Unlocking the potential of sustainable low trophic aquaculture to provide the food the world needs

The AquaVitae project

Philip James, AquaVitae coordinator

The ever growing world population will need 50% more food than we produce at this point in time by 2050 , and with less land available for production, limited fresh water sources and global warming, the conditions to achieve this will be very challenging!

One way to increase the global supply of food is to turn to the culture of marine species, aquaculture or mariculture, as it can complement land-produced food, but to do it in a sustainable manner. This is especially true if we consider low-trophic species. Low trophic means that the species concerned are as close as possible to the base of the food chain, and when we talk about aquaculture this includes seaweeds, sea urchins and shellfish for example.

And this is what the AquaVitae project is looking at, how to optimise the food production from low-trophic aquaculture value chains around the Atlantic Ocean. In our latest podcast episode, AquaVitae’s coordinator, Philip James of NOFIMA in Norway, tells us all about the project, its activities and the results they have achieved after more than 3 years of collaborative work.

From case studies investigating the culture of these species in different conditions, through the development of sensors, the study of consumer attitudes and behaviours to the evaluation of potential market value for these new products, AquaVitae has achieved a lot already with 71 products and 40 new processes!

And with a year still to run, much more is in the pipeline. For instance, a Massive Open Online Course titled sustainable aquaculture for low trophic species will be launched in March 2023, this free interdisciplinary resource is aimed at masters’ level and is suitable for anyone wanting to learn more about sustainable low trophic aquaculture.

If you want to know more about AquaVitae, its activities and results, make sure to listen to the full episode!

Listen to the podcast

References:

• Food from the oceans - Publications Office of the EU

• The Ocean as a Solution to Climate Change: Five Opportunities for Action

• The future of food from the sea | Nature

The AquaVitae project:

• Project website; newsletter; webinars

• Social media: Twitter: @aquavitaeEU , Instagram: @aquavitaeeu, Linkedin: @AquavitaeEU, YouTube: Aquavitaeeu