New sustainable and profitable I ntegrated M ulti-Trophic Aquaculture value chains in the Atlantic regions were developed within the ASTRAL project .
ASTRAL is a HORIZON 2020 project financed under the Blue Growth programme. The project contributes to the implementation of the Belém Statement and other trans-Atlantic agreements to develop a strategic partnership on marine research, and it will participate in building the All- Atlantic Ocean Research Community.
The project main goal is to increase value and sustainability for integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) production by developing new, resilient, and profitable value chains. In IMTA production, multiple aquatic species from different trophic levels are farmed together. Waste from one species is used as inputs (fertilisers and food) for another species. The IMTA concept is used at four ‘labs’ in Scotland, South Africa, Brazil and Ireland; these sites grow species such as fish, scallops, lobsters, oysters, urchins and seaweed. A prospective IMTA lab will also be assessed for future production in Argentina.
ASTRAL goals include the increase of circularity and the achievement of zero-waste aquaculture systems, as well as the creation of appropriated business models to increasing profitability. Potential climate risks 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), with the final aim to provide monitoring recommendations to policy makers. Sharing knowledge and capacity development are among ASTRAL priorities, to build a collaborative ecosystem along the Atlantic Ocean with industrial partners, SMEs, scientists, policy makers, social representatives, and other relevant stakeholders.
The ASTRAL consortium assembles a multidisciplinary team of experts from different sectors: RTO, academia, SMEs, industrial clusters, intergovernmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders from several countries along the Atlantic Ocean. The ASTRAL consortium includes partners from 10 countries - Norway, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Nigeria, South Africa, Argentina and Brazil. Partners includes Research and Technology Organisations, Universities, SMEs, associations/industrial cluster and governmental and intergovernmental organizations.
A summary of the project’s results, that will finish at the end of September 2024, will be presented , highlighting the collaborations established between stakeholders and the transfer of k nowledge between the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean.