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Partnership on Circular Smart Aquaculture

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Circular Smart Aquaculture

Context

Aquaculture has been identified as one of the highlighted areas in the S3 Thematic Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy. The partnership has particular ambitions to contribute to the blue economy targets related to:

  • Energy transition in the aquaculture sector: introduction of renewable energy sources, more efficient use of energy, less energy-demanding feed resources
  • More efficient use of water and space: RAS technologies, aquaponics, site optimisation with respect to ecosystem hydrodynamics and biogeochemistry and to other uses of the marine space, monitoring and management tools for precision farming
  • Fighting scarcity of feed ingredients: resource-efficient novel feeds e.g. SCP, algae, insects, marine invertebrates
  • Better use of side streams, promoting circular production systems: recovering and utilising by-products from processing plants(fish, shellfish), from RAS/closed systems (sludge, effluents), and exploring business model for IMTA and aquaponics
  • More targeted and skilled human capacity: training of existing staff and educating new candidates to enable the needed transitions in aquaculture

Year established: 2023

Regions (lead and partner)

  • Leading regions: Hauts de France (FR)
  • Participating regions: Vlaanderen (BE), Wallonie (BE), Galicia (ES), Trøndelag (NO), Nordland (NO), Ireland (IE), Berlin Metropolitan Region (DE), Malta (MT), Porto (PT), Algarve (PT), Emilia-Romagna (IT)

Mission

Innovation in aquaculture is driven by the need to produce food and feed in a more environmentally-friendly and competitive way. Smart use of resources and a circular approach are key to reach this ambition, and so is a value-chain approach, i.e. involving both seafood producers as suppliers of services, technologies and feed, combined with research based governance.

The newly adopted Strategic Guidelines for a sustainable and competitive aquaculture in the EU is emphasising the ambition of Europe to develop a mature sector. It highlights the efforts needed to bring together public authorities, industry, researchers, and educators at regional level, as well as the development of innovation clusters for sustainable aquaculture. Efficient knowledge transfer methods and the development of appropriate skills to meet structural changes and an innovative sector are also challenges identified by the partnership.

Objectives

The overall objective is to support and speed up the development of a circular smart aquaculture across the value chain to ensure its sustainability and consolidate its role in society. Its specific objectives are to contribute to more efficient energy and water use, to fighting scarcity of feed ingredients, to better use side streams implementing circular production systems, and to build a more targeted and skilled workforce.

and the participating regional authorities, the partnership aims to develop the partnership clusters (i.e. EATiP Mirror Platforms (MiPs)) to foster SME networking, knowledge exchange and innovation, aligning regional priorities with European level actions.

Main activities

The Circular Smart Aquaculture TSSP is currently in a networking and developmental phase, recruiting members and regions to join the network. At the same time the platform is making using of S3 Community of Practice Secretariat services including for mapping of the network and funding possibilities.

Upon conclusion of this preparatory work, working groups will convene addressing knowledge and innovation transfer aligned to the priority areas identified by the partnership.

Organisations involved

Belgium

  • EATIP (BE)
  • Inagro (BE)

France

  • AQUIMER (FR)
  • Regional authority Hauts de France (FR)

Germany

  • SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth EEIG (DE)

Hungary

  • HUNATiP (HU)

Ireland

  • Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) (IE)

Malta

  • Xjenza Malta (MT)

Norway

  • NCE Aquatech Cluster (NO)
  • NCE Aquaculture (NO)

Portugal

  • B2E CoLAB (PT)

Spain

  • ACUIPLUS (ES)

Shared smart specialisation areas

Two partner regions have identified aquaculture as a priority in their S3. The others refer more generally to the bioeconomy (including aquatic food) and one region will adopt its S3 strategy in 2024. More specific thematic scoping across the regions depicts complete circular value chains in the bioeconomy and smart technology development and innovation.

Related projects

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