BLUEBOOST Project

The Freshwater-IMTA concept is set to launch at BLUEBOOST Project next spring in Poland. To begin production, narrow-clawed crayfish have been secured and are now wintering comfortably in an outdoor RAS facility. In the meantime, water is being discharged from common carp ponds, and sediment sequestrating system made of straw bricks is operating to secure substrate for blue food and feed production next year. It's great to see how the Polish team from the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin lead by Remigiusz Panicz and Piotr Eljasik are moving forward in the implementation of sustainable and transformative #freshwater aquaculture systems. We are eager to see and share the results, stay tunned for further innovative news!

Our Brazilian partners (Federal University of Santa Catarina - UFSC, UNIVALI and EPAGRI) from the BLUEBOOST Project (Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership) are currently preparing the structures for the net tanks and longlines in the Itapocoroy Bay in Penha, SC. They have already transported the net tanks and are preparing the anchoring of the algae and mollusk cultures. In this first stage, brazilian sardines (Sardinella brasiliensis) in 3 different biomasses, together with macroalgae (Kappaphycus alvarezii) and mussels (Perna viridis) will be farmed. The cultivation is expected to start on November 25th and continue until the end of May 2025. All BLUEBOOST experimental facilities are being set-up and running for testing and implementing new IMTA models 🌍. Stay tunned for further results .

Last week our colleagues from Fondazione IMC attended the XI conference of the Italian Society for Applied Shellfish Research, which promotes research studies for the sustainable development of shellfish farming, tackling issues faced by the sector and sharing knowledge and insights to its stakeholders. The #LCA approaches proposed within BLUEBOOST Project (Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership) to tackle different IMTAs were presented to the academia, policymakers and the industry. We hope that you will enjoy our poster!

Field data collection activities for the setting up of Life Cycle Assessment #LCA and economic analysis in the six IMTA systems of the BLUEBOOST Project (Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership) have just started! The first tasks started with CREA Ricerca a and University of Helsinki researchers visiting our Med IMTA, with the valuable support from Fondazione IMC. Here we targeted a finfish farm co-farming flat oyster in Sardinia (Italy). A lovely scenario. Stay in touch for the next updates

📢 Today the coordinator of BLUEBOOST Project, Neil Duncan (IRTA), presented our project in the Kick-off meeting of funded project (2023 Joint Call) of the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership. I has been a pleasure being there sharing our research proposal and goals, and promote collaboration between other funded projects supporting blue economy. Stay tunned for more updates about our consortium,!!

Thierry Chopin, a distinguished University of New Brunswick (UNB) professor renowned for his pioneering work in Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA), passed away on July 18. Over his 35-year tenure at UNB, Chopin mentored countless students, steering them toward successful careers in marine sciences. The “BlueBoost” project wishes to honour his substantial contributions to the field and acknowledge the inspiration his research and character provided to all project partners.   Born and educated in France, Chopin earned his doctorate from the University of Western Brittany in Brest. In 1989, he moved to Canada and became a Professor of Marine Biology at UNB in Saint John. His research specialized in the ecophysiology, biochemistry, and cultivation of commercially valuable seaweeds, and he was instrumental in developing sustainable IMTA systems. These systems, which emphasize nutrient bio-mitigation and other ecosystem services, significantly contribute to improved ecosystem health. From 2009 to 2017, Chopin served as the scientific director of the Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network (CIMTAN), an interdisciplinary strategic network supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Chopin held prestigious positions as president of the Aquaculture Association of Canada, the Phycological Society of America, and the International Seaweed Association, where he also served as Secretary General for six years. The loss of Thierry Chopin is a profound blow to the fields of marine biology and aquaculture, and to the many lives he touched through his work and teaching. Thierry Chopin’s legacy will endure, continuing to influence and inspire future generations. To honour his memory, the Chopin family requests contributions to the Thierry Chopin Award for Graduate Coastal Studies at www.unb.ca/chopinaward to support future coastal studies scholars and continue his legacy.

Our activities within #BLUEBOOST project (#BlueEconomyEU and Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership) in land #IMTA systems at IRTA la Ràpita started this week. Before comparing the performance of IMTAs along two consecutive production cycles with traditional ponds, we have started with rearing flathead grey mullet in our ponds that later will be converted into IMTA units. This will allow us generate data on system's performance for further LCA approaches. Stay tunned for further results!

The summer is comming and the #BLUEBOOST project (#BlueEconomyEU) and its partners have started their field activities, and a good example of it is the work performed by the IMC International Marine Center in Sardinia in which marine open sea #IMTA models will be tested. Great job Stefano Carboni and your team!!!. Waiting for your news and results! https://lnkd.in/dh3wtrZg

Last week our colleagues from CREA (Italy) presented the #BlueBoost Project (#BlueEconomyEU) in the ·#EATiP Annual General Meeting in Bruxelles. Thanks Riccardo Napolitano for your outstanding presentation, and thanks to ITAQUA, the Italian multi-stakeholders platform for aquaculture under the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, which is partner of EATiP, for giving us the room to disseminate our project in front of stakeholders.

The #BLUEBOOST consortium meeting is doing great. 👏 Once all #IMTA scenarios that will be conducted in Portugal, Spain, Poland, Italy and Brazil were presented, today we learnt how to share our datasets under FAIR principles and how to organize our data management plan. Great master class from Carmen Reverté Thanks to #BlueEconomyEU for giving us this amazing oportunity for building strong bridges towards the transitioning to sustainable aquaculture models through #IMTA.