Project Page Views: [ 722 ]
| Project Metadata Element | Details |
| Project Title | Increasing Industrial Resource Efficiency in European Mariculture |
| Research Area | Water |
| Project Acronym | IDREEM |
| Principal Investigator or Lead Irish Partner | Julie Maguire (IE) |
| Lead Institution or Organisation | |
| Lead Country | Ireland |
| Latitude, Longitude (of Lead Institution) | 51.64344, -9.58934 |
| Lead Funding Entity | European Commission |
| Approximate Project Start Date | 01/10/2012 |
| Approximate Project Finishing Date | 30/09/2016 |
| Project Website (if any) | www.idreem.eu |
| Links to other Web-based resources | |
| Project Keywords | Aquaculture; Food security; Nutrient Recycling; Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture |
| Project Abstract | Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish and even plants. In Europe, it is one of the most important industrial sectors when considering global food security. Typically, aquaculture is carried out on a single organism basis. This method of farming results in loss of large quantities of nutrients from the system. Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) facilitates the recycling of these nutrients through the inclusion of farming additional species of differing trophic levels. The benefits of this system are well understood. However, IMTA is only practiced in Europe by a few specialist companies. IDREEM project aims to investigate why this is the case and demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of integrating IMTA methods of aquaculture. This will be carried out through pilot and commercial testing. IDREEM will consider social, economic and environmental issues with a view to improve the understanding of technological and financial issues that may stand in the way of IMTA being adopted by aquaculture enterprises and also the social issues that influence consumers and the general public to better understand market issues. In doing so, they will create methods to help the European aquaculture industry adopt more environmentally and economically efficient practices of IMTA that can be used in Europe on a commercial scale. Throughout the project a dedicated impact coordinator will ensure that the project is fully engaged with the wide range of stakeholders, inviting their participation from the beginning and throughout the project (specifically in the form of a project advisory committee) and ensuring that results are fed back into that community. This will ensure that there is a rapid up take of the new production technology across the European sector, creating opportunity and support for a range of new SME producers, processors and up the value chain. |