environmental conditions but also provides a potential food source. The Cage Aquaculture Particulate Output and Transport (CAPOT) model incorporated multiple species, cohorts, and cage arrangements to estimate waste distribution from a commercial fish farm in the Mediterranean between October 2018 and July 2019. This spreadsheet model estimated dispersion for individual fish cages using a grid resolution of 5 m x 5 m. The study categorized discrete production periods for each fish cage every month, aligning with intermittent changes in biomass and food inputs due to different cage management practices throughout production. This approach facilitated the use of detailed input data and enhanced model representativeness by considering variations in cage biomass, food types, settling velocities, and configurations. Model outputs, represented in contour plots, indicated higher deposition directly below fish cages that varied monthly throughout fish production cycles. Deposition footprints reflected changes in cage biomass, food inputs, and farm-level practices reflecting this real-world scenario where aquaculture does not follow a production continuum. Moreover, cohort dynamics and cage movements associated with the cage management practices of the fish farm influenced the quantity and fate of wastes distributed around fish cages, revealing variability in deposition footprints. Clearly, these findings have important implications for the design of benthic IMTA systems, with species such as sea cucumber and polychaetes. Variability in waste deposition creates challenges in identifying where the benthic organisms should be placed to allow optimal uptake of waste to meet their food requirements and increase survivability. Evidently, models have an important role to play and this study emphasizes the need for representative input data to describe actual food inputs, cage biomass changes, and management practices for more representative farm-scale modelling and essentially to improve particulate waste management. To effectively mitigate benthic impacts through IMTA, models must quantify and resolve particulate waste distribution and impact around fish farms to maintain a balanced system with net removal of wastes. Resolving farm-level complexities provides vital information about the variability of food availability and quality for extractive organisms that helps improve recycling of organic wastes in integrated systems, demanding a more representative modelling approach.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Real-world waste dispersion modelling for benthic integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

Cutajar,

Falconer,

Sharman

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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“…Federal and international agencies are involved in the permitting processes and often do not work collaboratively or even proactively. Significant legislation will be required to enable development of those productive and lucrative offshore waters (Falconer et al, 2023).…”

Section: Priorities For Future Aquaculture Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of aquaculture systems to global aquaculture production

Verdegem

Latt²,

Dalsgaard

et al. 2023

J World Aquaculture Soc

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Since 2000, aquaculture became well‐integrated into the global food system. Aquaculture systems are highly diverse, producing globally equal amounts of fed and extractive species. In Asia and Africa, inland aquaculture provides the bulk of aquaculture production, while in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania, marine aquaculture dominates. The realized growth of annual production since 2000 is due to intensification, the use of more and better feeds, improved production management, and increased attention to biosecurity. Fed and extractive aquaculture, both need to pay more attention to scaling, site selection, and the health of the wider production environment. In terms of land use, aquaculture is more efficient than terrestrial animal production. Still, water use remains a challenge. More attention should be given to water recycling in land‐based systems, reducing water consumption and facilitating nutrient recovery and reuse. Future development should focus on making aquaculture climate neutral and on reducing environmental impacts, both inland and at sea. More attention must be given to making aquaculture an important part of local food systems on all continents, as is the case in Asia today. Integration of aquaculture into local nutrition‐sensitive, circular, and sustainable food systems should become the major driver for future aquaculture system development.

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“…As a result, aquaponics, a bio-integrated food production system that can produce more food with less water, best practices to reduce agriculture's "water footprint" and use natural resources smartly and e ciently, while also providing people with the protein and minerals they require 12 Monoculture development is currently stalling due to rising input prices (including feed, power, and medicines), environmental problems (including waste and poor water quality), and socioeconomic concerns (including public opposition). Incorporating extractive species (for example, invertebrates and/or seaweeds) into existing monoculture systems, such as integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), has the potential to improve farm pro tability, animal welfare, and economic bene ts 13 . As a production system, IMTA-aquaponics may provide new insights into water management, increased sh biomass, improved feed conversion ratios, potential wastewater reduction, and recognition of external in uences affecting monoculture production, as well as strategies to avoid them associated with diversi ed aquaponics crop production [14][15][16] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing Nutrient Utilization, Hydraulic Loading Rate, and Feed Conversion Ratios through Freshwater IMTA-Aquaponic and Hydroponic Systems: An Environmentally Sustainable Concept

Goda,

Aboseif,

Taha

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Water quality in land-based fish production can be controlled through either instantaneous water exchange or costly wastewater treatment followed by recirculation. Agricultural-aquaculture integration is an excellent alternative technique for lowering nutrient discharge levels, increasing profitability, and transforming fish culture wastewater into valuable products. The current study employed a solar energy system to power two separate IMTA-aquaponics systems (Nutrient Film Technique, NFT, and Floating Raft Systems, FRS) for the cultivation of Nile tilapia, African catfish, thin-lipped grey mullet, freshwater crayfish, freshwater mussels, and a variety of vegetables. Tilapia and catfish were fed exclusively on diets under the IMTA system. All wastewater from tilapia and catfish ponds, including dissolved and solid, flows sequentially to ponds of other cultivated species. The water then flows through the IMTA system's terminal point to the NFT and FRS systems before returning to the tilapia and catfish ponds, with complete control of the nutrient flow throughout this entire circular system. Two 147-day production cycles were carried out. The findings of the second production cycle are presented. Total biomass gain for aquatic species in the IMTA system was 736.46 kg, compared to 145.49 and 271.01 kg in the tilapia and catfish monoculture systems, respectively. The current IMTA system had a cumulative feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 0.90, whereas monoculture systems for tilapia and catfish had FCRs of 1.28 and 1.42, respectively. Nile tilapia and catfish consumed 571.90 kg of feed containing 25.70 kg of nitrogen (N) and 9.70 kg of phosphorus (P), respectively, and gained 11.41 and 3.93 kg of dietary N and P, representing 44.40 and 40.46% dietary N and P retention, respectively. In the IMTA system, the addition of mullet and prawn as detrivores aquatic animals improves dietary N and P utilization efficiency to 59.06 and 51.19%, respectively, and the addition of mussels as herbivore animals improves dietary N and P utilization efficiency to 65.61 and 54.67%, respectively. Finally, the use of FRS and NFT as hydroponic systems increased dietary N and P efficiency to 83.51% N and 96.82% P, respectively. This study indicates that the IMTA-Aquaponic system, as a bio-integrated food production system, can convert the majority of fish-fed residuals into useful products suitable for desert, rural, and urban areas in poor and developing countries.

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Planning and licensing for marine aquaculture

Cited by 14 publications

References 281 publications

Real-world waste dispersion modelling for benthic integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

Real-world waste dispersion modelling for benthic integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

The contribution of aquaculture systems to global aquaculture production

Optimizing Nutrient Utilization, Hydraulic Loading Rate, and Feed Conversion Ratios through Freshwater IMTA-Aquaponic and Hydroponic Systems: An Environmentally Sustainable Concept

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