News
EU’s ASTRAL project unveils free IMTA manuals for sustainable aquaculture
December 30, 2024 By Aquaculture North America staff
Researchers from the EU-funded ASTRAL project are releasing three production manuals for various marine species occurring in, or common to the Atlantic region.
The free manuals provide step-by-step guidance for species cultivation in three key Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) system types: open-water IMTA, Land-Based Pump Ashore systems, and Biofloc systems. Aquaculture producers in Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and Brazil tested the manuals.
“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,” said Pauline O’Donohoe, aquaculture researcher at the Marine Institute in Galway and co-author of the Open Water – IMTA Production Manual.
IMTA is a sustainable aquaculture practice that involves cultivating species from different trophic levels (positions in the food chain) within the same farming system, allowing one species’ waste and nutrients to be recaptured and converted into fertilizer and feed for the other aquaculture species.
The aim is to implement aquaculture systems for increased environmental sustainability and economic stability within holistic and circular economy approaches.
According to a press release from ASTRAL, the ASTRAL IMTA production systems showed an increase in circularity of up to 90 percent in terms of water recirculation. Bioremediation was improved to 90 percent, 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.
“Together, these manuals serve as essential resources for cultivation in IMTA systems, demonstrating a more sustainable and diversified aquatic food system,” said Brett Macey, aquaculture specialist at the University of Cape Town and co-author of Land-Based Pump Ashore – IMTA Production Manual.
