Grant: Research Networks

Aquaculture production, which already supplies over 40% of the seafood consumed worldwide, has increased rapidly over the last few decades, making it the fastest growing global food production sector; however, there are concerns regarding environmental, economic and social impacts associated with aquaculture. An innovative solution for the environmental sustainability, economic stability and societal acceptability of aquaculture is integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA). IMTA combines the cultivation of fed species (e.g. finfish) with organic extractive species (e.g. shellfish) and inorganic extractive species (e.g. seaweed) for a balanced ecosystem management approach, considering site specificity, operational limits, and food safety regulations. The proposed Canadian IMTA Network (CIMTAN) focuses on developing a key network of researchers from across Canada to further develop IMTA approaches to strategically enhance economically sustainable production systems. The ultimate goal of CIMTAN is to develop systems, adopted by its industrial partners, to efficiently mitigate organic and inorganic enrichment of fed aquaculture operations by actively recapturing this material to turn it into the production of extractive crops, hence transforming associated environmental and socio-economic issues into benefits for not only the industrial partners, but also for all Canadians. CIMTAN will undertake an inter-disciplinary approach including a strong HQP training component to generate new knowledge on alternative aquacultured species based on their biomitigative functions and economic value. CIMTAN will go beyond addressing natural science and/or engineering questions, and will address socio-economic and regulatory governance components, required for the full development of the sector. CIMTAN will create the conditions for increased economic opportunities in rural/coastal regions, including First Nations communities, providing sustainable, quality seafood to Canadians, concomitant with increased societal acceptance of the aquaculture sector and public policy development for improved government decision-making.