Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

Photo of man in front of a railing, squatting on a metal grate above water holding cluster of hundreds of mussels. Behind the railing is a circular pond several 10s of feet in diameter.
Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) cultivated in proximity to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Note the salmon cage (polar circle) in the background.

Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) is a type of aquaculture where the byproducts, including waste, from one aquatic species are used as inputs (fertilizers, food) for another. Farmers combine fed aquaculture (e.g., fish, shrimp) with inorganic extractive (e.g., seaweed) and organic extractive (e.g., shellfish) aquaculture to create balanced systems for environment remediation (biomitigation), economic stability (improved output, lower cost, product diversification and risk reduction) and social acceptability (better management practices).[1]

Selecting appropriate species and sizing the various populations to provide necessary ecosystem functions allows the biological and chemical processes involved to achieve a stable balance, mutually benefiting the organisms and improving ecosystem health.

Ideally, the co-cultured species each yield valuable commercial "crops".[2] IMTA can synergistically increase total output, even if some of the crops yield less than they would, short-term, in a monoculture.[3]

  1. ^ Chopin T; Buschmann A.H.; Halling C.; Troell M.; Kautsky N.; Neori A.; Kraemer G.P.; Zertuche-Gonzalez J.A.; Yarish C.; Neefus C. (2001). "Integrating seaweeds into marine aquaculture systems: a key toward sustainability". Journal of Phycology. 37 (6): 975–986. Bibcode:2001JPcgy..37..975C. doi:10.1046/j.1529-8817.2001.01137.x. S2CID 85161308.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Chopin 2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Neori A, Chopin T, Troell M, Buschmann AH, Kraemer GP, Halling C, Shpigel M and Yarish C. 2004. Integrated aquaculture: rationale, evolution and state of the art emphasizing seaweed biofiltration in modern mariculture. Aquaculture 231: 361-391.